Chapter 406
[ 516 words ]
Chapter 406:
The smile left Jarrod’s face. He became serious, his expression shifting back to that of the commander assessing a battlefield. He took her hand, his grip firm and reassuring.
“The doctors say his vitals are stable,” he said, his voice grave. “But it’s a complicated recovery. The risks are still very high.”
Caroline noticed a rare, peaceful softness in his expression, as if he had found a comfort he’d never experienced before. Then the moment passed, and the weight of the day settled back onto his features.
They walked down the sterile hospital corridor toward the recovery wing, Jarrod’s right hand wrapped firmly around hers. His left hand, still heavily bandaged and throbbing from his fractured fingers, was tucked carefully into his tactical jacket pocket to prevent any accidental impact. The silence was filled with the unspoken gravity of the follow-up surgery ahead for Donovan Sinclair. They had just rounded a corner when Jarrod suddenly stopped, pulling her gently into the alcove of a closed waiting room doorway.
His body pressed lightly against hers, his eyes holding that familiar, insatiable heat. “You know,” he murmured, his voice a low rumble, “we have a few minutes.”
W𝗲 𝗎𝗽d𝘢𝘁𝘦 𝘦𝘃e𝘳𝘺 we𝖾𝗄 𝗈𝗇 𝘨а𝘭𝗻о𝗏е𝘭ѕ.cо𝘮
Caroline stared at him, genuinely incredulous. “Jarrod, we’re in a hospital hallway. My father is being prepped for his second procedure.”
“Exactly. High stress. You need to stay relaxed,” he reasoned, his thumb tracing a slow, careful circle on the pulse point of her wrist, avoiding his own injured hand. His lips quirked into a persuasive, boyish smile. “It’s a proven therapeutic technique.”
A sharp, incredulous laugh escaped her. “You are unbelievable.”
“I’m serious,” he said, leaning in. “I just need…”
She placed a firm hand on his chest, stopping him. A genuine wince flickered across her face as her lower back protested the movement. “Jarrod, I can barely stand upright. I’m genuinely sore.”
He paused, the heat in his eyes cooling as a look of contrition and concern took its place. He immediately stepped back, his right hand moving to gently rub her shoulders. “I’m sorry. I forget… my stamina can be a lot.”
“Your stamina is a military-grade weapon,” she retorted, her voice dry.
His expression became serious, laced with a vulnerability she rarely saw. “I just… when it comes to you, I have absolutely no self-control. It’s like an addiction.”
The confession, so raw and honest, disarmed her. But the tension of the day, the looming presence of her biological father, made her reckless. She met his gaze, a dark, challenging humor in her own. “What would you do, then, if I wasn’t available? Find someone else to manage your… addiction?”
The air around him changed instantly. The playful, repentant lover vanished, replaced by the cold, dangerous Colonel. His eyes went flat and hard, his jaw tightening into a line of stone. A wave of silent, lethal fury radiated from him, pressing against her like a physical force.
Her stomach dropped. She realized, too late, the magnitude of her mistake.
She raised her hands in a gesture of instant, utter surrender, her eyes wide with a plea for amnesty. “I was joking. A terrible, idiotic joke. I’m sorry.”
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