Page 25 of A Rhapsody of Ravens and Revenge

The laugh that escaped her throat was brittle with emotion. “You know, Cal, through all the years we’ve known each other, I never realized you have that kind of cruelty in you. So what? I sit down at the computer to help and then all of a sudden you decide to turn me in for what happened a decade ago. I don’t trust you.”

“Says the woman who was kissing me only a few hours ago.”

“Trusting and making out are two very different things. You don’t have to have one to get the other. And there’s nothing wrong with me kissing you. I enjoyed it. And I assume you did too. We’re both adults. And we might as well do something if we’re going to be stuck with each other.”

He looked at her like she’d grown a second head. “That may be one of the saddest things I’ve ever heard. You’re not really that hard, Evie. Why are you trying to pretend you are?”

“My feelings are my own. I don’t owe you anything else. But my future—what there is or isn’t of it—is in your hands. So you can see why I’d pass on your very tempting offer to entrap myself.”

“You really think I’d do that to you?” She was surprised by the current of anger in his voice and the hardness that came into his eyes.

“I don’t know you well enough to know what you would do. But I wouldn’t trust you to do any differently. Better to be safe than sorry.”

He stood up abruptly, the chair skidding back across the floor, and he came toward her slowly, stalking her like a cat would its prey. He stopped several feet in front of her and she wanted to flinch at the hurt and anger in his face. But that’s what he wanted her to see. Cal had spent too long in covert ops. He was a consummate actor.

“Are you afraid of me?” he asked.

She wasn’t. Had never been afraid of him. And that put her at ease. She hadn’t realized how stiff she was.

“I’m not afraid of you. I’ve been taking care of myself a long time. But I don’t know what your game is either. You’ve never been one to show your hand.”

“What good would that do?” he asked. “You might as well wave a white flag in defeat.”

“True. And yet here we stand. Knowing an opponent’s strengths and weaknesses is essential.”

He nodded. “Know thy enemy. Is that what we are, Evangeline? Opponents?”

She didn’t realize how different her full name sounded coming from his lips. He’d always called her Evie.

“Being opponents would mean that I care one way or the other,” she said, shrugging. “You’re just a guy here to protect me on my father’s orders. Nothing more. Nothing less.”

He moved in close, but she didn’t back down. Wouldn’t back down. “You can keep lying to yourself, Evie. But you can’t lie to me. Your body can’t lie to me.”

And then he kissed her. It wasn’t the same as the kiss they’d shared earlier that morning. This was a kiss that scorched her very soul. She could taste his anger, yes, but there was more beneath the surface. Desire—need—frustration. And a longing so desperate it almost brought her to her knees.

What was happening? When had this happened? She’d loved him since she was a young girl, despite trying to hate him. Was it possible that there could be more between them?

Her fingers pressed hard into the muscles of his arms, and she moaned as his arms came around her and pulled her even closer. The room was spinning and she wasn’t sure if she was even drawing a breath any longer. There was just Cal. Everything else ceased to exist.

He pulled away and she fell into him, feeling the void of his touch immediately. His gaze never left hers, his pupils so large she could only see a thin ring of brown at the edges. There was something electric between them. And so many things that had never been spoken. She was wondering how they could ever redeem all that had been lost between them when he threw her a lifeline.

“I’ve got to get back to work,” he said, his voice hoarse. “You’re welcome to pull up a stool and help. Either way, stay in the room and away from the windows.”

She nodded and he released her, stepping away. She already felt the loss. Then she drew in a deep breath and moved toward the monitor, her blood singing for reasons more than just the kiss.

Chapter Nine

The storm broke sometime during the night. Rain and wind and thunder.

But Evangeline slept peacefully beside him. In her sleep, at least, she trusted him. He hadn’t been kidding when he’d told her they wouldn’t be separated until Taber was caught. She’d only looked slightly panicked as they’d stood on opposite sides of the bed, staring down at the silk-covered space between them. He’d always admired her courage.

As for him, sleeping beside Evangeline was purgatory. He deserved the punishment. He was sure of it. He’d given up on any semblance of sleep and lay still on his back, staring up at the ceiling and watching the play of shadows as lightning lit the night sky. His sweats and T-shirt scratched against his skin, and even though the windows were closed he could feel the humidity from the storm outside.

They were in the room he usually stayed in whenever he came to visit Robert, at the opposite end of the wing from Evie’s bedroom. He didn’t stay there often, but when Nadine had been alive she’d always made sure he felt at home.

The bedroom sat at the corner of the house and had two banks of windows—one that faced the gardens in the side yard and another that faced the ocean. There was no balcony, but the windows opened and it was an easy hop onto the roof if an escape needed to be made. He’d already made sure he’d left the window unlocked and ropes anchored to the roof if they needed a quick getaway.

The fan whirred lazily overhead, the noise seemingly loud between the rumbles of thunder. His senses were primed. Palm trees scraped against the windows and the wind howled with fury.

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