“Making sure you got home safely,” he said without apology. His eyes scanned her head to toe. Though he was no longer in the Army, he chose to keep his blonde hair shaved close to the scalp in military fashion and still wore his tags beneath the Army-green T stretched across his muscular frame. “Let me see your hand.”
She ignored his request, reaching in the car with her other hand to grab her backpack. He took it from her, tossing it carelessly to the ground while grasping her forearm. She pulled it away, irritated. Ever since he’d come back from overseas he’d been especially protective. Brian had always looked out for her as her big brother, and as Brian’s best friend, Craig had been right there with him, so it hadn’t been a total surprise when Craig simply picked up where he’d left off. Maybe it was his way of dealing with Brian’s MIA status, too, which was understandable, but at the moment it was pissing her off. They weren’t kids anymore, and she didn’t need a keeper.
“Come on, let me take care of that for you,” he said.
“I’m fine,” she said through clenched teeth, partly out of annoyance and partly from the painful throb along the back of her hand. She pulled it back out of his grasp, sucking air at the sudden stab that resulted from it.
“Stop being so stubborn. We need to ice that up before it swells.”
“No,” she said, picking up her bag and pushing past him. “That’s what I need to do. You need to go back to your own apartment and stop treating me like a child.”
He trailed closely behind, invading her personal space. “I will when you stop acting like one.”
She increased her pace, not stopping until she reached her door. Craig snatched the keys from her hand to unlock it. Ignoring her protests, he followed her inside and went right to the freezer. He pulled out a bag of frozen peas and put it on her hand.
Lacie sighed, too tired to fight. In their lifetimes they’d replayed some version of this scenario a hundred times, and he always won. Besides, she was in too good of a mood to let Craig’s antics dampen her spirits.
“Who was he?” Craig asked, pulling open the cabinet that was so well stocked with medical supplies. As a joke, everyone in her family bought her first-aid kits for her last birthday, given her proclivity toward accidents. It was proving to be more practical than she would have liked, especially since Craig had moved across the hall.
“Who?” It was immature on her part, perhaps, but if he was going to accuse her of acting like a child, she would oblige him.
He shot her a look that told her, without a doubt, that he was not amused. “Don’t make me have to find out on my own, Lacie, because I will.”
Yes, he probably would, she thought, and he wouldn’t be subtle about it. Craig knew everyone in town and had a way of ferreting out information that was downright scary sometimes. By telling him herself, she might avoid being the topic of a few local inquiries.
“Shane Callaghan,” she said, wincing when he pulled the tape tight around her hand. The name obviously struck a chord, judging by the way her hand was folding inside his strong grip. The slight ache turned into a sharp pain; she made a noise of protest until he let up.
“What the hell were you doing with him?”
“Having coffee,” she said with a scowl, snatching back her hand and trying unsuccessfully to flex it. “He guest lectured for Professor Stevens tonight. I fell asleep in his class.”
Despite his ire, one side of Craig’s mouth twitched. “You fell asleep in his class? Did you drool on the desk, too?”
“Afraid so. He had a heck of a time waking me up. Apparently I slept well past the end of the lecture and the janitor was about to lock me in.” Some of the tension drained from Craig’s face as he actually cracked a tiny smile. “He asked me if I was okay to drive, I said I was going to grab some coffee, and he said that sounded like a good idea. End of story.”
She didn’t go into any more detail than that, shrugging it off as if it meant nothing. To admit to anything more would get Craig’s protective hackles up. Besides, she didn’t know if it would amount to anything. She certainly hoped it did. And if so, she would deal with Craig then. She’d learned to pick her battles with him.
“That’s it?” he asked, finishing up the wrap and stepping back.
“That’s it. Satisfied?”
He stared at her for a long minute as if trying to decide if she were telling him the truth, then nodded. “I worry about you, Lace. You’re too trusting. Any number of guys would take advantage of that.”
She nodded, though she disagreed. She did not consider herself unreasonably trusting, nor did she think Shane Callaghan was the type of man to take advantage of anyone, but she held her tongue. Craig was finally calming down, and she didn’t want to get him riled again.
“Thanks, Craig,” she said, trying to stifle a yawn. “But I’m really beat, and I’m afraid that caffeine rush is over. I’ve got school tomorrow.”
“Alright, babe. I’m out of here. Lock the door behind me, yeah?”
“I will.”
“’Night, Lace.”