Page 29 of Shadow Touched

“I’m fine,” she said. “Let’s go. You’regoing to have to feed me soon before my belly starts toprotest.”

They went through the self-checkout and Brimpaid with cash. Leia collected their stuff and they headed out ofthe store. As she settled behind him on the bike, she happened tolook at the entrance to the store and saw the woman. Leia had noidea what she’d done to piss her off, but the malice shining fromher eyes sent a shiver down Leia’s spine. She slipped on the helmetand off they roared, leaving the busy shopping center behind.

The town of Cardinal was mostly a farmingcommunity. The red bricked downtown area held an air of neglect,and for rent signs decorated many windows. Brim traveled past thatinto an area where the houses were a little run down. Dogs barkedat them, and children waved at them. Leia waved back, smiling. Heturned onto a treelined street, with branches hanging low toprovide ample shade, and drove up to the third house on theleft.

As Leia dismounted and pulled off thehelmet, she took in the cute little rancher with a covered porch.The white paint had yellowed with age, and it had cracked andpeeled in many areas. The bushes around the house were overgrown,and the lawn was in desperate need of being mowed.

“Guess I should’ve gotten a prospect to comeby,” Brim muttered.

“How long were you gone?”

“About four months,” he admitted. “I didn’tmean for it to be that long. It just … well, to be honest, everytime I thought about coming home, I knew I’d have to think aboutNate.”

“Did staying away help.”

He sighed. “No. Come on, let me show youwhere you can drop your stuff.”

She followed him inside. The air was a bitstale and a layer of dust was on everything, but the furniturelooked comfy. Leia followed him down the short hallway, where hegestured to a bedroom.

Leia stepped inside. A king size bed restedbetween two windows. The sheets were still rumpled. Clothes werescattered everywhere—on the floor, on the dresser, on top of boxesand inside a laundry basket. “Wait. Is this your room?”

“Yes.”

She turned to look at him. “Do you not havea guest room?”

“Why would I put you in a guest room?”

“Because I’m your guest.”

“Come on now.” He took her shopping bag andtossed it on the bed. “We’ve already slept together.”

She held up a hand. “We weresleeping. There’s a big difference between weresleeping and slept.”

He frowned. “Tense?”

“Don’t get clever. I just can’t allow myselfto…”

She faltered, not sure how to express whatshe was thinking.

He leaned closer, narrowing his eyes. “Areyou a virgin?”

“What? Good lord, no, I’m not a virgin.” Sherubbed her forehead. “I just can’t allow myself to care forsomeone—”

“Are you saying you care for me?”

Leia held up a finger. “I did not saythat.”

“And yet, I heard the word care come out ofyour mouth.”

“Yes, but not applying to you specifically,”she said, stumbling over her words. “I just meant care, as in, allof us. You and me, as fellow human beings. I care about all of usas human beings.”

She snapped her mouth shut, appalled at herramblings. They stared at one another for a moment, then he shookhis head.

“No, I don’t think that’s what youmeant.”

Leia lifted her chin. “Well, that’s what Iam saying I meant.”

“I think you’re lying.”

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