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said.
    “fine, then it won’t matter if you repeat it.”
    “it was personal, major.” the edge of the porch bought loren to a stop.
    there was a waist-high railing that she tried to slip past but rourke was too close for her to do it. he stepped closer and aimed his eyes straight into hers. there was the intense feeling of scrutiny that came with his stare. in fact, it was more like a probe, the way his eyes cut into her face. he reached for the railing and curled his fists around it, forming a cage with his body.
    “tell me what your husband said to you, now.” his words were whisper soft and her skin rose into goose bumps in response.
    there was such an intense level of awareness that her body had for him. loren tried to
    26

    suppress it. chris had taught her just how dangerous getting close to a man could become. the major here was an animal higher up on the food chain than her husband.
    “it’s none of your concern.”
    rourke kept a careful hold on his temper. at the moment, he was torn between beating the truth out of his man and shaking it loose from loren. there was something going on between the pair and he wanted to dig it out of her.
    it was more than simple attraction now. this close he could smell her sweet flesh. her chest rose and fell with a rapid rate that lifted the corners of his mouth into a grin. the level of arousal they brought out in each other was just as strong as the night they’d met. it was an intoxicating piece of information.
    but nothing would be happening ‘til her husband was out of the picture.
    rourke focused his attention on the barrier her married state presented.
    she’d been abandoned
    at the least. what he wanted to know now was if she’d run away from something.
    “most women don’t step out on their husbands when they’re pregnant. why did you?”
    “it’s none of your business.”
    “why did you kick your husband last night?”
    “he swung at me first!” loren spat her response out before she thought better. horror flooded her as the grin sitting on the major’s face widened to show her an even row of white teeth. she’d just given him exactly what he wanted. rourke campbell had not witnessed the attack himself and she’d just bet that not a single one of chris’ fellow rangers were willing to tell their commanding officer that one of their own had raised
    his hand against his wife.
    but now, she’d opened her big mouth and the major had all the information he needed to open an investigation against her husband. that would be a disaster for her.
    as long as chris was out being a ranger he didn’t have the time to bother her. if he got
    discharged for spousal abuse, well, the man would have nothing better to do than come looking for her.
    “divorce him, loren.”
    “i can’t.”
    “you mean you won’t.” rourke moved his body closer and listened to the sharp breath she drew. there was a current jumping between their bodies that had his hair rising along the back of his neck. she wanted him and he wasn’t going to let her hide behind a marriage that was long dead.
    “that’s right. i made my mistake and i’ll live with it, rourke.” 27

chapter four

she’d called him rourke.
    staring at his reflection in the bathroom mirror the next morning, rourke was still grinning. all right, he was acting like a teenager but hell, he liked the sound of his name rolling out of her sweet mouth.
    picking up his razor, he applied it to his jaw with steady strokes. his thoughts were completely centered on his houseguest. that didn’t bother him in the least. a man was lucky to have such a lovely woman bunking under his roof, even if she wasn’t bunking
    in the right room just yet.
    a slight frown settled over his face. he wanted loren. the sexual attraction was intensely acute for some reason. the problem was he only had six days ‘til she’d be free
    to head back home.
    now that bothered him. wiping a towel across his face, rourke turned toward his closet.