Page 38 of Forbidden Access

Damian glanced at her in surprise. “How do you know her name?” Then it clicked. “Oh, right. You met her this morning.”

Thorn didn’t reply, but he could see the calmness she was trying to project, and it only irritated him more.

“What’s got into you?” Thorn asked after a long, tense pause.

He took a deep, steadying breath, trying to control the growl in his voice. “Nothing. I’m just hungry.”

She shot him a look that said, “Really?”

He turned to face her fully, leaning in slightly. “Okay, if you must know, I’m really fucking confused. One minute, we’re all over each other, and the next, you turn into an ice queen. I thought we had something. I thought that kiss meant something.”

“I explained that,” she said icily, though her voice wavered ever so slightly. God, he wished the sun wouldn’t play those tricks with her hair. The copper tones danced like fire in the beams of light, and he could barely keep himself from reaching out.

“No, I don’t think you did, otherwise I wouldn’t be sitting here wondering what the hell I’ve done wrong.”

She sighed, but it didn’t soften the tension between them. “You’ve done nothing wrong. It’s all me. This is all my fault. I’m the one who crossed the line. Right from the start, I’ve let my emotions get in the way of this assignment. It was unprofessional, and I apologize.”

“You apologize?” He couldn’t hide his shock. How could she be so detached about the whole thing? “That’s it?”

She shrugged, her gaze hardening. “I don’t know what else you want me to say.”

“I want you to be a goddamn human being and acknowledge there was something between us. I want that sassy, fiery, passionate woman back.”

“That’s not who I am,” she hissed, leaning over the table, her eyes blazing with anger and something deeper, something she was trying to suppress.

“That’s where you’re wrong,” he challenged her, his voice low, almost a growl. “That’s exactly who you are. You’ve just chosen to suppress it under layers of official bullshit. Undercover agent?” He laughed bitterly. “That’s just an excuse so you don’t have to be yourself.”

Her eyes flashed with anger. “Don’t presume to know me, Damian.”

“I know when you’re lying to me.”

“Is everything okay?” Clara appeared at their table, and Damian had to physically lean back to calm himself down.

Thorn cleared her throat, quickly masking the tension between them. “Yes, everything is great, thanks, Clara.”

Clara hesitated, glancing between them before offering a polite smile. “Tomorrow is market day. You can buy lots of nice things in the square. Also, the church at the top of the hill is very nice. You must go and see for yourself.”

“We will,” Thorn replied smoothly. “Thank you.”

Clara nodded and hurried away, leaving an oppressive silence between them.

Damian tried to eat, but the hunger that had gnawed at him moments ago was replaced by something darker, something more primal. Thorn was driving him crazy, and not just with her mixed signals. It was her, the way she moved, the way she looked at him, the way she tried so damn hard to keep that wall between them.

Eventually, Thorn looked across at him, her voice more measured. “We could hike up to the monastery. I saw it on the map.”

He stared at her, his anger and desire churning inside him. What he really wanted to do was drag her upstairs, show her just how wrong she was, kiss her until she couldn’t remember her own name, let alone her excuses.

Shit.

He exhaled, trying to push the thought from his mind. If he kept on like this, he might actually act on it, and that would ruin everything.

“That is, if you want to,” she added, her tone softening slightly. “We’re supposed to be backpackers, so it wouldn’t be that strange if we explored the area.”

It was a peace offering, of sorts, but it did nothing to ease the tension thrumming between them.

He nodded stiffly, forcing himself to keep his tone neutral. “Yeah. Sounds good.”

“Okay, then.”

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