Make Me Melt by Karen Foley Read Free Book Online

to risk an encounter with him? She needed to maintain her distance from him, but she doubted her ability to hide her feelings from Jason, especially if they were going to be living together. But there was no way she’d ever give him the opportunity to reject her again.
    Realistically, she knew she should be grateful to Jason for volunteering to protect her. He had an important job as a U.S. marshal in San Diego, and it couldn’t have been easy for him to leave his district and travel to San Francisco to watch over her.
    “I’m sorry,” she finally said, raising her head. Jason had come to stand at the end of the sofa. The windows were behind him, and, although it was growing dark outside, they hadn’t turned on any interior lights and she couldn’t read his expression. “I’m sure this is hard for you, too.”
    “You have no idea.”
    His wry tone caused Caroline to look sharply at him, unable to tell if he was joking or not. Before she could ask him what he meant, he turned away.
    “I asked Deputy Black to order room service for us. Nothing fancy—a couple of steak sandwiches and salads.”
    Caroline wasn’t hungry, but knew she should eat something. “Thanks. A salad is fine.”
    Jason arched an eyebrow and swept his gaze over her in one all-encompassing look that missed nothing. His cell phone rang, and he gave a grunt before turning away to speak quietly into the phone. Caroline sighed and pushed herself to her feet, then wandered to the tall bank of windows. Below she could see the city streets and beyond that the shimmering water of San Francisco Bay beneath the setting sun.
    A few moments later, Jason came to stand beside her. “I said earlier that there were some safety rules we should go over, and one of the most important is to stay away from windows. You make yourself an easy target for anyone outside, especially at night.”
    “You think there’s someone standing down there, watching the hotel?” she asked in disbelief.
    “No,” he admitted. “Not here, but while we’re at the hospital, I think it’s better you not go near the windows. Until we know what we’re dealing with, I’m not taking any chances. Second rule, don’t answer the phone or the door. I’ll do that. Third, you don’t go anywhere without me. If we’re at the hospital, you don’t even go to the restroom unless I’m with you. Got it?”
    Caroline hugged herself around the middle, feeling a chill wash over her. “You’re scaring me, Jason.”
    To her surprise, he took her by the shoulders and turned her toward him, dipping his head to look directly into her eyes. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you, okay? As long as I’m with you, you’re safe.”
    Before she could respond, he pulled her against him, enfolding her in his arms. He felt so solid and strong that Caroline instinctively hugged him back. His woodsy scent transported her back to being sixteen years old. Desire hit her like a sledgehammer, and she drew in a ragged breath, intensifying her hold on him. Beneath the crisp fabric of his shirt, she felt his muscles bunch and tighten.
    “Caroline...” His voice was a husky rasp against her ear.
    Lifting her face, she met his gaze. For just an instant, she saw the raw hunger in his eyes, and his expression gave her courage. She couldn’t deny that she’d thought about kissing Jason far more than she should have since he’d first walked through the door of her law firm. Fixing her attention on his mouth, she told herself she would give him one kiss, just to thank him for everything he’d done. There was no harm in a simple gesture of gratitude, was there?
    Slowly, she reached up and pressed a light kiss against the corner of his mouth. He made a strangled sound in his throat but didn’t release her. Emboldened, she brushed her lips gently against his. For a brief instant, there was no response, and then he gave a groan of defeat and his arms tightened around her. His hand slid up between her