Chapter Five
I stir, instinctively reaching over to Christian’s side of the bed only to feel his
absence. Shit! I wake instantly and look anxiously around the cabin. Christian
is watching me from the small, upholstered armchair by the bed. Stooping
down, he places something on the floor, then moves and stretches out on the
bed beside me. He’s dressed in his cutoffs and a gray T-shirt.
“Hey, don’t panic. Everything’s fine,” he says, his voice gentle and soothing—
like he’s talking to a cornered wild animal. Tenderly, he smooths the hair
back from my face and I calm immediately. I see him trying and failing to hide
his own concern.
“You’ve been so jumpy these last couple of days,” he murmurs, his eyes wide
and serious.
“I’m okay, Christian.” I give him my brightest smile because I don’t want him
to know how worried I am about the arson incident. The painful recollection of
how I felt when Charlie Tango was sabotaged and Christian went missing—
the hollow emptiness, the indescribable pain—keeps resurfacing; the
memory nagging me and gnawing at my heart. Keeping the smile fixed on
my face, I try to repress it.
“Were you watching me sleep?”
“Yes,” he says gazing at me steadily, studying me. “You were talking.”
“Oh?” Shit! What was I saying?
“You’re worried,” he adds, his eyes filled with concern. I blink at him. Is there
nothing I can keep from this man? He leans forward and kisses me between
my brows.
“When you frown, a little V forms just here. It’s soft to kiss. Don’t worry baby,
I’ll look after you.”
“It’s not me I’m worried about—it’s you,” I grumble. “Who’s looking after you?”
He smiles indulgently at my tone. “I’m big enough and ugly enough to look
after myself. Come. Get up. There’s one thing I’d like to do
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before we head home.” He grins at me, a big boyish yes-I’m-reallyonlytwenty-
eight grin, and swats my behind. I yelp, startled, and realize that today
we’re going back to Seattle and my melancholy blossoms. I don’t want to
lea一ve. I’ve r
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