“I hear you.” Steve sat halfway up to drag himself a safe distance away. He stopped when his back hit the brick wall. “Didn't like the little bastard anyway. Just teaching him a lesson.” Steve slowly pushed to his feet, swaying a little in the wind.

Carson watched as China took in the man's protective crouch, guarding his injured groin and hand. A genuinely pleased smile spread across his face giving rebirth to that single dimple again. “Looks like he taught you a few things, too.”

He gestured Steve toward the road. “Now get out of here.”

Steve didn't even look back.

Carson decided that, when he was the cause of it, he could get used to that look of pride on the big guy's rugged mug. It was rare that a guy so much larger

than he was respected Carson's ability to defend himself. Even so, he couldn't resist adding, “I told you I can take care of myself.”

“And I believed you. You had it under control. For the most part.” The smile widened then quirked with a touch of restrained amusement. “But everyone needs a helping hand now and then.” He swept the dropped knit cap off the snow and pulled it over Carson's hair. “Even a tough as nails, little fighting cock with killer green eyes.”

Okay, the only reason his teeth weren't in the snow was because China had ripped him from Steve's grip at the last second. Carson knew that. And appreciated it. And since Carson hadn't heard China approach on the crusty ice and snow, the guy must have been standing there watching. Watching but not intervening until Carson needed him.

“You following me?” His eye burned from the wind. At least his face was growing numb, saving him immediate joy of fresh raw scrapes over tender bruises.

“You dropped your gloves inside.” He pulled Carson’s brown leather gloves from his jacket pocket and handed them off. He stared into Carson's eyes long and hard. “Thought you might need them.”

Attraction, concern and what Carson thought looked like the need for a friend shone down at him. “You mind walking in this?”

“I've been places that make this look like a sunny day at the beach.” China zippered his jacket closed and pulled on a pair of worn gloves and a dark knit cap from his other pocket. “I can walk for a bit, yeah.”

“I'll going to see my family. Say hi for the holiday.” Carson began to walk but turned around to face China as he stepped out on to the sidewalk.

“Okay. I got some free time on my hands. Can you talk while you walk?”

“I've been known to, yes.” Carson spun to face forward as China joined him, arms brushing as they strode through the gathering snowfall.

“Good. I like to listen to your voice.”

Carson hesitated, unsure how to take that. “I already told you you were crazy once, right?”

“Yeah, but you'll find out with me—once is never enough.”

Carson wasn't ready to touch the double meaning in that one. The warm glint in China's glance said it all anyway. They weren't talking about crazy anymore.

And surprisingly, Carson liked it.

It was unnerving how comfortable he was walking beside China. He'd always been attracted to large, beefy hunks, but most of them had towering egos to match their towering bodies. Steve was a perfect example, even if a slightly more manic one than most guys were.

But China was all quiet confidence and restrained, if hulking, power. And he respected Carson enough to let him handle his own fight; at least to the point where he was about to get pounded into the pavement. Most other guys treated Carson like he was fragile or helpless. He was slight, but he could take on more than most guys gave him credit for. He didn't like to fight, but he knew how. Jim had been insistent about it.

Jim. The ache started up again in his chest. Jim dead. Thanksgiving here. Mauled by a jerk, not once but twice and the best companion he'd had in months was a complete stranger. Well, almost. He knew China was a soldier.

“What branch of the service were you in?” He glanced sideways and caught China's surprised expression. “Come on, man. You scream military. The way you walk, the way you hold yourself so straight.”

“Army. Specialty unit. Active status. Is it that obvious?”

Carson reached high to ruffle his gloved fingertips through the short fine dark hair barely seen around the edges of China's knit cap. “The hair, the boots, the confidence. I recognize the…attitude.”

“Attitude? I'm giving you attitude, son?”

The line was delivered in barking, mock-General-Patton bellows that made Carson chuckle. “Just a little.”

It felt good to laugh, good to let go and enjoy the moment. It even soothed the flash of loss that came with it. “My brother is…was a Sergeant. Army Rangers. Career soldier. I know what to look for. You remind me of him in some ways. He'd have probably liked you.”

For once China was silent. Carson studied the man as best he could in the gray afternoon light. China's lips were drawn into a hard, tight line as if they were holding back words trying to escape. His dark eyes scanned the surroundings as if he was scouting a mission, looking for enemies behind trees and alleyways. Could be, but Carson had the impression they were just trying not to look his way.

The fine lines at the corners of his eyes were more pronounced as he squinted into the growing shadows. His stride was easy, loose, but Carson felt the power his body housed when their arms and thighs brushed as they walked. China was solid muscle.

The man was handsome in a dark, brooding kind of way, rugged and brawny, but with a keen intelligence and sense of humor that appealed to Carson. Besides, the Army didn't take just anyone for a special unit, whichever one it was. China-man was top shelf.

“Do you like being in the Army?”

“Second tour. What you think?”

“I know the Army doesn't let you off for holidays. Are you on leave? Do you have family around here?”

“Looking in on a family member for a friend. He can't be here himself so I promised I would.” He shrugged his shoulder but Carson thought it looked more like he was trying to knock something heavy off his back instead of make light of the generous offer. “I'm on medical hold. I'll be going back on active duty in a couple of days.”

“You get shot?”

“Something like that.”

“Can't talk about it, can you? You haven't even mentioned what division you belong to. Must be dangerous work.”

“Talk about it? No. Dangerous? Sometimes. But it's pretty simple. We have a job to do. We do it.”

“You sound so much like my brother. He loved the Army. Everything about it.”

“How do you feel about it?”

“Hate everything about it. The rules, the discipline, the orders.” He tugged at the olive drab Army issue field jacket China wore. “The dress code.”

He caught China's narrowed glance and smiled to take the offense out of the words. His grin widened when the man gave him a dimple punctuated half-smile in return.

“Anti-establishment, huh?”

“No, just anti-'tell me what to do all the time'. I don't even like the regulations at my job and they are pretty lax for most big corporations.”

A car horn blared, the noise muffled by the heavy snowfall. The wind carried it away like shreds of old newspaper.

“Yeah?” China gave him a questioning glance but didn't ask for more. His lips got that purse string tightness again.

Carson decided to make it easy for him. Besides, he wanted China to know more about him. It was a two way street, he hoped. “I'm a software

programmer. Developer, really. I work for Advantage. They do a lot of government work there. I have a security clearance that impresses even me.”

“Hot shot programmer? Nice skills. Useful for a lot of things.”

“I have flexibility.” Carson laughed, self-conscious about the way that sounded out loud.

“Good to know.” There was that warm look again. The one with the double meaning behind it. It didn't hurt any that China had dropped his voice to a raspy bass. And that damn, sexy dimple was still in place.