Montana D-Force (Brotherhood Protectors Book 3) by Elle James

goodness. Here comes Mia.” Sadie sank back into the seat beside Hank.
    Bear scooted over on the bench seat and let Mia take the outside. Bear leaned close. “Are you all right?”
    “Just dandy,” she replied.
    “Ready to go?”
    “After I finish my drink.” Mia tossed back the soda she’d ordered to go with her dinner and set the glass on the table. She obviously didn’t want to talk about her encounter in the bathroom, and the strained expression on her face didn’t encourage Bear to press.
    When they’d finished and paid for their meals, the foursome rose from their booth and headed for the door.
    The trip back to Mia’s house didn’t take long. When they arrived, Bear said, “I’d rather you two ladies stayed in the truck until we have a look around.”
    Mia nodded. She and Sadie remained in their seats.
    Hank and Bear made a cursory pass around the exterior of the house, checked the doors and entered from opposite sides. When confident there weren’t any bad guys hiding behind the bushes or under a bed, Bear returned to Hank’s truck to collect Mia.
    As he and Mia entered the house, Hank and Sadie drove away.

    “ A ll of this checking and double-checking seems like a lot of trouble for one person.” Mia laid her purse on the counter in the kitchen.
    Bear’s lips pressed together. “I prefer to be thorough. No surprises.”
    She turned to watch him as he twisted the lock in the door handle and turned the deadbolt. “I’m sure you had more than your share of surprises in the Army. How long were you in?”
    “Fourteen years.” Bear faced her.
    “I take it that you would have stayed longer, if they’d let you.”
    He nodded, his jaw tightening.
    His blue eyes darkened, the intensity making her long to reach out and touch his cheek. Apparently the Army had been more to him than just a job. Her chest tightening, Mia turned and walked a few steps away.
    Alone with Bear in the confines of her house, Mia had the sensation of the walls closing in, making the kitchen seem more intimate. The silence lengthened, stretching her nerves with each passing second.
    What was she afraid of? Bear was a man of honor. He wouldn’t attack her in her own home or outside of it.
    What Mia didn’t want to admit to herself was that the closer she was to the man, the more heat built inside her body. His broad shoulders and thickly muscled frame made her want to reach out and touch, to feel, to run her hands over the hard planes of his chest and torso. And that would be completely inappropriate between a boss and her bodyguard.
    Afraid to face him in case he saw her growing desire, she kept her back to Bear. “Would you like a cup of coffee or tea?”
    “No, thank you.”
    At a loss for something to say, she said the only thing she could think of. “Is there anything I can do to make your stay here more comfortable?”
    “Where do you want me to put my things? I left my duffel in the upstairs bathroom earlier.”
    “You can have the first bedroom on the right. I’m in the one on the left, across the hallway.” She didn’t have the heart to move into the master bedroom, where her parents had slept up until the day they’d died. Then she remembered. “Oh, wait, I haven’t cleaned that room, yet.”
    “No need. I can do that. I’m not a guest. I’m the hired hand.”
    “Still, you shouldn’t have to clean your own room.” Mia moved toward the staircase.
    Bear caught her wrist and pulled her back. “I’m quite capable of taking care of myself. Aren’t you supposed to be writing or something?”
    Mia stared at his hand on her wrist as electrical impulses ran up her arm and spread throughout her body. Her core tingled and heated in response to the signals zinging from nerve to nerve. The longer he held her wrist, the faster her heart hammered against her ribcage. “Um, I…” Hell, she couldn’t think when he held any part of her. His touch had the effect of scrambling her wits. “I can’t think… I