Chapter 344
[ 572 words ]
Chapter 344:
Caroline spent the evening alone inside the house. Through the front window, Jarrod caught glimpses of her moving through the rooms. She paused in the living room, picking up a framed photograph from the mantel, her mother, he guessed, from the way her shoulders sagged as she held it. She sat on the couch for a long while, an album of family pictures open on her lap, her quiet tears falling onto the plastic sleeves. Later, she moved to the kitchen and mechanically sorted through the sympathy cards stacked on the table, reading each one before placing it in a neat pile.
Jarrod stayed on the porch. He made himself useful in practical ways, replacing a burnt-out bulb in the porch light, tightening a loose hinge on the screen door with his left hand, his right arm held still at his side. He knew he couldn’t heal her grief, so he focused on alleviating the small burdens he could reach.
Late that night, after the lights inside had dimmed and the house had fallen quiet, Caroline found Jarrod on the back porch. He was leaning against the railing, staring out into the darkness of the backyard.
She came up behind him and, without a word, wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her cheek against the solid expanse of his broad back.
It was the first truly voluntary, affectionate gesture she had made since the fight in his quarters. Jarrod’s entire body tensed in surprise, then slowly relaxed into her hold.
They stood in comfortable silence for a long moment, the sound of crickets filling the cool night air.
A discreet buzz vibrated from the pocket of his jeans. His satellite phone. He pulled it out, his expression hardening as he read the encrypted message on the small screen.
He turned to face her, his eyes full of a deep, sudden regret. “The timeline moved up,” he said, his voice low. “I have to leave. Now.”
The words hung in the air. Their last night together, the one she had been counting on, had been cut short to mere minutes.
𝗜𝘯𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝖾 𝘳𝗈𝗆an𝖼𝖾 𝘰𝘯 𝘨𝘢𝗅𝘯𝗈𝘷e𝗅𝘀.cо𝗺
Disappointment and fear warred on Caroline’s face. But she simply nodded, understanding the brutal reality of his work. There were no arguments with a deployment order.
He pulled her into his left arm, holding her so tightly she could feel the frantic beat of his heart against her own. His right arm remained pressed against his side, motionless. “I will come back,” he whispered into her hair, the words a fierce promise. “That’s a promise.”
He tilted her chin up and kissed her. It was a farewell kiss, both tender and desperate, a frantic attempt to convey everything he couldn’t say.
This time, Caroline didn’t just accept it. She actively returned it. Her fingers tangled in his hair, pulling him closer, her body pressing into his. The kiss deepened, a passionate, almost frantic exchange fueled by the promise he’d made and the imminent threat of his departure.
He groaned, his control slipping as his left hand slid down her back, pressing her flush against the hard lines of his body.
The distant honk of K. C.’s SUV, a pre-arranged signal, broke them apart. Time was up.
Jarrod rested his forehead against hers, his breathing harsh. “I have to go.”
“How long this time?” Caroline asked, her voice thick with unshed tears.
He looked at her, his love for her warring with his duty. “I’ll get it done as fast as I can. I swear it.”
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