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He lost himself in her.
EIGHT
She was tearing him apart. John watched as Sierra dressed an hour later, her gray eyes pensive, too somber as she stared in the mirror over the dresser and carefully smoothed moisturizer over her face.
There was that edge of fear in her eyes that he hated seeing, the same edge he saw in her gaze as he carefully tracked the healing bruises against her flesh before allowing her to leave the bed.
Long, black curls rippled down her back, the thick strands gleaming like silk against her pale skin. He wanted to get her on the upper deck, naked, slicked with sunscreen, and basking beneath the summer sun.
The sun was a healing balm; it would heat her pretty flesh, darke
n it, and give her a look even more exotic than what she had now. First, he would have to move the houseboat for the day, though. He had one of the far docks, one of the most private, but it wasn’t private enough to keep preying eyes from watching her naked body.
He hadn’t told her they were being watched. It wasn’t something he was looking forward to telling her. She’d come here for safety, and the thought that the danger she had faced in Boston had followed her here made him homicidal.
“We’re having company soon,” he told her as she drew a pair of light, cotton pants over her legs.
She paused as she picked up a dark blue T-shirt.
“What kind of company?” she asked carefully.
“This morning, some friends of mine and their children,” he told her. “Rowdy’s cousins, wives, and infants. Rogue’s not back from her honeymoon yet so just the Mackays. It’s like a madhouse when they all get together, so be prepared. Their wives are hellions, their children are adorable little angels, and they’ll pump you for information, brag on their husbands, and decide who and where to begin matchmaking. So don’t let them know we’re sleeping together. It’ll give them something to wonder about. ” He grinned with a wink in her direction. There was no way to hide the fact that he was sleeping with her. He’d kissed her lovely neck just a little too hard earlier, leaving the faintest red mark that he considered a stamp of supreme ownership.
Sierra rolled her eyes. “Dummy. As if they’ll believe that one. ”
At least she was calling him “dummy” again. The playful little insult had always assured him that he was in her good graces and once again the love of her life.
He’d missed that, he realized. As he realized only just now how the playful little name had always made him feel. Sierra didn’t call anyone else “dummy. ” As completely immature as it sounded, even to himself, John had to admit it gave him a bit of hope.
Hell, he had no intention of letting her leave him. She was his. He just had to convince her of that, and of the fact that it didn’t matter to him how many men she had been with before him.
He almost frowned at that thought as some part of his mind flashed back to that drunken night and the too hazy memory of pressing inside her.
Wishful thinking? He was starting to wonder about that.
“So how long are your friends staying?” she asked, drawing him out of his musings.
“An hour or so. ” Pushing his fingers through his damp hair to tidy it, he watched as she drew a wide-toothed comb through hers. “The doctor will be here to check you out later this afternoon. While he’s here, explain the problem with the medication. He should give you something that doesn’t make you so drowsy. ”
Sierra faced him as she arched her brow mockingly. “When did you get so bossy, John? You’re starting to sound like my father. ”
He didn’t like that. Sierra almost grinned at the dark look he flashed her.
“Don’t get sassy, lollipop, or I might have to retaliate by talking to the doctor myself. ”
“Go ahead. ” Shrugging in unconcern, Sierra laid the comb on the dresser and faced him fully. “If you’re going to treat me like a child, then you may as well do it fully. Since when did you begin believing that I couldn’t take care of the simplest things by myself?”
Was that surprise in his deep, brilliant violet-blue gaze?
“I thought no such thing, Sierra. ” His voice was quiet, sincere, sending a flare of remorse racing through her. “I was concerned. No more. But if you don’t take care of it, then you’ll be proving your own point. Won’t you?”
Damn him. The remorse chilled quickly enough in the face of his arrogance.
“Okay, lollipop, you have about ten minutes to finish dressing and bring your perky little ass downstairs if you want to meet the babies. Trust me, they’re well worth being on time for. ”
With that, he left the bedroom and moved quickly down the stairs, leaving Sierra to stare after him in confusion. He was too playful, she decided. John had always had a nice sense of humor, but she swore the man he was now was joking more often than he was serious.
This playfulness was going to drive her insane, though, because she had no idea how to handle it, or how to handle him.
