Page 28 of Atone in Darkness
She didn’t bother to hide her relief. “Sounds like a plan.”
“Why don’t you cover the windows while I start the laundry?”
He disappeared back into the bathroom with his towel before she responded, clearly assuming she’d do as he suggested. Oddly enough, that was okay. Chase might issue orders,a trait that Marisol didn’t love, but at least he divided the work fairly. She closed the curtains and thought about how different he was from the men her mom had brought home with her. Despite the fact that it was her mother’s welfare checks that had paid most of the bills, none of her boyfriends had ever lifted a finger to help around the apartment, much less to pay bills or buy food. They all expectedboth hermother and Marisol to wait on them.
Once when she’d gotten old enough to realize how wrong and unfair that was, her mother had slapped her for complaining. She’d always blamed Marisol because her father hadn’t stuck around, but she’d refused to assume that burden of guilt. From everything she’d ever heard about her father, Teddy Riggs had never been cut out for marriage, which was hardlyMarisol’s fault. It was obvious his desertion had broken something in her mother. She never seemed to realize that he’d abandoned his daughter, too.
In the end, the only way she’d survived was to build a new life for herself by turning her back on her past and everyone in it. Staring out into the darkness outside the cabin, she wondered how everything had gone so wrong so fast. Had she been toogreedy by accepting this bright and shiny job? Looking back, she just might have destroyed the new identity she’d so carefully crafted for herself, not to mention the future she’d worked so hard for.
“Is everything okay?”
She’d been aware of Chase’s approach, and it didn’t surprise her when he stopped only inches from where she stood. A half step backward would put her right up against the rock-solidwall of his big body. He might even wrap her in his arms, offering her the comfort of simple human touch. Except there was nothing simple about the man or her reaction to him. She didn’t know about Chase, but she’d been unable to forget the way he’d kissed her earlier and the explosive heat it had set off.
Yeah, some of it was probably a reaction to their heightened emotions from the threat posedby their enemies.Some, but definitely not all. There was something about him that drew her like no other man she’d ever met. He might not have appreciated the role she played in his captivity, but that hadn’t stopped him from doing everything within his power to keep her alive. The man had a protective streak a mile wide.
Realizing he was still waiting for an answer, she closed the shade onthe window and slowly turned to face him. “I’m just tired. It’s time I turned in for the night.”
When she started to slide past him, he blocked her way. “Yeah, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about the sleeping arrangements.”
“What about them?”
“There’s only one bed.”
