you. I told you the truth, I bared my soul to you not an hour ago, right there,” she flung an arm out to point through the arch into the bedroom, “right there in that bed. And your considered response was to shove your tongue down my throat!”
He looked at her then, slanting his head to glance at her out of the corner of his eye. She watched him look her over from her head to her toes and then back to her face. She dug her nails into her palms as his eyes met hers. But then he went back to rapt contemplation of the wall opposite.
“I don’t know what to do for you, Kier,” she whispered, and watched his throat move as he swallowed. “I just…” She let out a breath and tried and failed to swallow the sob that came with it. “Just let me go. Please.”
He shifted and grimaced, and she wondered if he was as bruised as she.
“We’ve been over that, Jenny. You don’t get to go yet.”
“But I told you the truth!”
“Don’t take me for a fool, Jenny. That would be a mistake. You don’t get to go free just yet.”
“Then I’ll escape again, and this time you won’t catch me.”
“Over my dead body, Jenny.”
The words hung between them for long moments, effectively putting a stop to the twisted little conversation they’d been having.
So be it , she thought.
He looked into her eyes again, and his own flickered, as if her thoughts were written there, but he only straightened and went out the front door, making a show of locking it carefully after him.
Jenny pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes, and pushed her fingers through hair that was in dire need of a wash.
What she wouldn’t give for a bath.
It was still night. Outside the moon was setting, but the sky had shown no sign of dawn when she’d last seen it. She was so tired.
When McAllister came back in, she was asleep; slumped at the kitchen table, her hand wedged under her cheek. That unaccustomed tenderness welled in him again, at strange odds with the physical desire for her.
Do you want me? God knew why he’d asked her that. For a moment it had seemed as if his whole world hung on her answer. But then the conversation had slipped away. She wanted out. He couldn’t blame her. But although there was little he was sure of right now, he was sure he wasn’t about to let her go.
His instincts had hinted she’d been telling the truth. But his professional experience told him she could still be playing him like a puppet on a string. He’d be a fool to believe her and lay himself open. He was still alive, intact, at the top of his profession, making full use of all his skills and abilities because he was good at his job. Very good. He’d be less than that if he went with his gut and believed her.
And if he wasn’t good at his job, what was he good for, exactly?
He watched her for a while, seeing the way her back rose and fell evenly and slowly. She was deep asleep. Her hair had spilled over her face in a mess of curls. He remembered how she swept it off her neck onto the pillow at night. She must be uncomfortable like that, with those dark swirls tickling her face and tucked under chin, around her white neck. Kier itched to reach out and smooth her hair, sweep it up off her throat, to touch …
Cursing under his breath, he left her there and went through to the bedroom, stripped down to his underwear, and went to bed, eventually dropping off into a fitful rest.
Kier was awake, suddenly, knowing that something was wrong. There was no sound that he could hear, even the breeze had dropped. Keeping his breathing slow and even, he opened his eyes a fraction. There was light seeping in from the other room. The sight it illuminated almost stopped him breathing at all.
He hadn’t been himself last night, so he hadn’t taken as much care as he usually would. His own weakness had shaken him, confused him. He’d had the impression that Jenny had exerted some sort of power over him, and he didn’t like it at all. So he’d been
He looked at her then, slanting his head to glance at her out of the corner of his eye. She watched him look her over from her head to her toes and then back to her face. She dug her nails into her palms as his eyes met hers. But then he went back to rapt contemplation of the wall opposite.
“I don’t know what to do for you, Kier,” she whispered, and watched his throat move as he swallowed. “I just…” She let out a breath and tried and failed to swallow the sob that came with it. “Just let me go. Please.”
He shifted and grimaced, and she wondered if he was as bruised as she.
“We’ve been over that, Jenny. You don’t get to go yet.”
“But I told you the truth!”
“Don’t take me for a fool, Jenny. That would be a mistake. You don’t get to go free just yet.”
“Then I’ll escape again, and this time you won’t catch me.”
“Over my dead body, Jenny.”
The words hung between them for long moments, effectively putting a stop to the twisted little conversation they’d been having.
So be it , she thought.
He looked into her eyes again, and his own flickered, as if her thoughts were written there, but he only straightened and went out the front door, making a show of locking it carefully after him.
Jenny pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes, and pushed her fingers through hair that was in dire need of a wash.
What she wouldn’t give for a bath.
It was still night. Outside the moon was setting, but the sky had shown no sign of dawn when she’d last seen it. She was so tired.
When McAllister came back in, she was asleep; slumped at the kitchen table, her hand wedged under her cheek. That unaccustomed tenderness welled in him again, at strange odds with the physical desire for her.
Do you want me? God knew why he’d asked her that. For a moment it had seemed as if his whole world hung on her answer. But then the conversation had slipped away. She wanted out. He couldn’t blame her. But although there was little he was sure of right now, he was sure he wasn’t about to let her go.
His instincts had hinted she’d been telling the truth. But his professional experience told him she could still be playing him like a puppet on a string. He’d be a fool to believe her and lay himself open. He was still alive, intact, at the top of his profession, making full use of all his skills and abilities because he was good at his job. Very good. He’d be less than that if he went with his gut and believed her.
And if he wasn’t good at his job, what was he good for, exactly?
He watched her for a while, seeing the way her back rose and fell evenly and slowly. She was deep asleep. Her hair had spilled over her face in a mess of curls. He remembered how she swept it off her neck onto the pillow at night. She must be uncomfortable like that, with those dark swirls tickling her face and tucked under chin, around her white neck. Kier itched to reach out and smooth her hair, sweep it up off her throat, to touch …
Cursing under his breath, he left her there and went through to the bedroom, stripped down to his underwear, and went to bed, eventually dropping off into a fitful rest.
Kier was awake, suddenly, knowing that something was wrong. There was no sound that he could hear, even the breeze had dropped. Keeping his breathing slow and even, he opened his eyes a fraction. There was light seeping in from the other room. The sight it illuminated almost stopped him breathing at all.
He hadn’t been himself last night, so he hadn’t taken as much care as he usually would. His own weakness had shaken him, confused him. He’d had the impression that Jenny had exerted some sort of power over him, and he didn’t like it at all. So he’d been
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