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out
laughing. “No. Of course not. We’re friends, sort of.”
    “Sort of? He seemed more than friendly. A
little too familiar, constantly touching you.”
    “You’re jealous?” She couldn’t remember a
man ever displaying jealousy about who she paid attention to. “You
don’t need to be. I talk to Muhammad about charity work, help him
where I can. He spreads the word about my business to people who
can actually pay for food. It’s a business arrangement more than a
friendship.”
    Nick finally faced her. “And does he know
that? I don’t like the way he touches you.”
    Okay. Jealous was cute to an extent, but not
if Nick didn’t get that macho, ‘she’s mine’ look off his face. “I
like you, Nick, but we’ve only been on one date. Isn’t it a little
early to judge my friends?”
    “Well, shit.” He closed his eyes and rubbed
his temple. “From chivalrous to major ass in two seconds flat. I
definitely know how to impress the ladies.”
    “Don’t beat yourself up about it.” It wasn’t
as though she could argue with him. She didn’t want a man to
dictate her actions. “Look, Nick, I have an early morning. Thanks
for dinner, but I really should get home.”
    He opened his door and rounded to her side
of the car, helping her out and walking her to the driver’s side of
the Camry. “I didn’t mean to get into your business about
Muhammad.”
    Carlie nodded. “Okay.”
    “You’re pissed, aren’t you?” He took a step
nearer and caressed her hair softly. “I am sorry, really. I’ve been
on my own a long time, Carlie, and thought I liked it that way.”
His dark eyes shone brightly in the moonlight. “You make me feel so
different. When Muhammad put his arms around you...” He let out a
loud sigh. “I hated how it made me feel, but I’d hate not seeing
you again more. Can we still go out tomorrow?”
    “I don’t...” She paused, unsure what to say.
The part of her that had been running for six years wanted to cut
her losses, decide Nick was a jerk who would soon try to run her
life, and end things now. However, she also thought of how good and
safe she’d felt dancing with him, how cute he’d been putting his
jacket on her.
    “It’s okay. I understand.” He stepped back.
“I don’t have a right to place demands on you—your time or your
friends.”
    This was all so fast. Too fast. How could
she trust it? Nick might be a hired gun. Ryan’s enemies searched
for her and wanted her dead. She wished she could believe that was
just paranoia talking and the people in Ryan’s country had long
since forgotten she existed, but she couldn’t.
    When Ryan’s mother flew to America to pick
up his body, she’d warned Carlie to take the money she gave her and
run far and fast. Her mother-in-law feared for Carlie’s life and
told her never to let anyone know who she used to be. Didn’t that
mean they might still be looking for her? Could she believe that
Nick was just a harmless man, looking for a good time and a
training partner? And maybe...love?
    “I’m not saying I don’t want to see you
again,” she said. “But maybe it’d be best to take things slower.
How about we just try for dinner tomorrow?”
    He put his arms behind his back and nodded.
“Fine. I’ll agree to slower. I have a tendency to go full throttle.
I did warn you that I’m worried about scaring you away.”
    That didn’t sound like a man who planned to
murder her in her sleep. In fact, maybe Carlie was being
silly. If Nick’s goal was to kill her, she’d been at his mercy all
night. He was a fifth-degree black belt; she had no hope of
defending herself against him.
    “You didn’t scare me away.” She stepped into
him and pressed a soft kiss against his cheek. It calmed her
further when he didn’t move his hands from behind his back to grab
her or force a more passionate kiss on her.
    When she moved away, he reached into his
back pocket and pulled out his wallet, fishing a business card from
it. “This has