Chapter 286
[ 496 words ]
Chapter 286:
Caroline turned her head cautiously. She found his face resting just inches from hers. His usually harsh, lethal features were completely softened by slumber.
Jarrod’s dark eyes fluttered open. He registered her proximity instantly. A slow, lazy smile spread across his lips, transforming his entire face.
Without a single word, Caroline, still half-asleep and driven by a profound, unguarded instinct, leaned in. She pressed her soft lips against his in a tender, languid morning kiss. Jarrod froze for a fraction of a second before his iron control slipped, and he responded, tasting of sleep and pure, unfiltered desire.
Caroline melted into the kiss. Her hands came up automatically to tangle in his messy dark hair. She completely forgot her usual defensive posture.
The kiss deepened rapidly. It shifted from tender exploration to a demanding claim. The temperature in the room spiked, burning away the morning chill.
Suddenly, a shrill, unmistakable screech shattered the quiet morning. The encrypted military satellite phone on the nightstand blared its emergency alarm.
𝖣𝗼𝘄𝗇𝗹𝗼а𝘥 𝖯𝗗𝗙𝘴 𝖿𝘳𝘦𝘦 oո 𝗴𝗮𝗅ոo𝗏𝘦𝗅𝘴.𝗰o𝗺
Jarrod froze instantly. He tore his mouth away from hers. His eyes shifted in a microsecond from hazy lust to razor-sharp, lethal focus.
He rolled out of bed in one fluid, explosive motion. He grabbed the heavy black phone from the nightstand before it could ring a third time.
He hit the answer button. He barked his name into the receiver. His posture went completely rigid with ingrained military discipline.
Caroline sat up slowly. She pulled the sheet up to her chest. She watched the immediate, terrifying transformation from her gentle lover to the lethal Colonel Romero.
Jarrod listened to the voice on the other end. His jaw clenched so hard a thick muscle ticked violently in his cheek.
He gave a curt affirmative. He hung up the phone and turned back to Caroline. The cold, brutal reality of his job crashed down heavily on them both.
He told her he’d received an immediate deployment order. The situation was critical, and he had to leave right away.
Caroline’s stomach dropped. The lingering warmth of the morning evaporated instantly, replaced by a sudden, icy dread of his dangerous, violent world.
Jarrod walked quickly to his closet. He shed his sweatpants and began pulling on his black tactical gear. His left hand worked with practiced efficiency, guiding each piece into place while his right arm remained motionless at his side. The rigid outline of the field splint was still visible beneath his combat shirt as he methodically secured the straps he could reach. The process was slower than it had been before the injury, but no less determined.
Caroline threw off the covers. She walked over to him, her bare feet silent on the thick carpet. She felt a sharp pang of deep, unfamiliar reluctance.
She reached out. Her small fingers gently smoothed the stiff collar of his tactical jacket. It was a silent, physical gesture of her overwhelming worry.
Jarrod caught her hand. He brought her knuckles to his lips for a brief, hard kiss. His dark eyes bored directly into hers.
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