Chapter 681 [ 536 words ] Chapter 681: “I can’t train you with my hands right now,” he continued, the admission torn from him like a curse. “That does not mean another man gets to put his hands on you. Bell can be the body when the lesson requires contact.
Chapter 680 [ 494 words ] Chapter 680: She tucked it. “Better.” The single word should not have warmed her. It did anyway. “Now imagine someone grabs you from behind,” he said. “Not a gentleman. Not a training partner. Someone bigger. Someone who means to drag you somewhere dark. What
Chapter 679 [ 536 words ] Chapter 679: He did not reach for her. He couldn’t. The heavy brace still locked his right arm against his torso, and his splinted left hand remained rigid at his side, useless for anything that required force. The restraint only made him look more
Chapter 678 [ 501 words ] Chapter 678: Caroline watched him, a knot of real fear tightening in her stomach. She had seen him angry, seen him jealous, seen him possessive. She had never seen him like this. This was a quiet, cold rage that promised utter annihilation. He raised
Chapter 677 [ 535 words ] Chapter 677: There was no movement of his hands, no impossible sweep of strong arms around her body. The brace still held his right arm trapped against his torso, and his splinted left hand remained rigid at his side. But he did not need
Chapter 676 [ 473 words ] Chapter 676: He leaned in slightly, close enough that his breath brushed the curve of her cheek. “Since I’m not, you’ll have to use your imagination.” It was the most blatant, outrageous, and effective line she had ever heard. The clinical lesson had devolved
Chapter 675 [ 473 words ] Chapter 675: “Your reflexes,” he said, his voice a low, thoughtful murmur. “They’re faster than I expected. Almost… instinctive.” A jolt of cold fear shot through her. She had been too good. In the split second she was falling, her body had automatically tried
Chapter 674 [ 496 words ] Chapter 674: He studied her with a cold, devastated focus, as if he were rearranging every memory he had of her and finding hidden blades in all of them. “You didn’t learn that at Washington General,” he said. “You didn’t learn it in nursing
Chapter 673 [ 452 words ] Chapter 673: Caroline forced a thin smile. “Maybe I’m just a fast learner.” Jarrod’s eyes narrowed. “No. Fast learners make new mistakes.” His voice dropped. “You keep correcting old ones.” The words landed like a blade sliding between ribs. She had to move the
Chapter 672 [ 534 words ] Chapter 672: Before she could answer, he gave the narrow space between Beatrix’s hospital bed and the far wall a brief, assessing look. He did not move behind her. He did not touch her throat. He did not try to demonstrate a hold his
Chapter 671 [ 496 words ] Chapter 671: This was worse than being touched. This was dangerous in a different way. If he watched too closely, if she reacted too correctly, if her body answered before her mind could stop it, he would see everything. “Jarrod,” she said carefully, “it’s
Chapter 670 [ 481 words ] Chapter 670: His mouth left hers, trailing a line of hot, open-mouthed kisses down her jaw, to the wildly fluttering pulse at the base of her throat. He bit down gently, a possessive, claiming mark. A low, needy sound was torn from her throat.
Chapter 669 [ 505 words ] Chapter 669: The look in his eyes was pure, undiluted hunger. He crossed the room without his old effortless speed, but with something colder: restraint sharpened into menace. Each step was silent, deliberate, and furious in its control. Caroline’s heart began to beat a
Chapter 668 [ 523 words ] Chapter 668: Dr. Reed capped her pen and turned to Caroline. “Listen,” she said, her voice low and conspiratorial. “You can’t keep sleeping in that chair. My private office has a small lounge attached. There’s a cot in there, a coffee machine, and a
Chapter 667 [ 486 words ] Chapter 667: But Caroline, her mind already moving on to the next problem, the next threat, missed it completely. She was tidying the supplies he had knocked over, her back to him. “Sure,” she said, her voice distracted. “If I’m on duty, just stop
Chapter 666 [ 541 words ] Chapter 666: Fifteen minutes stretched into an eternity. Caroline paced the small storeroom, the puppy’s whimpers turning into a hoarse, pathetic whine. The guilt gnawed at her. She was about to give up and make a risky trip to the mess hall herself when
Chapter 665 [ 487 words ] Chapter 665: She took a pair of tweezers and a cotton ball soaked in iodine and began meticulously cleaning the edges of the wound, her touch firm but surprisingly gentle. Her movements were a blur of practiced efficiency. “Wow,” he breathed, the pain momentarily
Chapter 664 [ 488 words ] Chapter 664: A figure in a standard-issue training uniform threw up a hand to shield his eyes, letting out a startled yelp. As her eyes adjusted, she recognized him. It was Corporal Evan Riley, the young NCO who had tried to help her with
Chapter 663 [ 504 words ] Chapter 663: He held her for a long moment, his embrace a silent apology. Then, he pulled back slightly. “I have an idea,” he said. “Put in for the night shift rotation at the clinic.” She looked up at him, confused. “If you’re officially
Chapter 662 [ 507 words ] Chapter 662: He had not moved. He had not touched her. He had not needed to. His eyes had seen everything: the angle of the knee, the lack of hesitation, the controlled line of her hips, the way her body had chosen the most