0°Celsius: To thaw a frozen heart

“Hey, man, thanks for coming over.” Carson gestured for him to enter the apartment.

As Cash stepped inside, he experienced a sense of disorientation. He’d been to Carson’s place a dozen times, for poker games and whatnot, but something felt off tonight. It took him a moment to realize it was the smell. Or lack thereof. Every time he’d been here, Carson’s wife had been cooking up a storm, thrilled to use her husband’s teammates as guinea pigs for whatever recipe she happened to be experimenting with.

“Where’s Holly?” he asked, shooting his commanding officer a quizzical look.

Carson’s jaw tensed. “She’s crashing at her sister’s tonight.”

He didn’t elaborate, and Cash didn’t push. But damn, he hoped there wasn’t trouble in paradise. Carson and Holly were the most rock-solid couple he’d ever met, and so well suited for one another it was almost disgusting. They’d been together five years, married for two, and every time Cash saw them, he experienced a raw pang of envy. They were so at ease with each other, on the same wavelength in every conceivable way, something Cash had never experienced with a woman.

The girls he’d dated accused him of being too blunt, too detached, too selfish. It grated, because he truly didn’t see himself as any of those things. Sure, maybe he didn’t always know the right thing to say, maybe he didn’t understand all those mind games chicks liked to play, but that didn’t make him a shitty person, did it?

Pushing aside his troubling thoughts, he followed Carson into the living room and settled on the couch, while Carson disappeared into the kitchen to grab them some beers. He returned a minute later, handed Cash a bottle, and sank into the leather recliner opposite the couch.

“So listen, I need a favor,” Carson began, his blue eyes crinkling with discomfort.

Cash furrowed his brows. “Sounds ominous.”

“Not really. It’s just… My sister drives me crazy sometimes. You won’t believe the trouble she winds up in.”

“Your sister? The favor has to do with her?”

“Yeah. She’s got this psycho ex-boyfriend.” Carson’s mouth flattened. “Well, more like a stalker.”

“Your sister has a stalker.”

“I know, right? Sounds really fucking dumb when you say it out loud. But it’s not a joke. This guy is a total creep. She broke up with him about a month ago, but he refuses to leave her alone. I went to the police station with her this morning to file a restraining order.”

Shit. That sounded bad.

“What’d he do?” Cash narrowed his eyes. “Did he get physical?”

Carson’s cheeks hollowed, as if he were grinding his teeth together. “Son of a bitch manhandled her outside a club. She managed to get in a cab and hightail it home, but the next day, Psycho McGee shows up at her store with flowers. She says thanks but no thanks, asshole, but he doesn’t stop there. Starts sending her creepy texts and emails, along the lines of if I can’t have you, no one else will.”

“Fuck.”

“She changed her number and blocked him on social media. You know, hoping if she keeps ignoring him he’ll give up. But then last night she comes home from work and finds rose petals all over her fucking bed. He figured out where she hides the spare key and let himself in—and before you ask, yes, she had the locks changed. Anyway, Psycho McGee left another note with the rose petals. Some real sicko shit.” Carson shook his head. “I’m worried a restraining order isn’t going to stop the guy, that he’ll come after her again, except this time he really won’t take no for an answer.”

“So what do you need from me?” Cash asked slowly.

“I want you to keep an eye on her.”

He blinked. “What?”

“His office is transferring him to Oakland, so he’ll be leaving town soon, but until then, I don’t want my sister to be alone. She’ll come stay with you for a few weeks—”

“Wait, what?”

Carson shot him an impatient look. “Should I slow down and talk in words you understand?”

“Yes,” he grumbled. “What do you mean, your sister’s coming to stay with me?”

“I can’t leave her all alone in her apartment, not while this guy is still around. I’d let her stay with Holly and me, but—” Carson paused, looking vaguely embarrassed, “—but it’s not a good time, okay? And I can’t stay at Jenny’s and leave Holly here by herself.”

“Don’t you have parents?”

He knew he sounded like a whiny brat, but come on, he wasn’t in the mood to babysit Carson’s sister. He didn’t go back on duty for a few more weeks, and he’d been looking forward to the downtime.

“She won’t go for it,” Carson said with a sigh. “My parents give her a lot of shit, and there’s no way she’ll agree to stay with them. Besides, I’d like her to be around someone who can protect her in case Psycho McGee shows up and gets violent.”

Great, this just got better and better. Babysitter and bodyguard.

“I already spoke to Matt and he agreed to give up his room for the next few weeks. He’ll stay at Savannah’s.”

Cash stifled a groan. Looked like the lieutenant had it all planned out. Would’ve been nice if Cash had had a say in the matter before Carson decided to rearrange his life.

He quickly scanned his brain for another option, one that didn’t involve spending the rest of his leave babysitting.

“She can stay with Seth and Dylan,” he suggested. “They have a spare room.”

“And send my baby sister into the lion’s den?” Carson looked horrified. “No way. I know the kind of shit that goes on there. Not that I’m knocking the lifestyle—I was all about the fun and games before I met Holly. But those guys give a whole new meaning to the word player.” He paused. “Well, so do you, but I figured you’re probably not as bad as the tagteamers.”

Uh… Cash decided not to mention what he’d been doing before he’d been so rudely interrupted. Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ FɪndNøvel.ɴᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Instead, he tossed out another suggestion. “Jackson’s got an empty room too…”

“Yeah, and the second he gets my sister in it, he’ll turn up the Texan charm and have her out of her clothes in five seconds flat.” The lieutenant shrugged. “You’re the lesser of four evils, man. And I know you’re planning on going to Officer Candidate School first chance you get, so…”

So you’d be a fool to deflower my sweet virgin sister and risk a bad recommendation from me, was Carson’s unspoken warning.

Fuck. He really wasn’t getting out of this, was he?

“It’ll only be for three weeks,” Carson said, picking up on his hesitation. “You don’t have to entertain her or prepare home-cooked meals or any of that shit. Just tag along if she needs to go somewhere and make sure she’s safe. That’s all.”

That’s all? He wanted to point out that having a houseguest pretty much guaranteed he wouldn’t be getting laid for the next month, but he suspected Carson valued his sister’s safety over Cash’s sex life.

And wow, didn’t that make him a total jackass. Was he really bitching about the lack of sex he’d get when some poor girl was being terrorized by a stalker?

As everything shifted into perspective, he let out a resigned breath, knowing he couldn’t refuse the request. Carson never asked him for anything, and the man had taken Cash under his wing once he’d joined the team. Invites to dinner, poker night, the mini-golf tourney Carson and his buddies held every month. Carson had done a helluva lot to welcome him into the fold.

“Okay,” he agreed. “I’ll keep an eye on your sister.”

Relief flooded the other man’s face. “Thanks, Cash. I’ll drop her off tomorrow morning.”

He took a swig of beer, then set the bottle on the coffee table and eyed the flatscreen. “Wanna catch the NFL highlights?”

Carson reached for the remote. “Sure.” But rather than switch on the TV, he turned with a deadly look. “One more thing I forgot to mention.”

“Yeah?”

“Keep your hands off my sister.”

Cash frowned. “I wasn’t planning on—”

“I’m serious. You touch her, and I’ll drown you. Your building’s got a pool in the back, so I won’t have to go far.”

He had to laugh. “You’ll drown me? That’s the most creative death you can come up with?”

“I’m in the navy. I do my best work in the water.” Those blue eyes glittered with menace. “And don’t think I’m kidding, McCoy. Touch my little sister and you’re a dead man. She’s off-limits.”

The temperature in the room had dipped below the freezing mark, and from the look on the lieutenant’s face, Cash didn’t doubt the dude meant business.

With a pleasant smile, Carson clicked a button on the remote. “What’ll it be? ESPN or SportsCenter?”

Sitting in the passenger seat of Carson’s Range Rover, Jen resisted the urge to reach over the center console and strangle her brother to death. She was beyond furious, but he’d been pretending not to notice the steam rolling out of her ears as they’d driven in complete silence.

Up ahead, a low-rise apartment building came into view. Seven stories or so, it boasted a sleek gray exterior, balconies with wrought-iron railings, and colorful flowerbeds lining the lush lawn out front. It was much nicer than her building, but that didn’t make this situation any less annoying.

With an overly pleasant smile, Carson pulled over by the curb and killed the engine. “We’re here.”

She shot him a stony glare.

“Come on, Jenny, stop with the silent treatment already. You know this is a good idea.”

Right, because being blackmailed into staying with a complete stranger was a splendid idea. She couldn’t believe she was letting Carson call the shots like this, but the alternative he’d posed was even worse: he’d threatened to tell their parents that her life was in danger. Which wasn’t only an exaggeration but also a surefire way to get her locked up in the family panic room for the next month. If the admiral believed his little girl was even in the slightest bit of danger, he’d throw her over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry and march her all the way back to the family homestead in Del Mar.

Jen loved her parents—she really, truly did—but the two of them drove her absolutely crazy. No way could she survive living under their roof again.

So Carson’s “solution,” as much as it aggravated her, was clearly the better option.

Didn’t mean she had to be happy about it, though.

“How do you know Brendan didn’t follow us here?” she asked in a last-ditch effort to derail her brother’s plan. “Maybe he’s been watching my apartment, tailed us, and ruined your cunning scheme to keep me hidden. In that case, I might as well go back to my place.”

Carson smirked. “Do you honestly think I didn’t keep an eye out for a tail? Trust me, we weren’t followed.”

“Fine.” She pursed her lips. “But what if Brendan does show up, and this rookie you’re sticking me with drops the ball? What if he gets, um, rookie freeze-up syndrome or something?”

“Rookie freeze-up syndrome? I like it. Remind me to accuse one of the guys of having that.”

“I’m serious, Carson.”

“So am I. And trust me,” he said again, “Cash has mad skills. He won’t let anything happen to you.”

Jen froze as the name registered in her head. When he’d tried selling her on this plan, Carson had kept referring to her new roomie as “one of my rookies.”

But his rookie’s name was Cash?

No, she must have heard wrong.

And even if she’d heard right, that didn’t mean it was the same Cash she’d met at the Tavern. Her Cash worked in security, or at least that’s what he’d told her. Unless he’d lied… But why would he? If he was a SEAL, why not just tell her?

Yeah, had to be a different guy. Maybe the name Cash was more common than she’d realized. People were naming their kids all sorts of weird things these days. Maybe Cash topped one of those Most Popular Baby Names lists, along with Apple and Potato and every other stupid name making the rounds.

Jen put on her most nonchalant tone. “Cash? That’s the guy you’re dumping me off on?”

“Yeah. Cash McCoy.”

McCoy.

Oh no.

It was him.

Annoyance rippled through her when she realized Cash had lied about what he did for a living. But the irritation couldn’t mask the rush of heat that flooded her belly as she grasped what this meant.

She was going to be playing house with her sexy cowboy for the next three weeks.

“How come I’ve never met him?” she asked suspiciously. “And if he’s such a good guy, why wasn’t he at your birthday party?”

“Because his parents were in town and they had tickets to a show. He came over the next night for beers.”

“Oh.”

Jen suddenly felt queasy. Did Cash know she was going to be his new houseguest? She hadn’t told him her last name, and knowing Carson, he’d referred to her as Jenny-Pie or some other juvenile name when he’d told Cash about her. Chances were, the guy was in for the surprise of his life.

As panic jolted through her, Jen got ready to blurt out a protest, but Carson was done talking. He threw open the driver’s door and slid out of the SUV, rounding the vehicle to get her bags out of the trunk.

She stayed rooted in her seat, her heart lurching. She couldn’t spend the next few weeks with Cash McCoy. Maybe if he’d called, things would be different. But looking into his sexy blue eyes and drooling over his spectacular body, all the while knowing he wasn’t interested? That would suck.

And the icing on the cake? He was military. She had a firm rule about military men: don’t date one.

Who says you have to date him?

True. She could always just fuck his brains out.

Except he clearly wasn’t interested in doing that, seeing as how he hadn’t called.

A sharp rap on the window jarred her from her thoughts.

She turned to see Carson’s exasperated face peering into the half-open window. “Out of the car, Jenny.”

She opened her mouth, nearly confessing that she already knew Cash. But she stopped herself at the last second. She couldn’t tell her brother about the night at the Tavern. Not only did it make her look kinda slutty, but it suddenly occurred to her that if she did tell Carson she knew Cash, he might scrap this whole houseguest plan and act on his threat of involving their parents.

Another knock sounded on the window.

“I’m getting annoyed,” he announced.

Sighing, Jen got out of the car. “I doubt you’re as annoyed as I am.”

Her brother’s gaze softened. “I’m just trying to look out for you. Maybe I’m overreacting, seeing a threat where I shouldn’t, but I won’t take chances with your safety. Until Brendan is gone, I refuse to leave you unprotected.”

An arrow of guilt pierced her chest. Carson sounded so genuinely concerned that she felt like an ass for the way she’d bitched at him all morning. “I know. I’m sorry I’m being such a brat.”

“’S’all good. I’m used to your brattiness.”

He reached out and tugged on the end of her ponytail, the way he’d always done when they were kids, and Jen couldn’t help but smile. As infuriating as Carson could be, he was still her big brother and she loved him something fierce.

Besides, as much as she didn’t want to admit it, he was right. She didn’t feel safe. She’d been on edge ever since Brendan started playing these sick games with her, and although she wasn’t convinced her ex would actually cross the line from creepy to violent, she’d definitely breathe easier once he left town.

“Come on, let’s go in,” Carson said.

Her anxiety returned once they entered the building. She wondered how Cash would react when he saw her. If he even remembered her. A guy as good looking as him probably hooked up with ten girls a night. What if she’d just been another one of his faceless conquests?

Lugging her bags, Carson crossed the small, clean lobby toward the stairwell door. “Cash and Matt are on the second floor,” he told her. “But Matt’ll be staying with his girlfriend while you’re here.”

When they reached the second-floor landing, Carson led her to a door at the very end of the hall.

“Oh, and Ryan and Annabelle live upstairs,” he went on. “So if you want to do any girlie things, just call Annabelle. You met her, right?”

Jen nodded. Although she’d yet to meet her brother’s newer teammates, she knew most of the older ones well, along with their wives and girlfriends. Out of all the women, Annabelle Holmes was her favorite. They’d gone out for dinner a few times, and she’d hung out with the sarcastic brunette at Carson’s thirty-fourth birthday party last month, so it was a relief knowing that Annabelle would be nearby.

“By the way, I told Mom and Dad your apartment is being fumigated,” Carson added. “So if they call, tell them you were overrun with ants.”

“Ants? That’s what you came up with?”

He shrugged. “First thing that popped into my head.”

They reached the door, which Carson opened without bothering to knock first. “McCoy,” he called. “Come say hi to Jenny.”

She cringed. Of course, he just had to refer to her by the name she hadn’t used since grade school.

Carson dropped her two suitcases on the hardwood floor with a thump, while Jen examined her surroundings. The apartment looked like a typical bachelor pad—no surprise there. It featured an open-concept layout, with a spacious living room boasting a leather couch, two big armchairs, a TV mounted on the wall, and an entertainment system that screamed man cave. A small kitchen with stainless-steel appliances and an eat-in counter took up the other side of the room, next to a dining area with a big glass table and a shelf lined with an assortment of beer glasses. Her gaze flicked to the corridor in the back, which she assumed led to the bedrooms.

When footsteps thudded from the vicinity of that corridor, her pulse kicked up a notch, then took off in a mad sprint at Cash’s appearance.

Oh boy. He was as gorgeous as she remembered. Actually, even more gorgeous, because instead of a leather jacket, today he wore a black T-shirt that clung to his massive chest and revealed his bulging biceps. Jeez, he had great arms. Tanned, sinewy, roped with muscle. The kind of arms you wanted pinning you down while those trim hips pumped into you.

The rest of him was equally appealing. Long legs encased in camo pants, strong jaw dusted with stubble, black-brown hair cut in a short military style. Her nipples tightened involuntarily, her core clenching at the sight of all that manly goodness. Lord, the guy was sexy as hell.

And shocked as hell, judging by the way those piercing blue eyes widened when he spotted her.

Recognition splashed across his face, and his voice came out in a startled rasp. “Oh. Hi.”

She met his gaze, her mouth drier than a desert. “Hi.”

Carson swung his head from her to Cash. “Do you two know each other?”

After a moment of hesitation, during which Jen transmitted a silent warning with her eyes, Cash visibly swallowed and turned to her brother. “No. I was just…I, ah…” He stuck out a hand in her direction. “It’s nice to meet you, Jenny.”

“Jen,” she corrected, moving forward to shake his hand.

The second their palms touched, heat seared into her like a bolt of lightning, spreading through her body and warming every inch of her skin. Their gazes locked again, and the fire inside her burned hotter, making her dizzy and breathless. Holy mother of God. She craved this man on a basic, carnal level she hadn’t known existed.

Sucking in a breath, she jerked her hand back. Touching him was too big a temptation. It only intensified the crazy urge to strip him naked.

“So we’re all cool with this, right?” Carson spoke, oblivious to the tension hanging in the room. “Jenny will stay here until Psycho McGee leaves town?”

Cash’s gaze rested on her before turning to Carson. “Yeah, it’s cool. Matt’s room is all ready.”

“Good.” Carson focused on her. “Jenny?”

She sighed. “It’s fine. But only until Brendan is gone.”

Carson nodded in agreement, then picked up her suitcases. “I’ll put these in Matt’s room.”

The second her brother disappeared, Jen cast a slightly embarrassed look in Cash’s direction. “I had no idea you were the one I was coming to stay with.”

“I figured,” he said wryly.

An awkward silence settled between them, bringing a jolt of annoyance. She hadn’t expected him to greet her with a passionate kiss or anything, but did he have to look so unhappy? As he fidgeted with his hands, his chiseled features creasing with discomfort, her self-esteem took a couple more hits. Couldn’t he at least pretend to be pleased to see her?

“Jen—” he started, only to be interrupted by Carson, who sauntered back into the living room as if he had no care in the world.

Well, of course he didn’t. He wasn’t the one who had to spend the next three weeks with someone who wanted nothing to do with him. Oh no, Carson just got to drop her off, leave her in the clutches of the man she’d almost fucked, and be on his merry way.

“You’re all set,” Carson said. “I guess I’ll head out now.”

Panic flitted through her. “Now?”

“Don’t worry. McCoy will take good care of you.” He frowned as he turned to his teammate. “Remember what I said—she doesn’t leave the house unless someone is with her. You, preferably, but any of the other guys are acceptable alternatives. Annabelle and Holly, too, since they’ve taken self-defense classes. But not Savannah—I don’t want her corrupting my little sister.”

Jen waved her hand around. “Hello? I’m right here, you know. Quit talking about me like I’m a five-year-old.”

As usual, Carson ignored her. “And make sure she stays away from her usual haunts. Psycho McGee might be lurking around, waiting for her to show up.”

“Got it,” Cash said with a nod.

“Good. Okay, I’m out.” Her brother didn’t rumple her hair again, probably because he could see the murder in her eyes, but he did lean in and plant a loud smack of a kiss on her cheek. “Don’t give Cash any trouble.”

He strode toward the door, then paused to shoot Cash a sharp look over his shoulder. “And remember what I said, McCoy. There’s a pool right downstairs.”

Once Carson was gone, another silence fell over the room.

Jen studied Cash’s face, wishing she could make sense of that indescribable expression. He obviously wasn’t happy to see her, but she refused to spend the next three weeks tiptoeing around without clearing the air between them.

Her brows puckered into a deep frown as the silence dragged on. Finally, unable to stand it, she crossed her arms and said, “So why didn’t you call?”