Chapter 450
[ 522 words ]
Chapter 450:
He looked down at her, at her soft, imploring eyes, and his resolve relaxed a fraction. He was still furious at the interruption, but he couldn’t deny her. He set the tray down on the bedside table with his good hand, his movements stiff and practiced to protect his right side.
He turned his cold gaze back to Brenna. “Five minutes.”
He didn’t cross his arms—his right arm was still immobilized and his left hand was too swollen for such a gesture—instead, he stood vigil at the foot of the bed, a silent, intimidating guard. He had no intention of leaving her alone.
Brenna was so uncomfortable she could barely speak.
Caroline sighed. “We have some private things to talk about. Could you… wait outside?”
Jarrod’s jaw tightened. The thought of leaving her alone, even for a second, was physically painful to him.
She knew she had to use her last resort. She leaned closer, her lips brushing against his ear. “I promise,” she murmured, her voice a low, seductive promise, “I’ll make it up to you when you get back.”
The implied reward finally broke through his rigid control. A flicker of heat entered his eyes.
He looked at her for a long, hard moment, then turned. As he walked toward the door, he shot a final, warning look at Brenna.
“Five minutes.”
The door clicked shut, leaving a stunned Brenna and an amused, exhausted Caroline alone in the suite.
T𝗵𝖾 𝗯𝖾ѕ𝘵 𝗋𝖾a𝖽іո𝘨 e𝗑р𝖾𝘳𝘪eո𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝘯 𝗴а𝗅𝗇о𝗏е𝗹𝘴.𝖼оm
The moment the tent flap closed behind Jarrod, Brenna let out a huge, shaky breath. “Jesus, Caroline. I thought his eyes were going to freeze me solid.”
Caroline managed a weak smile. “He’s just… being overprotective.”
“Overprotective?” Brenna shot back, her voice a hushed, incredulous whisper. “He looked at me like I was a hostile combatant. Seriously, how do you live with that?”
Caroline didn’t answer right away. She knew Brenna was right, but deep down, the intensity of his jealousy felt like a warm, heavy blanket.
“He was just scared,” she said softly, defending him.
Brenna shook her head, a look of awe mixing with her fear. “I always saw him as this untouchable war hero. I never imagined he could be like… that. For anyone.”
“I don’t get it either,” Caroline admitted honestly. “I’m nothing special.”
“You’re too humble,” Brenna complained. “It’s annoying.”
On impulse, Caroline reached out and gently flicked Brenna’s forehead with her middle finger.
Brenna froze, her hand flying to the spot. She stared at Caroline, her eyes wide. “What… what did you just do?”
Caroline blinked, confused by her friend’s strong reaction. She looked down at her own hand as if it belonged to someone else.
“You just flicked my forehead,” Brenna said, her voice laced with disbelief. “That’s Colonel Romero’s signature move! I’ve seen him do it to politicians who annoy him on the news!”
The words hit Caroline like a jolt of electricity. It had been a completely unconscious gesture. But she knew, with a sudden, shocking clarity, that Brenna was right. She had picked up the habit from him.
She remembered all the times he had done it to her, a gesture of fond exasperation. Without realizing it, she had absorbed a piece of him, made his mannerisms her own.
.
.
.
If you find any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc..), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.