Page 75 of Dark Lover

She wet her lips. “That’s so unfair. What you’ve been through—”

He cut her off. “Let it be, Sam. I’m taking the money and leaving.”

She breathed hard. He was running away. Even though she’d never run from a fight in her life, she understood with her heart and her soul why his instinct was to run. Now was not the time to argue or point out the many instances of bravery she’d witnessed. She kept silent.

He ejected the DVD and faced her, his eyes blazing with hatred and fear now. “So this is goodbye.” His mouth curled. “Unless ye want to come home with me because ye owe me a thank you. In which case, I expect sex. Not talking, not questions an’ not pity. Just fucking.”

It was hard to be flip now. “Wow, you have a way with words. I can’t wait to go home with you.”

He pushed past her.

It was probably one of the worst instincts she’d ever had, but she did not want him to go back to that Park Avenue mansion alone, especially not with that video in his hand. Sam fought herself. She wasn’t Tabby. She didn’t know how to nurture or comfort. She knew how to fight; she knew how to get a guy laid. But maybe it was time to learn how to comfort. Because Ian Maclean was in pain.

Sam followed him out.

AS THEY ENTERED Maclean’s Park Avenue home, the silence instantly disturbed Sam. Even though he lived alone with the butler, the house should have felt different. But it felt dark and empty, vacant—like a gaping hole in the universe.

Ian had been brooding darkly the entire drive uptown. He’d driven his Escalade recklessly, as if he didn’t care if they crashed into another vehicle. Maybe the silence and his distress were just getting to her.

He’d used the key code to get in. The huge door closed behind them. Sam felt her gut churn with unease. “It’s too quiet. Something’s wrong,” she said. “The vibe here has changed.”

“Nothing’s wrong,” he snapped. He gave her a cool look. “Ye know where my bedroom is. Why don’t ye go up and get comfortable?”

If she didn’t know how upset he was about the video, she’d have called him on that unbelievable remark. “You need a drink. So do I. And Maclean? You might want to be nice for about a second, because I didn’t come back here to do you. The jury’s still out.”

He strode down the hall, leaving her standing alone by the front door.

He was in a helluva mood, she thought. She probably didn’t have to worry about whether to go to bed with him or not. That video had dampened his desire, and his reaction to it had certainly dampened hers.

She did not want to know what else was on that tape.

There were three floors in the town house. Maclean was going up the stairs, forgoing the elevator. Now that she knew he was claustrophobic, she was not surprised. She slowly followed. “Maybe we can ask Gerard to bring us something to eat,” she said on the stairs.

He vanished at the second landing.

Sam glanced around, wondering where the butler was. Unease was slithering down her spine now. She saw an intercom by the top of the stairs on the landing, and she quickly pressed the starred button. “Gerard?”

When there was no answer, she tried the rest of the buttons, indicating other rooms, but Gerard did not answer. Her unease escalated. Maybe Ian had given him the night off.

She went down the dark, barely lit hall and found Maclean in a large theatre, the DVD in his hand.

She paused on the threshold of the burgundy room. “You don’t need to watch that.”

He faced her. “Wait for me upstairs.”

“We’re not doing the deed. We’re going to have a drink, eat something, and think about how to confront Hemmer and the monk,” she said firmly. Then she heard herself. She sounded like her sister!

“I invited ye here fer sex. If ye don’t want to go upstairs, then get out.” He marched to the entertainment center and jammed his hand on the DVD player. The tray opened.

“Why are you doing this?” Sam cried.

“Fuck off,” he snarled. “Ye saw it, didn’t ye?” He jammed the DVD into the tray.

He was out of control. Did he want to inflict more pain on himself? She was determined to stop him.

The screen brightened.

Sam cursed. She strode forward and wrenched the remote from his hand. His eyes widened in shock.