Nowhere to Hide(18)

Cav admired her guts. Out of the corner of his eye, he looked at Lia’s profile, thinking that her face could be found on a Greek vase. “You have to be tired,” he said, sliding a glance at her in the rear view mirror.

“I am. Exhausted, if you want the truth.”

He drove out of the airport, following four car lengths behind the first van. “Understandable. You’ve been through a lot.”

Rubbing her brow, she muttered, “Yes. But I’m far better off than Maria or Sophia. I’m just grateful I’m alive.”

“It helps to be an optimist in situations like this.”

Lia stared at Cav’s profile for a moment. She heard the grittiness in his voice. He was so tall, over six feet, and his shoulders were thrown back with pride, typical of a military person.

“I don’t like the other choice. Do you?” she replied, her hands folded stiffly in her lap. Just being this close to Cav was doing odd things to her. It had been so long since she’d had a relationship with a man, she’d nearly forgotten what it was like to be attracted to one.

“No, the other choice sucks, that’s for sure,” Cav agreed.

Cav had an interesting face that spoke of a lot of life experience. The feathery lines at the corners of his eyes revealed that he squinted a lot. Or maybe laughed a lot. Lia had little experience with black ops people, so she wasn’t even sure they did laugh—at least, not on the job.

She took a quick peek at his profile. One corner of his mouth had turned upward in a half-grin, and he had both hands on the wheel. She imagined his eyes were constantly moving, looking for potential trouble. While she didn’t think there was any trouble here in the busy, prosperous city of San José, Cav was getting paid to be alert and ever watchful.

It felt nice, actually, to have a guard dog, but Cav was a truly handsome species, in her eyes.

Noticing the white scars and nicks over his large, long fingered hands, and the deep tan, she figured he had been outdoors a lot, probably in the Middle East. She noted his well muscled back. He probably worked out daily, but he wasn’t excessively muscular.

As she took glances at him from time to time as he drove, she realized how many scars he had on the arm nearest her. Hah! She’d thought she had scars? This guy had her beat!

“I’ve never had a guard before. Is there a protocol to it?” she asked, clearly wanting some guidance from him.

“Some,” he murmured, checking his rear view mirror. The whole armada, and it was certainly that, was now on a freeway heading north toward the Monte Verde Cloud Forest Reserve. “General Culver wants me in close proximity to you at all times.”

“What does that mean?” she asked, frowning. She was still jumpy as hell from the attack on the school, which spilled over to extreme nervousness around men. It wasn’t that she was afraid of Cav. She just hadn’t expected him to be so…polite. What man nowadays helped a woman into a car? Or shut her door for her?

While unexpected, Lia was enjoying that little bit of pampering. It was actually very nice.

“I go everywhere with you. If you have to go to the grocery store, I’m with you. If you need to go anywhere, I drive you to and from your destination.”

“I hope you don’t go into the women’s restroom with me!” She laughed, joking.

“I’ve been known to do that, too.”

She stared open-mouthed at him. “You’re kidding—aren’t you?” She saw amusement gleaming in his hazel eyes.

“Not at all.”

“But,” she sputtered, “That’s awful!” This man had been very close to her earlier, and Lia had felt the coiled power in Cav’s body as he stood waiting for her at the open van door.

“What’s awful,” he said, raising his dark brows. “Is taking a bullet while you’re in a stall.” Then, he turned his head, pinning her with a dark look. “And General Culver wants you tailed. That’s what a tail does…they’re your shadow.”

Snorting, she muttered, “Well, we’ll see about that. I don’t want a strange man with me in a woman’s restroom, bullets or no bullets.” Lia could swear he was smiling, but damned if his face wasn’t absolutely expressionless. And whether she wanted to or not, she enjoyed looking at him. He’d stirred her lower body into a new awakening, just like that!

She suddenly realized that she wasn’t focusing on the report she’d submitted in the boardroom. Should she feel guilty?

No, she had to admit, she was more interested in Cav at the moment. What had this man suffered? He had far more scars than she did, but they weren’t on his face. Unconsciously, she touched her scar on her cheek.