by Debra Cowan
She didn’t have to close her eyes to imagine Linc’s hands on her body, his lips on hers. Though she had welcomed these thoughts to distract her from Ramsey, she found the images of her and Linc equally disturbing.
Forcing them away, she concentrated fiercely on mentally cataloguing her clinic’s supply cabinet—surgical scrub, spray disinfectant, gloves, syringes.
Outside the wind sighed like an old woman, wasted and feeble; in the next instant it screamed like a wounded animal. The noise played in the background of her mind, ebbing, falling, coiling through her nerves.
Thoughts of Linc slipped through her mind like insidious fingers of fog, winding past her defenses, easing around her objections until she throbbed low and deep between her legs. A frantic heat sizzled under her skin.
Okay, so she was feeling things—physical things—that she hadn’t felt in years. Her hormones, silent for so long, were putting up a fuss. That’s all it was. Why now and why Linc Garrett, she didn’t know.
But she wouldn’t be seduced by it. She’d tried a sexual relationship after the rape. She’d failed. And she’d moved on.
Still she couldn’t forget the heat in his eyes, the impatient hunger. A shiver chased up her spine and she squeezed her legs together.
Tentatively she allowed the memory of that morning, when he’d almost kissed her. She could feel his breath misting her lips, her cheek. His body heat mingled with hers. And his eyes grew dark as he drew nearer, closer, his lips reaching for hers. She lifted her face, wanting his kiss, needing it—
Groaning, she pushed herself into a sitting position and propped her elbows on her knees, her cast rough against her skin. Good grief! Since she’d gone to bed, she had been tortured continuously by these thoughts.
She wished he had kissed her.
There. She’d admitted it. Here in the dark, alone, it didn’t seem so bad, but she knew it was dangerous. Knew that wanting his kiss might lead to other, more complicated wants and she couldn’t follow through on anything more intimate than a kiss.
Shoving her hair out of her face with her good hand, she surged out of bed and tugged down her light cotton nightshirt.
The blue and white plaid material fell to her knees and she padded silently to the bedroom door. Rain pounded against her windows. Away from the house, a door, maybe to the barn, clattered in the distance.
Fatigue washed over her, followed by a sense of complete helplessness. Since the attack, she lived on fear, jumping at every noise, afraid to go outside. Just the same way she’d been after the rape. She had made every decision based on fear, but she had finally freed herself of that. Until now. Now it was starting all over again.
The only thing that kept her from unraveling completely was putting on a front for Linc. She didn’t want him to think she was a total basket case. And these chaotic thoughts of first him, then Ramsey were eroding her self-control, eating away at the little strength she had left.
Her mind was tired, her body weak. Just for a while, she wanted to escape thoughts of Ramsey and Linc. She wanted a break from the stalking fear and from the unexpected sensations Linc stirred in her.
What she needed was a movie. Harrison Ford. He could take her mind off anything. She opened the door and peered into the hallway. Faint light glowed from the living room. At the opposite end of the hall, Linc’s room was dark. He was probably sleeping peacefully, she grumbled under her breath.
Checking to make sure the buttons that ran the length of her gown were fastened, she walked down the hall and out to the foyer, crossing to the living area. The rain seemed louder here, more violent, hurling sharply against the French doors.
Now she saw that the light came from the kitchen and she slowed, wondering if Linc was up after all. A quick check of the kitchen proved it was empty and she decided to leave the light on, comforted by the warm glow that spilled into the darkened living area.
She padded into the living area, her gaze sweeping over the spacious room. Despite the tall ceilings, it was cozy. The love seat and couch were arranged in an L position, with the love seat angled toward the television and the couch facing the fireplace. Linc had placed her sack of CDs and movies on the hearth.
She walked between the love seat and a broad square oak coffee table, reaching the hearth and digging through the sack. Thunder cracked and she tensed, glancing toward the back doors. Lightning flashed through the night like clashing swords, its silvery light illuminating the backyard and the massive oak trees that bent in the wind.
Jenna’s gaze automatically swept the yard. It was empty. No face stared back at her beyond the windows. She deliberately forced her mind from wondering about Ramsey, refusing to be intimidated by the violent storm.
“Ah.” She pulled her copy of Raiders of the Lost Ark from its cardboard case, walking over to plug it into the VCR.
Spying the remote control on top of the television, she palmed it and walked back toward the love seat. A framed photograph on the mantel caught her eye and she paused, recognizing Linc with his brother, Mace, and another dark-haired man she didn’t know.
The three were dressed in hunting gear and each of them knelt behind a buck. A broad smile creased Linc’s normally serious features and his eyes glowed with laughter. Jenna found herself smiling at the change in him, at the obvious camaraderie the three shared.
“What are you doing?”
The gruff masculine voice triggered the anxiety that had been mounting in Jenna all night. She whirled, stifling a scream as horror flashed through her.
“That’s me with my brothers.”
She sighed in relief. Linc spoke from the doorway of the kitchen. She clutched the remote to her breasts, her heart thudding wildly against her ribs.
“Hell,” he muttered, looking disgusted. “I didn’t even think I might scare you. Sorry.”
“No, I’m fine. I just didn’t hear you come in.”
Water shimmered on his strong features. His hair was slick from the rain and he wore no shirt. Dragging her gaze from the sleek broad sinew of his chest, she noticed he held a towel. As he raised an arm to rub his hair, muscles flexed at his motion.
Her gaze shot toward the hallway. “I thought you were in bed. Asleep,” she added unnecessarily, suddenly aware that her nightshirt came only to the tops of her knees. And beneath it she wore only panties. Her thumb fiddled with the button between her breasts.
Dark water spots dotted his jeans and he’d removed his boots. White socks gleamed in the light from the kitchen. “Yeah, I couldn’t sleep either.” His voice was grainy with fatigue. “I decided to look around outside.”
“Did you hear something?” Concern sharpened her voice. Even though she told herself no one was out there, she half expected him to say there’d been trouble.
His gaze drifted over her and he answered absently, “Just the storm.”
“Oh.” She felt suddenly caged in, acutely aware of his broad bare shoulders and the fact that they were alone. Trying to ignore the flutter of sensation in her stomach, she gestured toward the photo on the mantel. “I recognize your brother, Mace.”
“The other one is my brother, Sam. He’s the youngest.”
Linc’s voice was polite, but distant. “He’s a cop, too.”
Jenna nodded, knowing now that Linc’s aloofness could mean anything. She tried to read his features, though the kitchen light behind him hampered her efforts.
She touched another photo, one of a tux-clad Mace and his wife in a beautiful bridal gown. “How long have Mace and Devon been married?”
“About a month and a half.”
“I like them both a lot.”
“Yeah.” A faint smile flashed across his features then his gaze bored into her. He abruptly reached out and flipped off the kitchen light, plunging them into darkness for a second.
Lightning flashed through the room, haloing him in silver. As the light faded and Jenna’s eyes adjusted, she could see, him moving toward the foyer. “Well, I guess I’ll see you in the
morning.”
Pale light filtered through the French doors behind her and she could see his face clearly now. She gestured toward the TV. “I hope I won’t disturb you. I was going to watch a movie.”
“Go ahead.” He paused, faint bars of light falling across his chest, glittering on his chest hair. Shifting, he jammed his hands into his back pockets. “What are you watching?”
She told him, feeling compelled to invite him to join her. She wasn’t sure he should stay, but she suddenly didn’t want him to go. His presence wrapped around her like a quilt, comforting, soothing.
“Well, enjoy your movie.”
As Linc turned to leave, she offered tentatively, “You’re welcome to join me.”
Ramsey was still out there, watching, waiting, planning. Nothing had changed in the last few hours, except that she was now torn between eluding all thoughts of Linc and having him close by.
He glanced back, his gaze flat and measuring. “Are you sure?”
A shiver worked through her at his low voice, igniting that heat she was coming to expect when around him. But it also resurrected her old doubt, the wariness. She edged over to the love seat and sat down on the end closest to the hallway... and escape.
Acutely aware of being naked beneath her flimsy nightgown, she smoothed the fabric over her thighs. “Yes. Of course.”
After a long moment, he nodded. “I’ll just put on some dry clothes and be right back.”
“Okay.”
She watched him go, unable to tear her gaze from the rainsleeked sheen of his muscular shoulders, the cut and flex of sinew in his arms.
That startling, potent awareness moved through her. Want pierced her, enough to make her teeth ache and leave her winded. He disappeared into the hallway and Jenna flopped back on the love seat, her skin hot and clammy at the same time.
She shouldn’t have asked him to stay.
Chapter 6
He would not kiss her. Jenna had shown trust in him by asking him to stay; he wasn’t going to jump on her the first chance he got.
Linc had changed into a dry T-shirt and shorts, then returned to the living room. He sat on one end of the love seat, she sat on the other. They didn’t touch. Yet, he could smell the soft woman scent of her, inhaled it as if it were part of him, anticipated it as if he needed it to breathe.
The storm slashed violently through the night. Lightning flared in and out of the room. He resolutely kept his gaze on the television.
Though she had drawn her nightshirt down as far as it could go, he could still see too much sleek thigh for his peace of mind. She had strength in those legs, legs that would fit exactly right around his hips and—
Linc cut off the thought and thumbed at the sweat on his upper lip.
Outside, the barn door slammed open and shut; the wind howled around the house: Jenna shifted, drawing Linc’s gaze.
“It’s all right,” he said softly. “The dogs will let us know if something happens.”
She nodded, barely glancing at him.
Anxiety pinched her pale features and dark circles ringed her eyes. In the flickering light, the bruises around her throat were dark smears. She looked exhausted and he realized she probably hadn’t slept much since she’d been here. “Are you in pain?”
“That seems to be getting better.” She offered him a slight smile, keeping her attention on the television screen.
“Do you need more medication? I can give you more.”
“No. I don’t like to take it.”
Sudden suspicion snaked through him. “Have you taken any of it?”
When she didn’t answer, his voice was sharp with surprise. “None? No wonder you look like death warmed over.”
“Thanks,” she said with dry humor. “That’s what every woman wants to hear.”
He bit back a smile. “You need to rest, Jenna. It’s the best way to heal. And I know your ribs and arm must still be painful.”
Her jaw firmed and for a moment he thought she would ignore him. Finally she looked at him. “I know you’re right, but those pills would knock me out.”
“That’s the idea,” he said wryly.
“I don’t want—I can’t—I don’t want to close my eyes,” she whispered, her eyes huge in her colorless face.
“You need to rest—oh.” Linc’s medical reasoning died on his lips. She was afraid to sleep, afraid to be caught unaware in case Ramsey did show up.
Linc’s voice gentled and though he longed to take her hand, he didn’t. Instead, his fist clenched on his thigh. “I can understand your concern, but I’m here. I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise. The pills will help you rest. You’ll feel better, get your strength back faster.”
She stared at him, uncertainty warring with protest in her eyes. She shook her head. “Thanks, but I honestly think I’m over the worst pain now. I don’t want to be drugged out if something happens.”
Linc wanted to protest, order that she get some rest, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Staying here with him, waiting for Ramsey to make a move already had to have her feeling vulnerable. Powerless. By refusing to take the pills, she was exerting some control and Linc knew if their situations were reversed, he would be the same way.
A deafening crack of lightning split the rumble of the storm. Jenna jumped. Senses piqued, Linc’s gaze moved quickly to the back doors.
The trees bent and twisted against the wind; rain slashed at the windows, but he could discern no threat.
Glancing over at Jenna, he saw that she had huddled into a tight ball, her features strained.
“Hey, the dogs are snoring over here so they can’t be too worried. Okay?”
She looked at Puppy then the shepherds, all sprawled lazily on the floor, and her shoulders relaxed. “Okay.”
She seemed more calm after that, even going so far as to curl up into a more comfortable position on the love seat. An easy silence settled between them as they watched the movie.
Linc tried to keep his mind on the adventures of Indiana Jones, but he was too distracted by the clean-air-and-sunshine scent of Jenna’s heat, the tantalizing closeness of her foot to his leg.
He recalled how she’d looked standing by the fireplace when he’d come in earlier. Light from the kitchen had filtered through the thinness of her nightshirt and Linc had seen enough to make out the full curve of her breasts, the concave dip of her belly, the slender strength in her thighs.
At the memory, his mouth went dry and he shifted, trying to ease the growing tightness in his shorts. Tension coiled through him, carving a hole in his gut. Finally he glanced at her, only to see that her eyes were closed, her features relaxed in sleep.
Asleep, the lines of strain were gone; her skin was smooth. She looked fragile, pulling at that foreign part inside him that wanted to defend, make promises he couldn’t keep. Desire and protectiveness roared through him and he marveled that he could still feel both things for a woman.
She moaned, stirring restlessly, her forehead puckering. Automatically, he reached out and laid his hand on her leg, just above her ankle.
She quieted and a small smile twisted his lips. He was surprised she’d actually drifted off. He knew she wouldn’t have if she didn’t trust him.
The thought spread a wave of warmth through his chest. He should probably move his hand, but he couldn’t make himself do it. He enjoyed the feel of her. Gently, like the touch of a butterfly wing, he stroked her skin with his thumb.
Beneath his palm, her muscles were firm and sleek, her skin supple. Warmth seeped from her body into his. The nightshirt came to her knees and didn’t reveal anything above there, but Linc knew she wore only panties beneath. Heat surged through him though he tried to ignore it.
Outside the rain battered the house. Webbed in a seductive lethargy, Linc wanted to run his hand up Jenna’s leg, palm her thighs, delve gently between her legs for the heat he knew he would find there. His body tightened and his arousal throbbed keenly.
Just then P
uppy’s head shot up and the shepherds leapt to their feet. All three dogs rushed to the back doors, toenails clicking sharply against the tile. Hair ruffled on their necks as they posted themselves a foot apart.
Concern rose inside Linc and he glanced at Jenna, glad to see that she still slept. Careful not to disturb her, he removed his hand from her leg and pushed himself up from the love seat.
Walking to the back doors, he murmured quietly to the dogs, “Good boys. Good dogs.”
The animals settled on their haunches, all growling low in their throats.
Linc peered through the rain-blurred windows, searching the hazy night. Twigs cartwheeled across the yard. The massive oaks bent and swayed, leaves ripped from their limbs to spin across the yard in a violent dance.
He moved silently to the windows adjacent to the fireplace and stared out at the barn. The door flopped back and forth, clacking loudly. But he saw nothing out of the ordinary, no menacing shadows, no dark shape edging up to the house or around the back porch.
He glanced again at the dogs, all three of whom now looked completely unconcerned. Puppy’s tail flopped happily on the floor. The shepherds were stretched out, this time beside the Great Dane.
Linc checked the doors and the security alarm just for good measure. When he turned back, Jenna was sitting rigidly upright, watching him with wide frightened eyes.
Compassion tugged at him, along with that fierce desire to protect her. He wanted to pull her against him, but he moved back to his place on the love seat, keeping a good foot of distance between them. “Everything’s all right. I didn’t see anyone.”
Her features were eerily flat. She stared straight ahead, beyond the doors. Huddled into herself, hands clasped tight between her knees, she looked defenseless and distant. “He’s out there, just waiting for me.”
With some surprise, Linc realized this was the first time Jenna had brought up Ramsey on her own. He wanted to ease her fear, bring some color back into her pale features.
