“I’m not.I am a Lily expert.”He shifted position, moving his arm from the top of the seat.“Should we discuss our ground rules?”
The limo was driving down the street.It swept past the streetlights.Past the heavy buildings of downtown Dallas.A massive city.Sprawling.Over 1.3 million residents.The city teemed with life at every possible hour.So they weren’t sweeping down deserted roads.Cars and people were everywhere.Vehicles buzzing past.
Yet that world seemed incredibly distant.She and Atlas were secluded away from everyone else.Maybe that was good.Maybe that was bad.Lily cleared her throat.“Before we get to rules, I need to stop by my rental house and pick up my personal belongings.”
“Desmond is on the case.He’ll have everything you need brought to my house.”
Her brows climbed.“I haven’t told Desmond where I was staying.”
“You didn’t need to tell him.I did it.”
She nodded.“I get it.Fine.You’re the all-knowing Oz.You dug into my life.Wanted to learn everything about me because…” But she stopped.
His expression was shadowed in the dim lighting that filled the exterior of the limo.“Please, do continue.Don’t leave me in suspense.”
“You were trying to decide what sort of threat I would be to you.So you tried to learn my weaknesses.Probably my strengths, too.Got to know those, don’t you?The better to defend against them.”
“Lily, Lily, Lily.You act as if we are enemies.”A pause.“Is that what we are?Do you always get naked with your enemies?”
He was baiting her.As to why she’d gottenalmostnaked with him, yes, that had probably not been her best moment.Moments of weakness happened, though, when you were on a knife’s edge of adrenaline, when grief shook your core and threatened to rip you apart, and guilt wanted to gut you like a fish.
Benedict is dead because of me.He came to help me.If only he’d gotten out of the cabin…
Atlas reached out.His fingers curled under her chin as he forced her to tilt her head up.She hadn’t realized she’d looked down.
“Enemies, Lily?Or lovers?”
A weak laugh came from her.“Yes, I do get naked with lovers.That’s sort of a necessity,” she responded, going back to his earlier question.Do you always get naked with your enemies?
But Atlas shook his head.“What are we going to be?Enemies or lovers?”
“We don’t have to be either.”They did not.She really, really needed to put some space between them.She normally could be completely contained.Totally controlled.She didn’t cross lines but…
I was kidnapped tonight.Shoved down a staircase.A cop died in a blaze right in front of me.And now…now…
She wet her lips.“We could be colleagues.I think I could learn a great deal from you.You could help my research considerably.”As she’d explained in her emails and during her—very brief—phone calls with him.
His jaw hardened.“Research into the children of serial killers.”
“Yes.”Soft.
“Do I look like someone who likes to have his dark secrets dragged into the light?”
No, he did not, in fact, look like that type of person.“You’re the one who offered me a pass into your life.”
His thumb rose to brush over her lower lip.“Why me, Lily?There are others out there.Plenty of them.When I told you I wasn’t interested, you could have just walked away.”
Yes, she could have.Only…“You came from blood and death and pain.”
“Thanks for the reminder.”Mocking.“Actually, I came from nothing.From a father who was too damn good-looking.He used his looks to his advantage.Ted Bundy had nothing on my old man.He could charm any coed, any so-called happily married wife.He flashed his dimples, and his prey jumped into his car and didn’t look back.”
“Your mother was his high school sweetheart.”
He raised his brows.“Is that what she was?”
“She became pregnant with you.Her parents wanted her to give you up for adoption.She didn’t.She kept you.”
“She kept me for seven years, until she learned what a monster I was.”
