EMT see?’
Novak’s voice had subtly shifted. Now low and deep, it had a hypnotic quality that made her feel calm at first – and then annoyed at the realization that she’d been affected so easily by a vocal technique that she herself had used on countless clients over the years. Someone had obviously trained him well. It made her wonder how he sounded when he was being himself.
‘My head’s a little sore,’ she said. ‘My hands and knees are scraped. I’m really quite fine.’
‘You don’t look really quite fine,’ Novak said in that same soothing voice. ‘You look a little green around the gills.’
‘I’ve had better days,’ she allowed. I’ve also had much worse. ‘But I haven’t thrown up on your shoes. Not yet, anyway. But I’d hurry if I were you. Those shoes look new.’
He chuckled, surprising her. ‘Not new. Just well cared for. Can you look at me?’
‘Why?’
‘Because I like to see the eyes of the witnesses I interview. Please.’
She remembered the deputy’s flinch and wondered if Novak had a scar she hadn’t been close enough to see. She knew how it felt when people stared then looked away. That had happened often when the scar on her throat had been raw.
‘It would help if you weren’t quite so tall,’ she said. ‘Looking that far up makes me sick.’
She heard the muted squeak of soft leather. ‘Better?’ he asked.
Opening her eyes, she found that not only had he leaned down, knees slightly bent, but he’d also leaned in, taking up even more of her personal space. Or maybe it was simply that he was a big man. His thighs were the size of tree trunks and looked just as solid. His shoulders completely blocked her view.
‘Miss Corcoran?’ he prompted.
Dr Corcoran , she wanted to correct, but did not, focusing instead on her rapidly escalating pulse. Don’t flinch if he has a scar. She lifted her chin. ‘Please back up. You’re—’
Her mouth stopped working as her gaze focused on his eyes.
Oh my God . His eyes . They were . . . mesmerizing.
She’d met individuals with different-color eyes. She’d met individuals with one bi-colored iris. But she’d never seen eyes like Special Agent Novak’s. Deep brown and bright blue they were, but both of them. Each iris half brown, half blue, the vivid colors pixelating, then blending where they met in the middle.
‘Oh,’ she breathed, unable to break her stare. ‘How . . . beautiful.’
He went perfectly still, and for a long moment they stared at each other.
He broke away first, straightening to his full height. From where she sat, she found herself staring at his midsection, his eyes no longer in her view. For a moment she felt strangely bereft.
Until she realized what she’d said. Out loud, even . Her face flaming, she cleared her throat. ‘I’m sorry. I was just . . . I mean, I wasn’t . . .’ She sighed. ‘What would you like to know?’
‘Tell me what happened.’ His voice had gone flat. Expressionless.
Great. She’d managed to offend him, even when she’d tried not to. ‘Well, I was driving home, or to what will be my home anyway. All of a sudden she was just there . I don’t know where she came from.’
‘I thought she was lying in the road.’
Faith forced herself to concentrate on the girl instead of Novak, who stood as rigid as a statue. ‘I don’t think so. I know it sounds crazy, but it was almost like she jumped in front of my car.’
‘What happened after you saw her?’
That he hadn’t said that she wasn’t crazy didn’t escape Faith’s notice. ‘I slammed on my brakes and swerved. Went down the embankment and hit a tree. I got out of my Jeep, called 911, then went to the girl. I took her pulse, did some basic first aid.’
Returning to his crouch, he carefully took her left hand. ‘Where did you touch her?’
His hand was large and warm. His whole body radiated heat. She had to fight the urge to lean into him, just enough to take the edge off her
Novak’s voice had subtly shifted. Now low and deep, it had a hypnotic quality that made her feel calm at first – and then annoyed at the realization that she’d been affected so easily by a vocal technique that she herself had used on countless clients over the years. Someone had obviously trained him well. It made her wonder how he sounded when he was being himself.
‘My head’s a little sore,’ she said. ‘My hands and knees are scraped. I’m really quite fine.’
‘You don’t look really quite fine,’ Novak said in that same soothing voice. ‘You look a little green around the gills.’
‘I’ve had better days,’ she allowed. I’ve also had much worse. ‘But I haven’t thrown up on your shoes. Not yet, anyway. But I’d hurry if I were you. Those shoes look new.’
He chuckled, surprising her. ‘Not new. Just well cared for. Can you look at me?’
‘Why?’
‘Because I like to see the eyes of the witnesses I interview. Please.’
She remembered the deputy’s flinch and wondered if Novak had a scar she hadn’t been close enough to see. She knew how it felt when people stared then looked away. That had happened often when the scar on her throat had been raw.
‘It would help if you weren’t quite so tall,’ she said. ‘Looking that far up makes me sick.’
She heard the muted squeak of soft leather. ‘Better?’ he asked.
Opening her eyes, she found that not only had he leaned down, knees slightly bent, but he’d also leaned in, taking up even more of her personal space. Or maybe it was simply that he was a big man. His thighs were the size of tree trunks and looked just as solid. His shoulders completely blocked her view.
‘Miss Corcoran?’ he prompted.
Dr Corcoran , she wanted to correct, but did not, focusing instead on her rapidly escalating pulse. Don’t flinch if he has a scar. She lifted her chin. ‘Please back up. You’re—’
Her mouth stopped working as her gaze focused on his eyes.
Oh my God . His eyes . They were . . . mesmerizing.
She’d met individuals with different-color eyes. She’d met individuals with one bi-colored iris. But she’d never seen eyes like Special Agent Novak’s. Deep brown and bright blue they were, but both of them. Each iris half brown, half blue, the vivid colors pixelating, then blending where they met in the middle.
‘Oh,’ she breathed, unable to break her stare. ‘How . . . beautiful.’
He went perfectly still, and for a long moment they stared at each other.
He broke away first, straightening to his full height. From where she sat, she found herself staring at his midsection, his eyes no longer in her view. For a moment she felt strangely bereft.
Until she realized what she’d said. Out loud, even . Her face flaming, she cleared her throat. ‘I’m sorry. I was just . . . I mean, I wasn’t . . .’ She sighed. ‘What would you like to know?’
‘Tell me what happened.’ His voice had gone flat. Expressionless.
Great. She’d managed to offend him, even when she’d tried not to. ‘Well, I was driving home, or to what will be my home anyway. All of a sudden she was just there . I don’t know where she came from.’
‘I thought she was lying in the road.’
Faith forced herself to concentrate on the girl instead of Novak, who stood as rigid as a statue. ‘I don’t think so. I know it sounds crazy, but it was almost like she jumped in front of my car.’
‘What happened after you saw her?’
That he hadn’t said that she wasn’t crazy didn’t escape Faith’s notice. ‘I slammed on my brakes and swerved. Went down the embankment and hit a tree. I got out of my Jeep, called 911, then went to the girl. I took her pulse, did some basic first aid.’
Returning to his crouch, he carefully took her left hand. ‘Where did you touch her?’
His hand was large and warm. His whole body radiated heat. She had to fight the urge to lean into him, just enough to take the edge off her
Similar Books
