She gazed into his eyes, but he didn’t respond. His shuttered expression warned her that he might not want to talk about this.

Finally, he cleared his throat and spoke. “I was in Iraq with my National Guard unit. I’d known the guys for years. We were weekend warriors who never expected we’d find ourselves in a battle zone.”

There was so much emotion in his words that she understood the Adam Hunter she’d known up to this point had been little more than an impression. From the moment he’d attacked her, Whitney had assumed things based solely upon her own conclusions-not facts. Adam had a power and depth to him that she hadn’t realized existed.

“Our unit was in charge of the security checkpoints between Baghdad and the airport. It’s five miles of hell. Every terrorist and every political faction wants to control the road or shut it down. I worked with Ed and Mike most of the time. We searched vehicles and checked identification at the first security post beyond the airport. After having our tours extended because we had special expertise, we were just ten days from coming home when we drove up to the Green Zone that morning.”

“That’s the safe area around U.S. headquarters, right?”

“Supposedly. We were in an armored vehicle, just the three of us, at the entry checkpoint. A woman came up with a baby in her arms. You could see the kid was sick. Its face was red and it was bawling. She held out the baby to us-”

Whitney waited for him to continue. She was almost afraid to hear what he was going to say.

He averted his eyes and directed his gaze across the living room to the landscape painting on the wall. “It happened all the time,” he finally began, his voice pitched low. “Innocent civilians-kids and even babies-were injured in terrorist attacks. Their medical facilities sucked so they often came to us for help. Mike waved her off and just as he did I had this…feeling.”

She waited in stricken silence, half knowing what he was going to tell her.

He turned back to her. “I knew. I don’t know how, but in that instant I realized she was going to kill us.”

Whitney tried to imagine how horrible that must have been, but couldn’t. Until tonight her only experience with death had been her mother’s battle with cancer. She had been warned. Death had been expected.

“I knew we were as good as dead. There was no way to get out of the vehicle in time. Hell, I didn’t even have the chance to open my mouth and warn my buddies.”

Anguish colored every syllable he uttered. She suddenly felt ashamed of herself. Her brush with death had been nothing compared to his.

“I still can’t believe it. That mother had a bomb concealed under her clothes. She knew it was going to kill her and her baby.”

Whitney couldn’t imagine it either. How could any mother take the life of her own child?

“She detonated the bomb just as I yelled, ‘Duck.’ An explosion of light, a bang like nothing I’d ever heard, then the world went as black as hell itself.”

Whitney didn’t know what to say. Obviously, he’d survived. Had either of his friends?

“I woke up a week later in a field hospital. I had a massive concussion. I wasn’t allowed to lift my head for another week. It hurt like a sonofabitch. There was a helluva ringing in my ears. The nurses had to shout for me to hear them.” He shrugged dismissively. “My friends weren’t so lucky. They were blown to bits.”

The naked emotion in his voice told her how deeply he felt the loss. Nothing she could say would bring his friends back or make this situation easier. After a few seconds, she managed to whisper, “That must have been horrible.”

“Not as horrible for me as it was for their families. You see, Mike had a pregnant wife. Ed had a wife and three kids.”

She tried to imagine what their families must be going through but couldn’t. True, she’d lost her mother, but there hadn’t been young children involved. Her mother’s cancer had slowly eaten her alive over the course of two miserable years. There’d been enough time to brace herself for the inevitable.

“I’m sorry I whined. My experience wasn’t anything-not nearly-”

“Death is death. Like I said, knowing you almost died is a mind-altering experience.”

“Yes, but you were wounded. You physically felt it.”

“Small difference.”

She waited a moment before telling him, “When Mom died I learned something very important. There are things in life that money can replace. Then there are the things in life that no amount of money can replace. I would have given all I had or ever hope to have to save my mother. But it didn’t matter. She died anyway.”

“I’m sorry, sweetheart.” He reached over and took her hand.

“I’m sure you learned the same lesson. Money isn’t everything. When I saw the fire, my first thought was the dogs hadn’t died. It wasn’t until a bit later that I realized someone wanted Miranda dead.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Talking had calmed Whitney a little and made her realize others had been through much worse. Not just Adam, she decided, but thousands upon thousands of people she didn’t know. Around the world others had faced death and had survived. She knew Adam was suffering from survivor’s guilt, but she couldn’t think of anything to say or do to ease his pain.

Adam rose to his feet and she let him help her up. “Let’s find some bed linens and get you settled in the maid’s quarters.”

She followed him up the stairs to the linen closet in the hall. She noticed how neatly stacked the sheets and towels were. Military training, she decided, and wondered what his uncle had been like.

“How about one of my T-shirts to sleep in?” he asked.

It seemed a little personal but she had no choice. She was going to have to wear these clothes until she could buy new things. “Thanks.”

She waited in the hall while he went into a bedroom. A cold nose on the back of her leg told her Lexi had followed her upstairs. The others were right behind her and Whitney couldn’t help smiling.

Adam returned and handed her a blue T-shirt. “Get some sleep.”

“Thanks, I’ll…” Her voice trailed off as their fingers touched. She took a reflexive half step back.

What was wrong with her? She’d kissed this man-really kissed him. Why did this feel so much more intimate? Because she was alone with him in a big isolated house, she decided. Not only were they alone, she was going to be sleeping in a shirt he’d worn dozens of times. The fabric felt soft in her hand and she imagined it against his skin. Unexpectedly, her heart was racing.

His eyes gleamed at her, the pupils dilating as he spoke. “I wish I had something better, but-”

“No, no. It’s fine, really.” An anticipatory shiver tiptoed up her spine. She could feel the air between them almost sizzle. Heat unfurled deep inside her body, her heart now thudding against her rib cage.

He reached out with one hand and touched her cheek. It was a simple gesture, but his fingertips were warm and slightly callused-and unbelievably erotic. It was all she could do not to throw the T-shirt to the floor and fling herself into his powerful arms.

“Adam.” His name came from between her lips in a whisper filled with longing.

He gazed down at her, his eyes dark, restless with the same desire she felt. Their bodies were just inches apart. She could feel the warmth seeping from his rock-hard body to hers. It wouldn’t take much, she realized. All she would have to do was make a forward move.

She took a deep breath, intending to part her lips for a kiss. A trace of smoke lingered in the air and its smell reminded her of what had happened tonight. She awkwardly took a side step.

Adam got the message, saying, “The keys to the Rava are on the kitchen counter. You take it-”

“I couldn’t. I-”

“It’s okay. I’ll drive my uncle’s car. You have to work, don’t you?”