AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Do you trust me?" he whispered, his cheek pressed against hers and his voice the softest breath in her ear.
"I trust you."
"I would never hurt you. I need you. I need your help. Do you want to help me?"
"I want— I want you."
He pulled away with a choked noise, putting his hands on her shoulders and shaking her lightly until she opened her eyes.
He was all she could see. The world was only the green fire of his eyes, fire that warmed her skin where he looked at her. She felt the heat on her face, her lips. She licked her lips, and they cooled as he dropped his gaze. But then the heat was on her breasts, an aching caress of warmth that made her yearn for his touch.
The heat vanished completely when he closed his eyes. She sighed, missing the warmth of his gaze. She closed her own eyes, drifting in the memory of brilliant green flames.
"Rebecca."
She opened her eyes and found herself once again trapped in his gaze. But the dancing flames lacked heat this time, and she found she could make sense of his words.
"Rebecca, this is important. You must tell me, do you want to help? Will you willingly volunteer to help my daughter?"
"Yes."
"You will help her?"
"I will help her."
"Willingly?"
"Willingly."
Desmond smiled, the dazzling brilliance almost as bright as the green flames. His hands slid from her shoulders to her back, pulling her close for a brief hug.
"Thank you," he whispered in her ear.
She turned her face and captured his lips with her own.
REBECCA WOKE on the couch with a pounding headache. She tried to sit up, and the world spun crazily. She felt ill.
Sitting quietly until the furniture stopped bobbing and dipping around her, she tried to remember what had happened. She'd come to the room with Desmond, because her car was broken. For some reason she couldn't recall, she'd thought he couldn't be trusted. They'd argued. Fought. And then—
She gasped. No, her memories couldn't be right. Touching her fingers tentatively to her lips, she thought they might be a little swollen. But was that because she'd been kissed, or because she'd bitten her lip during their struggle?
Her breasts ached. From being caressed, or from being crushed against the door?
She'd woken up fully dressed, but that didn't mean anything. If what she remembered had truly happened, he could have dressed her before he'd gone. For the first time since she was seventeen, she wished she was a virgin. At least then there would have been undeniable evidence to prove whether or not she'd made love.
Groaning, she pillowed her face in her hands. She remembered the feel of Desmond's rock-solid chest beneath her fingers, the rapid beat of his heart against his palms. He'd pressed his cheek to hers, and breathed soft words of seduction into her ear. But after that, her memory fragmented into images that made no sense.
She'd agreed to help his research. She remembered that, although she couldn't recall what had prompted her change of heart. Perhaps he'd said something to make her think she'd found his secret and would not be allowed to reveal it? She believed he would not hurt her, but she'd already misjudged the situation once, thinking he was helping her with her car and ending up trapped instead. She couldn't risk another judgment error.
Still, volunteering to help gave her a few days to make plans. She'd be safe enough while she was giving him what he wanted. When he didn't need her any longer, she'd become a liability. She hoped if she promised to keep silent, he'd let her go. But she knew better than to count on it. If she was going to get out of here, she'd have to escape.
Glancing around the room, she studied it for possible escape routes. Soft blue and red light streamed through the window, but the intricate leading of the stained glass prevented it from being a possible exit. Even if she broke the glass, the metal web-work holding it in place would be as effective as an iron grille over the window pane.
She turned her attention to the opposite direction. The door was locked by the card scanner, but Desmond had told her the scanners unlocked in case of fire. Maybe she could start a fire beneath a sensor, and trigger a fire alarm?
No. She'd never have a chance to get away with all those people trying to leave the buildings. Plus, Desmond would guess she'd set it, and be on the lookout for her. She needed a way to release only the three scanners between here and the exit.
She'd studied engineering before switching in her Junior year to journalism, and her rusty problem analysis skills slowly ground into gear. You couldn't count on an electric signal getting through to open the doors if the building was on fire, so that meant the doors received a constant electrical signal to stay locked. Any disruption to the scanners' power supply should open the doors.
