by T. M. Cromer
But someone had already done that. Someone else’s obsession had led to horrendous actions against her. She didn’t deserve what had happened. Knox had to find a way to make this new way of life work for them both. If it meant her permanent freedom, that’s what he’d provide for her.
“I think I can understand why I was attracted to you, Knox Carlyle.”
“Only think? Hmm, maybe I should’ve kissed you longer and wiped every other thought from your mind.”
Unsure whether he was teasing or poking fun at her expense, she stopped short and glared. As a show of goodwill, he ducked down to kiss the tip of her nose. Her ingrained sense of humor took hold, and Knox released the breath he’d been holding when she smiled.
“Funny,” she murmured. “But I’m surprised you’d make jokes at a handicapped person’s expense.”
He snorted his disbelief. “Handicapped? How do you figure?”
“I’m working blind here.”
A bark of laughter burst forth. “I see what you did there. Handicapped, blind. Good one.”
They walked in companionable silence for a while. “You seem easy to be with,” she confessed.
“I tend to take life as it happens.”
“How so?”
Knox gave his answer some thought and tried to decide how much background he wanted to dump at her feet. He’d learned from an early age never to expect anything good from life, but when it came his way, he treasured the rare moments.
“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want.”
Her voice sounded small and distant. It helped him to make up his mind.
“I don’t mind. I’m trying to find the right words to tell you about me. About my past.”
When she curled her pinky finger around his, his heart stuttered to a stop and then kicked into high gear.
“Come on. I want to show you something.”
“I’ve been told I’m not allowed to teleport yet,” she warned.
“Second thoughts about trusting me?”
“No. Not at all. But I don’t want to upset my family. They’ve been kind to me.”
The confession had been grudgingly given, and Knox had a better understanding of her discontent.
“Would it help if we sent your father or one of your sisters a text?”
Now, it was Spring’s turn to hesitate. “It’s late. I probably shouldn’t.”
Using the knuckle of his index finger, he lifted her chin. “Spring, look at me.”
Her lids slowly rose until she locked gazes with him.
“What do you want to do?”
“I like what we’re doing. Walking and talking.”
The forthright quality in her bright jade eyes pleased him. They held no guile, no fear, but a healthy caution he could respect.
“Then that’s what we’ll do.” There was always time to show her his estate and explain his dysfunctional immediate family at a later date. Neither of them was going anywhere anytime soon. “Lead the way, sweetheart.”
They followed the path to the outbuilding she used for her planting. “Have you been to my workshop?”
“Once.”
She frowned but remained silent.
“Have you been planting? I noticed your little magical boost for the roses when I initially walked up. Nicely done.”
Spring seemed to welcome the change of subject. “Yes. My first week back, I read the Thorne grimoire from front to back. There were all sorts of wonderful spells. It seems I kept a journal on all my replanting projects.” She faced him and skipped backwards. “Apparently, I was working on an almost extinct species before my accident. Do you know if I ever replanted any in Colombia?”
The question was unexpected and slammed him right back to the horrific memories he wanted to forget. The air went heavy, and he couldn’t catch his breath.
“Knox?” Spring’s delicate hand rested on his bicep. “Are you okay?”
“You said accident. Do you know what happened to you?”
With a heavy sigh, she shifted away. He mourned the loss of warmth from her small hand.
“No. But I’ve overheard a few things on occasion.”
“Pfft. Accidentally overheard or intentionally spied?”
Her arched look told him all he needed to know.
“You listened at keyholes,” he laughed. “Well, I’ll say one thing; your personality didn’t change.”
“I was abducted?”
“Are you asking or telling?”
“Don’t play coy now,” she ordered. “It doesn’t fit with who you are.”
He wrapped an arm around her and gripped the nape of her neck with his free hand and massaged the tightening muscles. “Yes.”
She trembled within his embrace, and her eyes dropped to his lips. “What happened?”
“You and I were on a mission to pick up an artifact for your uncle.” Her expectant gaze caused him to correct his speech. “Okay, we were going to swipe an amulet from a private collection before it fell into the wrong hands.”
“Do you know who the wrong hands belonged to?”
“A man named Zhu Lin.” Shoving back the spontaneous blast of anger generated by the mere mention of Lin’s name was impossible. The surge of power ran through him into her. It wasn’t enough to hurt her, but it was enough to gain her attention. “Sorry about that. Anyway, Lin runs the last known faction of a group called the Désorcelers. Their one goal in life is to wipe all witches and warlocks from the face of the planet. His hatred borders insane.”
Knox bent and pressed his forehead to hers.
“Was he the one who took me?” she asked softly.
“Yes.”
“What happened?”
“Christ, Spring! Are you sure you want to know? The whole thing… it… he…” Knox released her and walked away. The remembered pain was slicing him in two. How could it not hurt her to hear what had been done to her?
Her cool fingers entwined with his, and she tugged him to a nearby bench. “Please.”
Closing his eyes, he nodded. “Just give me a minute, okay?” After he’d collected his thoughts and emotions, he shifted to face her and gathered her hands in his. “Lin sold you to a Colombian drug lord who ran a sex trafficking ring.”
The words came out rushed, but she heard them clearly all the same. Her surprised gasp was swallowed by the night. “How… how did I… what…? I don’t know what to say.”
Unable to stem the flow of words, he explained most of the sordid trauma.
Her hands flew to cover her mouth. “Ohmygod,” she whispered.
“That’s why your family is so protective of you right now. You could meet Lin on the street and not know who the hell he is.”
“That’s why you were out wandering the property, isn’t it? You were guarding me.”
“Promise not to think badly of me?”
She nodded warily.
“I cast a spell, similar to an early warning system, that lets me know when you leave your home. I can teleport to your location in a split second. In other words, yes, I was guarding you.” He scrubbed his hands up and down his face. “It’s impossible for me not to.”
Once again, she nodded, her bottom lip caught between her pearly white teeth.
“Does it freak you out?”
Spring’s tawny head popped up, and she met his gaze squarely. “A little. But I understand why you would.” An awkward silence filled the space between them. “Was tonight’s meeting staged?”
“No. You looked lost and lonely. I couldn’t stay away from you another second.”
* * *
Spring took her time and mulled over all the things Knox had revealed. What did he see when he looked at her? Was she damaged goods in his eyes? Was that why he waited two months to approach her? Was it why he pulled away from their heated embrace earlier?
“Am I… uh, do you… view me differently now? Like I’m damaged?”
“What? No!” He cupped her face between his large hands. “Never!�
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His vehement response gave her a semblance of relief. A peace of mind she wasn’t aware she needed.
“What happened to the drug lord you talked about?” She wasn’t sure she wanted to know, but he’d been forthcoming about everything else.
“I killed him.”
The brutal truth of his words slammed into her and alarmed her like nothing else tonight had. She jumped up from the bench and backed away. “I-I’ve got t-to go.”
She was halfway to the garden’s exit when his strong hands halted her forward progress and whipped her around to face him. His tortured expression hurt her stomach.
“I’m not a murderer, sweetheart. What he did to you… seeing you lying on the floor, lost to me… I went crazy for a bit.”
When she remained silent and watchful, Knox released her.
“You should get some sleep,” he said gruffly.
The charming bubble he’d created around them earlier had burst. She didn’t know what to think, only that she needed time to process all he’d told her.
He walked her to the wide porch then paused by the bottom of the steps she ascended. “Spring?”
She turned to gaze down at him.
“I’m not the one you should fear.” Love shone from Knox’s troubled eyes. The raw emotion shocked her to see. “But know, I would do it again if I thought it would keep you safe.”
A part of her wanted to run to him. To fling herself into the arms she suspected would open to her the second she approached him. Ruthlessly, she tamped down the urge.
“It’s a lot to take in for one night.” The small, sad twist of his lips spoke to her as nothing else had. Coming to an abrupt decision to show him her absolute trust, she said, “I’ve been thinking about exploring the glen. The one I’ve seen from the attic window.” She pointed up inanely.
Knox didn’t speak or offer to escort her, so she changed tactics.
“My sister Winnie makes these incredible cinnamon rolls most mornings. There’s always plenty left over. You could come over tomorrow and join me for breakfast. Maybe afterwards you could take me to the clearing?”
He gave a sharp nod.
The impulse struck to kiss him, but Spring settled for a friendly buss on his scarred cheek. “Thank you.”
Long after she’d climbed between the cool sheets of her bed, she thought about their meeting. Knox had drawn her in with ease. Or it was more like she’d thrown herself at him. Who asks a complete stranger to kiss them like she had? But he hadn’t seemed to mind. And oh, that kiss. The brief glimpse of heaven she’d experienced in his arms tonight would taunt and beckon her until she was able to capture it for her own.
She smiled in the darkness. He was like her very own guardian angel—or based on his recollection of the events in Colombia, her avenging angel. Either way, when she was close to him, her constantly churning mind calmed even as her heart kicked into high gear. Tomorrow couldn’t arrive soon enough.
20
Spring awoke with her first real sense of anticipation. Until today, she’d dreaded mornings at Thorne Manor. The side glances, the wary looks, the sadness lurking in the gazes around her, they were all too much to bear.
Until Knox.
She stretched and smiled.
A shadow shifted in the corner of her room. She swallowed her instinctive scream as her visitor’s identity was revealed.
“You couldn’t use the front door?” she laughed as she whipped back her coverlet.
Knox stepped into the beam of light coming through her window and gave her an embarrassed shrug. “I couldn’t sleep.”
She stepped to him and placed a hand over his sculpted left pectoral muscle. His heart rate increased by her nearness. She smiled softly because hers did the same when he was close. “Because the Colombia incident was fresh in your mind?”
“Yes.”
“It’s okay.” In a gesture of comfort, she patted his chest. Or maybe she just liked the feel of his rock-hard muscles. She turned away to head to her ensuite bathroom. Before she reached the doorway, she tossed her hair back and grinned at him over her shoulder. “But you do realize it’s creepy to hang out in the corner of a sleeping chick’s bedroom without her permission, right?”
Her cheekiness had done its job and chased away the darkness that had clouded Knox’s gorgeous, expressive eyes.
“I’ll remember that for future.”
“Have a seat, I’ll only be a minute. Then we can get some of those cinnamon rolls I smell baking.” She inhaled deeply. “Do you know one is the size of a dinner plate?”
“I do.”
“Confession: I can eat a whole roll all by myself.”
His deep chuckle pleased her, and she winked before disappearing into the bathroom. As she splashed water on her face and gazed at her reflection in the mirror, she wondered about her lack of apprehension where Knox was concerned. Had any other man been as forward or shown up in her bedroom while she was sleeping, would she be so blasé about it? Yet, the haunted quality about him whenever he gazed at her was unsettling to a large degree. Knowing what they’d both gone through, what he’d suffered—possibly still suffered—due to the incident allowed her to forgive the trespass. And of course her body’s insane attraction to him didn’t hurt his cause.
A short time later, they descended the stairs, their pinkies joined. Knox’s face was a perfect mask, no scar, no indication he’d ever been injured in the past. She got the sense the old wound bothered him more than it would bother anyone else who might view it.
When they got to the foyer, Autumn and her step-daughter Chloe had arrived. Surprise lit both their faces when they saw Knox by her side.
“Knox!” Chloe cried as she raced forward.
He scooped her up and hugged her tight. “Hey, midget.”
“I miss you since you left.”
“I’ve missed you, too, kid.”
Spring frowned and glanced between them. Since he’d left? She had gone off the assumption that he resided at the Carlyle estate.
“What are you doing here, Knox? Do you live with Spring now?” Chloe pulled a pout. “I thought if you married her, she would come live with us.”
“I knew you were trying to set us up in the restaurant!” He laughed and blew a raspberry on her cheek, causing the child to dissolve into giggles.
Once again, Spring felt excluded from a family moment. It was as if she stood on the outside, looking through a glass window at all the happy people. The disconnect was strange and unsettling.
When Knox turned his happy gaze to her, she wanted nothing more than to remember their past. She wanted to know how many times she’d been the one to put that look on his face. Wanted to know exactly what precocious little Chloe had done to throw them together. But the memories were gone. Never to return. There was a melancholy attached to her situation, one she pushed back daily.
Her thoughts must’ve been reflected in her expression, because everyone sobered. Unable to stand another second, she abandoned them in the hall and raced for her workshop.
“Spring! Will you hold up a second? For a small woman, you run like a damned gazelle.” Knox caught up to her at the entrance to the garden. He tilted her chin up. “Want to tell me what that was all about?”
“I think it was obvious. Everyone was giving me the ‘poor Spring’ look again.”
“No, they weren’t.”
She gasped at his obliviousness. “As the person on the receiving end, I know what I saw.”
“And as the person on the giving end, I know what I was thinking when I looked at you. It wasn’t poor anything. You looked like you swallowed a lemon. I don’t know what the hell you were so pissed off about, but that scene back there…” He jabbed a finger in the direction of the house. “That was on you!”
Disbelief at his arrogance boiled through her veins, heating up her cells. She wanted nothing more than to stuff his mouth with dirt to shut him up. Concentrating on his mouth, she lifted her hand—which Knox promptly g
rabbed. He used her struggle to pull her close.
“Don’t you dare,” he warned.
“Don’t I dare what?” she snapped.
“I know that look. I’ve seen it for quite a few years now. You were going to stuff dirt in my mouth. I warned you once before, if you did it again, there would be hell to pay.”
Color high and eyes blazing with fire, Knox was breathtaking.
Any irritation dissipated, and her gaze dropped to his mouth again, but not to contemplate a mouthful of dirt. No, instead she wanted to feel those firm, warm lips on hers. She wanted a taste of what she’d experienced last night.
They locked onto one another, each searching for a clue to what the other was thinking. When Knox’s bold gaze dropped to Spring’s mouth, she smirked. “That’s the great thing about no recall. I don’t know what you threatened me with or not.”
“Yeah, well I also told you I know the perfect way to quiet that sassy mouth.”
Her smile widened as she leaned in. “You don’t say?”
“Oh, sweetheart, you’re playing with fire.”
“Mmm. Maybe.”
Without warning, but not unexpectedly, Knox plunged his fingers into her hair and angled his mouth over hers. A hairsbreadth away, he paused. “Christ, I want you. Sassy mouth and all.”
She closed the distance and became the aggressor. She wrapped her arms around his middle and fisted the material at his back. Without hesitation, she met his descending mouth and moaned her pleasure at the contact. Their heated kiss lasted forever, with them pausing only long enough to gasp for air before they dove back in. His tongue caressed hers. Its erotic exploration made her want to latch on and suck to capture whatever power it possessed to make her hungry and wanton.
“Yo! There’s a kid watching you from the kitchen window. You two want to keep this PG please?” Winnie called from her vantage point.
“Looks like there are some things you remembered, little sister. Nice going! Reminds me of the Hallmark channel.” Autumn’s amused voice penetrated their lust-hazed brains.
“Oh, for the love of the Goddess! Not you and that damned Hallmark channel again,” Winnie shouted. “Tell Keaton he needs to occupy your time better.”
