Free The Stranger Next Door by Chastity Bush Page B

about. If she wanted a man, despite the officer’s good looks and charm, he wouldn’t be the one she’d choose. But she had more important things to worry about than soothing Jack’s ego.
    “We don’t even know if her murderer and the men breaking in here tonight are related,” Tess argued.
    “True,” the captain replied. “But I can’t, in good conscience, leave you here alone like bait. You need to be with someone at all times or go to a safe house until this is all cleared up.”
    When she started to argue, he held up a hand to silence her. “I won’t hear anymore about it, Tess. You get someone to stay with you, you go stay with someone, or you go to a safe house. Those are your choices. Take your pick.”
    “I’ll stay with her. That is, if it’s all right?”
    Turning in her chair, she met Jack’s indigo eyes. Although his statement was voiced as a question, his eyes conveyed the weight of his words. There was no question in his expression; the hard set of his jaw told her he held no room for argument. He was staying whether she agreed or not. She knew she was in trouble. She and Jack would never be just friends, just neighbors. It was only a matter of time … and there was no escape.
    Gazing up at him a moment longer, her blood roiling through her veins, she capitulated.
    “That sounds like a fine idea,” the captain agreed.
    “Having a PI here is almost as good as having a cop living with you.”
    “I am a cop,” Tess mumbled.
    “We know that,” Captain Lewis assured her, “but he’s an extra set of eyes and knows what to do if there’s an emergency.”
    “And I don’t?”
    “You know what I mean, McCoy. Stop being so damn difficult!” Captain Lewis snapped.
    Glancing at the men surrounding her, she closed her eyes for a moment and sighed as the heat of Jack’s hands continued to seep into her.
    What have I gotten myself into?
    * * * *
    If Holdings had touched Tess one more time, he would have lost that hand.
    Never before had Jack felt that kind of jealousy. It was quite the foreign feeling, one he found he didn’t like in the least.
    Fortunately, after Tess agreed to let him stay with her until the case had been solved, the men left. They were satisfied she’d be safe with him.
    Jack, on the other hand, was still irritated with the officer’s advances, subtle though they were.
    He and Tess watched as the police got into their cars and drove down the street and out of sight.
    “It was nice of you to offer to stay with me, but you really don’t have to. I’ll be perfectly fine on my own.”
    Jack shrugged. “You could always come stay with me at my place. It might not be that bad of an idea. Whoever’s after you would look for you here and never consider my place.”
    Tess glared at him. “I’m not staying in a strange house with a man I hardly know. I know you wouldn’t do anything to hurt me, but I just can’t pack up and move in with you. Besides, I think everyone’s blowing this entire situation out of proportion. I don’t need a babysitter.”
    Jack understood Tess’s reluctance to have someone looking after her. He didn’t think he could handle someone in his space watching over him twenty-four-seven without going crazy either. But he had to try. When he’d offered to stay with Tess, he hadn’t thought of all the things he’d have to pack up and tote to her house. “I understand, but I’m not leaving you alone. Someone tried to hurt you today and then tried to kidnap you tonight. If I left and something happened to you, I could never forgive myself.”
    Tess’s expression softened.
    “Now, I know you don’t like the idea of me staying here—”
    “That’s not it,” Tess interrupted. “I don’t mind you staying here. It’s just that I don’t like the idea of putting you into danger, if there is any danger. And I don’t like people thinking I can’t take care of myself.”
    “Did I miss something or didn’t I just rescue you from being kidnapped?