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do anything for her. So you re saying& We re here for the long haul. Couldn t let me have my hopes and dreams, could you? he asked, for the first time wishing he d found a woman with a slightly smaller mean streak. Her smile still had the effect of discombobulating his thinking. You should really sit down. It ll help. Help what? Smooth, smooth. She d never guess he was hanging on to the railing as if it were supplying his life s blood. Her mouth quirked. I had a brother once who hated small spaces. Especially elevators. Just once? You mean you can trade them in somewhere? Who said I hate small spaces? Considering you broke into a sweat the second the car stopped and you re barely looking me in the eye, I put it together. My brother used to throw up. You re not going to do that, are you? God, he hoped not. I won t if you stop talking about it. Sounds fair. His breaths were coming in short pants. You re being awful calm for someone who just got knocked into a metal box with a man she hates. I don t hate you. Kyle decided not to get his hopes up. She had that cool, robotic tone Lucas used when he was about to be a bastard. When I m not absolutely enraged with you, I actually think you re funny and interesting. Since I have no idea how long we re going to be stuck together, I see no reason to waste energy being angry. Yup. Smart conservation of optimism. Not until you know you can walk out sometime soon. www.samhainpublishing.com 47 Dee Tenorio Exactly. She scrunched her nose and dropped her heavy bag to the ground. She sat next to it, her long legs extended in front of her, crossed at the ankles. She couldn t have looked more comfortable if she were on a pillow. By the way, that counting thing you re doing will only distract you from your problem for so long. If you don t find a way to get past it, eventually, you ll run out of spots in the ceiling or cracks in the wall. Then it ll just be you, three walls and two locked doors. If you re looking for revenge, you re getting it. This isn t revenge. Revenge would be telling you we don t have one of those state-of-the-art braking systems that keeps us from skidding slowly down the elevator shaft to our fiery doom. Kyle swallowed at her cheerful tone. I d be lying, but that s not the point. She watched him evenly for a few seconds before chuckling to herself. It s no fun if you don t faint, Kyle. I ll have to do better the next time we get hijacked in an elevator. Careful what you wish for. If Dory finds out you re claustrophobic, she ll find a way to trap us in a shoebox together. I thought she liked me. Oh, she does. She ll just be hoping my inner Florence Nightingale will come out and take care of you. Would it? It might be worth faking an injury for that. Not even if you were on fire. Apple slice? Jessica flipped open her satchel and pulled out a plastic container. He shook his head as she opened it, snitched a fruit slice and crunched into it without batting an eyelash. For the first time he could remember, he wasn t hungry. How d you end up this way, anyway? You re usually so easy in your skin. Which didn t sound like a compliment. But it was interest. Spend nine months in a small dark place with Lucas and no way out. Believe me, you d be permanently scarred too. She laughed, this time with none of the underlying anger. This could be positive. Oddly, his chest lightened a little at the sound. Yes, but I doubt that s what caused your problem. Why are you so interested in my psychological problems? I m not, but it passes the time. So, what happened? She waited, as if he were actually going to tell her. I don t think so. Joykill. Your brother would tell me. It was his turn to laugh, albeit uncomfortably. Lucas doesn t admit weakness. He definitely doesn t know about this. The sarcastic ass would bring it up every other day if he did. If I promise not to tell him, will you tell me? 48 www.samhainpublishing.com All of You Isn t that extortion? Yes. She shook her head at him. Don t look so surprised. It s not as if you really know me. We had a nice night together, but good sex doesn t mean I m not capable of eating a man alive. Even in his strained state, Kyle had to smile as she realized what she d just said. Her hand stuttered on its way to her mouth. She popped the remaining apple bit into her mouth and with wide eyes began chewing as if her next breath depended on it. She d almost had him for a second there. Right up until she choked on her double entendre. Why was she working so hard to make him think she was unfeeling? She was right, one amazing night didn t mean he knew everything there was to know about her. He didn t know her favorite color or why she ate in those tiny, nibbling little bites. True, he didn t know what motivated her or what she did in the quiet times of the day. But did she think he didn t remember those hours they d spent before trying to devour each other in her bed? She hadn t wanted to, but she d shown him her personality, her interests, a tantalizing peek of the woman behind the professional mask. Enough to make him want answers to those other questions. He wanted to understand why just looking at her made him feel like the world stopped spinning. Or why sparring with her verbally gave him such an adrenaline rush. Why touching her felt better than touching anyone or anything else in the world. Why she was so damn scared of him. We could always talk about us. Oh no you don t. Every time you talk about us, it s some new approach to get back in my bed. He slid down to the ground, still holding on to the rail but feeling less desperate. You have a nice bed. I know. And I don t plan to share it. Ever? She munched another apple piece. Allow me to rephrase. I don t plan to share it with you. Why not? You didn t have any complaints last time. She made a choked, incredulous sound. I ve had nothing but complaints! Not about the sex. Her mouth pursed tightly, but rather than admit the truth, she shrugged. It doesn t matter. I m not going to sleep with you again. So all your elaborate plans, the meals, the plants, the ambushes& there s no point. Set your sights on easier game. Hey, he replied, his temper sparking. His life up to this point might have been superficial and okay, somewhat wasteful, but he wasn t a predator. Ever. I don t hunt women. The women I sleep with know what s going to happen and they re equal participants. Even you. And they all knew there weren t any promises. No commitment. No happily ever afters. www.samhainpublishing.com 49 Dee Tenorio She didn t look like she believed him. What about what you said in the stairwell? And everything else you ve been doing the last few days? What do you call that? A change of heart. But Dory had warned him expressly against letting Jessica in on his hopes. She offered him another apple slice and this time, he took it. Handling it gave him time to think of the right answer. Or it would have if he weren t thinking how the tart fruit fit her always a sting before the sweetness. You re different, he finally said with a shrug, not wanting to lie, even in this. Maybe especially in this. I ve never been with a woman who challenged me on so many levels. A woman like you brings a whole other dimension to the word stimulation. He paused, watching her until he was sure she was taking him seriously. The truth is, one night with you just wasn t enough for me. She stared at him, her blasé mask finally gone. But she didn t look happy. It was hardly a night. [ Pobierz caÅ‚ość w formacie PDF ] |
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