returned to the estate. He knew Mac Webster and his workers would be gone, but he hadn’t expected to find Allison’s MG missing from the driveway. Allison couldn’t be gone. She wouldn’t have left without telling him. Joker felt a slash of pain invade his chest as he raced inside.
“Allison …”
Six
“… Allison! Allison!”
There was no answer. Joker’s pain seeped into every one of his pores and turned into an icy fear as he tore up the stairs into Allison’s room and jerked open the closet door.
“Thank God! She left her clothes.”
“I doubt they’ll fit, but whatever turns you on, big guy.” The amused voice came from behind him.
Allison, wrapped in an oversize bath towel, was standing in the bathroom doorway supporting herself on one crutch. Her hair was still damp, though it was obvious that she’d been drying it. She’d been in the shower and hadn’t heard him call. She hadn’t left. Joker breathed a long sigh of relief. “Your car is gone. I thought …”
“Yes.” She made her way over to the bed and sat down clumsily. “Where have you been all day, Joker? I was … worried.”
She was worried about him. His heart rate tookoff again. He could smell the fragrance of the soap she’d bathed in. Through the terry cloth towel he could see the clear outline of her nipples. Even as he walked across the room and stood beside her, he didn’t understand the great need he felt to hold her. “Why?”
“A man called here looking for you. He said that you were doing some work for him and that you were late. He sounded angry and said if you didn’t get over there, he’d send Chief Newton for you.”
King, no doubt. His brother had just vented his displeasure that Joker wasn’t there and hung up. Solemnly Joker lifted her and sat down on the bed, placing her knee across his thighs with the intention of examining it. Just touching her set off warning bells in his head, and he tensed his muscles.
Take it easy. She doesn’t know how you feel.
“I didn’t know what to tell him.”
“Who?”
“The man who called. I was afraid that you’ve been spending time helping me when you should have been somewhere else.”
There was a catch in her voice. She’d tried to protect him. Joker felt a great wave of tenderness wash over him, and he shifted her so that she was in his arms. She curled against him and hid her face in the curve of his shoulder. Her body seemed to belong there.
She felt fragile, as though he were holding some delicate shell. Her heart was thudding against his chest, and he knew that he was in trouble again. The sweet scent of her invaded his senses, and he squeezed his eyes shut as forbidden images captured his imagination.
“Hey, don’t worry, Beauty,” he said, making swirls across her shoulder with one hand and grasping her knee with the other. “He wasn’t serious. It was just my brother, being cute. I had some family business to oversee, which I did. Nobody is going to bother us here.”
Don’t touch her,
he told himself.
Don’t start something you can’t finish. She’s in need of simple comforting. Forget that she’s nearly nude and burrowing herself against you as though you were her last refuge.
“What about Chief Newton?” Allison asked softly as she felt his hand slide up her leg and rest on her thigh. Awareness of what she was feeling sifted through to her. She was tingling all over with a curious warmth that seemed to have no central source. Everywhere her body touched Joker’s, she felt her skin vibrating. Now he moved his hand back to her knee, and the tingling sensation accelerated. She felt as if her leg had been asleep and was coming back to life.
“Of course, I could be in trouble with Chief Newton. He doesn’t hold with compromising a lady. For that he usually starts with messing up a person’s face,” Joker ad-libbed flippantly. “Then if that doesn’t work, he goes on to other things, like chopping off fingers and toes,
“Allison …”
Six
“… Allison! Allison!”
There was no answer. Joker’s pain seeped into every one of his pores and turned into an icy fear as he tore up the stairs into Allison’s room and jerked open the closet door.
“Thank God! She left her clothes.”
“I doubt they’ll fit, but whatever turns you on, big guy.” The amused voice came from behind him.
Allison, wrapped in an oversize bath towel, was standing in the bathroom doorway supporting herself on one crutch. Her hair was still damp, though it was obvious that she’d been drying it. She’d been in the shower and hadn’t heard him call. She hadn’t left. Joker breathed a long sigh of relief. “Your car is gone. I thought …”
“Yes.” She made her way over to the bed and sat down clumsily. “Where have you been all day, Joker? I was … worried.”
She was worried about him. His heart rate tookoff again. He could smell the fragrance of the soap she’d bathed in. Through the terry cloth towel he could see the clear outline of her nipples. Even as he walked across the room and stood beside her, he didn’t understand the great need he felt to hold her. “Why?”
“A man called here looking for you. He said that you were doing some work for him and that you were late. He sounded angry and said if you didn’t get over there, he’d send Chief Newton for you.”
King, no doubt. His brother had just vented his displeasure that Joker wasn’t there and hung up. Solemnly Joker lifted her and sat down on the bed, placing her knee across his thighs with the intention of examining it. Just touching her set off warning bells in his head, and he tensed his muscles.
Take it easy. She doesn’t know how you feel.
“I didn’t know what to tell him.”
“Who?”
“The man who called. I was afraid that you’ve been spending time helping me when you should have been somewhere else.”
There was a catch in her voice. She’d tried to protect him. Joker felt a great wave of tenderness wash over him, and he shifted her so that she was in his arms. She curled against him and hid her face in the curve of his shoulder. Her body seemed to belong there.
She felt fragile, as though he were holding some delicate shell. Her heart was thudding against his chest, and he knew that he was in trouble again. The sweet scent of her invaded his senses, and he squeezed his eyes shut as forbidden images captured his imagination.
“Hey, don’t worry, Beauty,” he said, making swirls across her shoulder with one hand and grasping her knee with the other. “He wasn’t serious. It was just my brother, being cute. I had some family business to oversee, which I did. Nobody is going to bother us here.”
Don’t touch her,
he told himself.
Don’t start something you can’t finish. She’s in need of simple comforting. Forget that she’s nearly nude and burrowing herself against you as though you were her last refuge.
“What about Chief Newton?” Allison asked softly as she felt his hand slide up her leg and rest on her thigh. Awareness of what she was feeling sifted through to her. She was tingling all over with a curious warmth that seemed to have no central source. Everywhere her body touched Joker’s, she felt her skin vibrating. Now he moved his hand back to her knee, and the tingling sensation accelerated. She felt as if her leg had been asleep and was coming back to life.
“Of course, I could be in trouble with Chief Newton. He doesn’t hold with compromising a lady. For that he usually starts with messing up a person’s face,” Joker ad-libbed flippantly. “Then if that doesn’t work, he goes on to other things, like chopping off fingers and toes,
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