her dry.
Which was crazy, because that was his job. That was why he was here.
Kier was horrified. His conscience had been packed away in tissue paper for so long, as a threat to him. A weakness that would make him careless, carelessness that would get him killed. Now his conscience was preventing him from taking advantage of her, taking advantage of the fact that when he kissed her, when he touched her, she went up like straw.
For the first time in many long, lonely years, he was caring about someone more than the job.
Shaken, he set her away from him, saw the dazed, bewildered look in her eyes, and fought the impulse to kiss her again. Properly this time, tenderly, like a lover. And, God help him, she looked like she wanted him to.
He struggled to remember why he was here. Why she was here with him, all the simple goals of this little masquerade. He tried to find a way to get back on track.
Jenny watched him, wishing she knew what he was thinking, why he looked like her enemy again. Her lips were throbbing from the assault of his. Instinctively she fought the urge to lick her lips.
His hands were still on her shoulders, and she felt the strength in his fingers like a threat.
“Is this how it works, Jenny?” He was still breathless, like she was, but that didn’t account for the mangled sound of the words he spoke.
“Is this how you hide who you are? Distract your enemies with sex?”
That sense of unreality that had surrounded her since the gunmen first arrived at her office was back. She stared at Kier, seeing a stranger. A stranger she had kissed. She struggled to focus on his words.
“It’s not going to work with me, Jenny.”
The prayer was back. No, no, no .
“How many men have you fooled like this, little Jenny?”
With a cry she pulled away, twisting violently to escape him. No, no, no .
Desperately, she put distance between them, wrapped her arms around her middle. Tried not to shake. “You don’t know me!” she spat. “How dare you, how dare you judge me!”
“What?” he said, derision thick in his words. “You’re stuck here in the middle of nowhere with a man who’s kidnapped you, abused you, all but assaulted you, and you want to kiss him?”
He laughed, and she clamped her hands over her ears.
Well, that was the problem, wasn’t it? She was supposed to hate him, supposed to fear him. Oh, she feared him, alright. Feared what he could do to her. What he could do to her heart more than anything.
But she didn’t hate him. God help her, she didn’t.
Chapter
SIX
W hat do you want?” Jenny forced the words through lips that felt numb. “You’re driving me out of my mind, you know you are, but you want me to be rational? You … you kiss me like you want to, but you don’t want me to want you, you—”
“Do you want me?”
Jenny gaped at McAllister where he stood, half-turned away from her, leaning back against the kitchen table with his arms folded across his chest. His gun had reappeared again, stuck in the back of his jeans’ waistband. He didn’t have to touch it to threaten her with it. He’d spoken quietly, almost without emphasis, and what little she could see of his face was stony, impassive.
She tried to concentrate on what she was trying to say, what he was asking, but everything hurt. Her face, her shoulder, her side where she’d struck the tree. Her shins were stinging, and she wasn’t even sure why they hurt at all. She screwed her eyes tight shut. What did he want to hear?
“What … what does that matter? It doesn’t matter what I want, does it, it only matters what you want. And you aren’t telling me what you want, so I can’t give it, can I?”
“I only want the truth, Jenny.”
“Oh, yeah, right. Because it’s your job, yes? That’s what they want from you, to get the truth from me.” She had to pause for breath, her throat aching with the promise of the humiliating tears to come. “Well, sunshine, I’ve got news for
Which was crazy, because that was his job. That was why he was here.
Kier was horrified. His conscience had been packed away in tissue paper for so long, as a threat to him. A weakness that would make him careless, carelessness that would get him killed. Now his conscience was preventing him from taking advantage of her, taking advantage of the fact that when he kissed her, when he touched her, she went up like straw.
For the first time in many long, lonely years, he was caring about someone more than the job.
Shaken, he set her away from him, saw the dazed, bewildered look in her eyes, and fought the impulse to kiss her again. Properly this time, tenderly, like a lover. And, God help him, she looked like she wanted him to.
He struggled to remember why he was here. Why she was here with him, all the simple goals of this little masquerade. He tried to find a way to get back on track.
Jenny watched him, wishing she knew what he was thinking, why he looked like her enemy again. Her lips were throbbing from the assault of his. Instinctively she fought the urge to lick her lips.
His hands were still on her shoulders, and she felt the strength in his fingers like a threat.
“Is this how it works, Jenny?” He was still breathless, like she was, but that didn’t account for the mangled sound of the words he spoke.
“Is this how you hide who you are? Distract your enemies with sex?”
That sense of unreality that had surrounded her since the gunmen first arrived at her office was back. She stared at Kier, seeing a stranger. A stranger she had kissed. She struggled to focus on his words.
“It’s not going to work with me, Jenny.”
The prayer was back. No, no, no .
“How many men have you fooled like this, little Jenny?”
With a cry she pulled away, twisting violently to escape him. No, no, no .
Desperately, she put distance between them, wrapped her arms around her middle. Tried not to shake. “You don’t know me!” she spat. “How dare you, how dare you judge me!”
“What?” he said, derision thick in his words. “You’re stuck here in the middle of nowhere with a man who’s kidnapped you, abused you, all but assaulted you, and you want to kiss him?”
He laughed, and she clamped her hands over her ears.
Well, that was the problem, wasn’t it? She was supposed to hate him, supposed to fear him. Oh, she feared him, alright. Feared what he could do to her. What he could do to her heart more than anything.
But she didn’t hate him. God help her, she didn’t.
Chapter
SIX
W hat do you want?” Jenny forced the words through lips that felt numb. “You’re driving me out of my mind, you know you are, but you want me to be rational? You … you kiss me like you want to, but you don’t want me to want you, you—”
“Do you want me?”
Jenny gaped at McAllister where he stood, half-turned away from her, leaning back against the kitchen table with his arms folded across his chest. His gun had reappeared again, stuck in the back of his jeans’ waistband. He didn’t have to touch it to threaten her with it. He’d spoken quietly, almost without emphasis, and what little she could see of his face was stony, impassive.
She tried to concentrate on what she was trying to say, what he was asking, but everything hurt. Her face, her shoulder, her side where she’d struck the tree. Her shins were stinging, and she wasn’t even sure why they hurt at all. She screwed her eyes tight shut. What did he want to hear?
“What … what does that matter? It doesn’t matter what I want, does it, it only matters what you want. And you aren’t telling me what you want, so I can’t give it, can I?”
“I only want the truth, Jenny.”
“Oh, yeah, right. Because it’s your job, yes? That’s what they want from you, to get the truth from me.” She had to pause for breath, her throat aching with the promise of the humiliating tears to come. “Well, sunshine, I’ve got news for
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