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"Johnny! No!"
The screamed words reverberated through the room and brought Tess to a dead stop. She waited, listening for another outburst, but the house was silent once again.
Reaching for the flannel robe flung along the foot of the bed, she shrugged into the warm fabric, eased the door
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open, and hobbled from the bedroom. At the end of the hallway, she paused to regain her breath. Clutching her aching midsection, she cautiously peeked around the corner.
The living room was dark except for the throbbing orange glow of a dying fire. Pulsating red-gold light licked the floor and cast sinewy fingers into the darkness. The furniture was a series of shadowy clumps, without form or substance.
Tess frowned. Easing away from the wall, she walked into the room.
Like an apparition, Jack materialized in front of her. Startled, Tess stumbled backward and hit the wall with a thud. He closed the distance between them in a single step. She felt the weight of his stare on her face, but she couldn't see his eyes.
"What the hell are you doing here?" The question was spoken quietly, though somehow the softness was more frightening than any yelling she'd ever heard. "You know the rules."
Tess wished she could take even one step backward, but the wall had her trapped. "I ... I heard a noise."
"Go away." He spun away from her and began pacing. His movements were stiff and overly controlled, the rigid actions of a man who wanted to run but was forcing himself to stay. After a few moments, he covered his ears with his hands, as if there were great, booming noises only he could hear.
"Jack, I?"
He spun back around and grabbed her by the shoulders, yanking her to him. She hit his chest hard and bit back a gasp of pain. "Don't do this to me, Amarylis." His voice cracked. "I'm not strong enough to play your games right now."
She stared up at him, her breathing ragged. His gaze
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seemed to grab her around the neck and squeeze. Suddenly he let go, as if he'd just realized he'd touched her.
She slid down the long, hard length of his body. Her bare feet hit the cold floor with a muffled thump.
"And don't forget the rules again. It doesn't matter what you hear. You don't come out here after dark. Not ever."
Tess leaned against the wall, struggling to catch her breath. She squeezed her eyes shut. Jack's bootheels thudded atop the floor, his every step matching the echoing beat of her heart. She heard the rough, ragged strains of his breathing and the crackling hiss of the dying fire. She tried to concentrate on the sounds she'd waited a lifetime to hear, only the sounds, but somehow she couldn't take joy in them. All she felt was alone and afraid and fright-eningly out of her element.
She thought of Carol and her promise, and at the thought, sadness washed through her, leaving in its wake the sting of betrayal. Carol had lied to her. Jack Rafferty wasn't someone special at all.
She tried to be strong, tried not to care, but she couldn't help herself. Disappointment crept through her, tugging the corners of her mouth downward. For some absurd reason, she felt like crying.
She gritted her teeth, battling the unfamiliar wave of self-pity. Then she snapped out of it. She wasn't one to give up. She never had been before, and she damn well wouldn't start now. And besides, it wasn't all Carol's fault. Tess had chosen this life. This man.
"Damn it," she said to him. "This is my house, too, now. I have every right to go where I want, when I want. And right now I want to go ..." She had to think a minute. "To the bathroom."
Forcing her chin up, she pushed away from the wall and headed toward the hallway.
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"Where are you going?" he growled as she hobbled past him.
She tilted her chin a little higher. "Not that it's any of your business, but I intended to use the bathroom." She reached for the door in front of her.
"In the girls' room?"
