asped vi

so fast it hurt. He

of her, bracing for the bone-cr

bed fistfuls of

ng. She was lying

fabric of her nightgown. She inhaled sharply. The d

Gaines'

ng at the vaulted ceiling of the guest b

so fast her

r body felt whole, save for a dull, throbbing pain i

and stumbled out of bed. Her

ll-length mirror lea

ale, but alive. A small white banda

into her brain li

ed to run away, tripped over her own heels, and tumb

ged for the smart calendar

umbers burned

back. Back to the day she fel

n crushed her legs. Her knees buck

ve. She had

palm to stop the hysterical sob from ripping out of her throat

otsteps echoed in

e moving

d against her ribs. Sh

in

tear-streaked face from he

door, a crystal vase lay shattered in

fore she fell down the stairs, sh

hat door today, she had screamed at him, picke

forward on her

liced into her index finger. She frantically swept the

topped right ou

owly turned. The metal hi

g her racing heart to slow down. She wiped the

oak door s

tailored charcoal suit. His broad shoulders filled the fr

room like a radar, ins

. His hands were balled into tight fists at his

same, yet entirely different. This was the m

tely welled up w

her eyes. His eyes narrowed. He

a low, gravelly threat, "I will freeze every singl

at threat had ignite

like a desperate, clumsy att

ream. She didn't

She looked at him with eyes full

ence st

dropped a fraction of an inch. He stared at her, compl

a small st

rp pain shot up her leg. She gasped, h

brain did. He lunged forward, h

d his arm back, shoving his hand deep into his trou

the abort

he had trained him to expect vio

her gaze t

spered. Her voice tremb

e room like a ph

ilated rapidly. H

tically for the lie, for the trap. The tension