Page 30 of The Survivor
“Come on, Blake, let me come along.”
“Katie, it’s too dangerous.”
“You’ll protect me.”
The sound of Kate’s voice in his head stole the breath right out of his lungs.You’ll protect me.The same words Sam had just said, the same task he’d failed to carry out the last time a woman had asked for his protection.
He’d probably always blame himself for Kate’s death. It was a reality he lived with, one he’d accepted, yet he’d learned thatthe only way to function normally in his life and his job was to keep the memory of Kate buried in the back of his mind. That’s why he’d thrown himself headfirst into this case. He’d taken it on in hopes that it would distract him, allow him to keep the pain at bay, something his three months’ leave a year ago hadn’t accomplished.
And here he was, right back in the same position. He’d hoped that hunting another killer would make him forget the loss of the woman he’d loved. Instead, he was now facing losing a woman he was starting to care about.
And dammit, he did care about Sam. He barely knew her, yet he was feeling things for her he’d never thought he would feel again. Admiration. Respect.
Lust.
Oh, yeah, definitely lust. He wanted her so bad he could taste her on his tongue.
God help him.
“You won’t change your mind about this, will you?”
“No,” she said, her tone firm.
With a sigh, he rose from his chair and left the dining room. He found Rick pacing the front hallway and murmuring into his cell phone.
“Let me talk to him,” Blake said, holding out his hand.
Rick tossed him the phone without a word.
“What’s going on there, Corwin?” Knight barked.
“She’s going to stay here with me.” From the corner of his eye he saw Sam appear in the doorway. She watched him, a whisper of a smile lifting her sensual mouth. “I’ll do everything in my power to keep Miss Dawson safe.”
“You’ll be taking full responsibility should anything happen?”
He struggled to maintain a calm voice. “Yes.”
“Fine. She’s under your protection.”
“Thank you, sir.”
He hung up and handed the phone back to Rick, who shot him a quizzical look. “You sure about this, Blake?”
His gaze slid in Sam’s direction. “I don’t seem to have a choice in the matter.”
* * *
He wasn’t happy with her. Sam could sense it as she watched Blake rub his temples. He did that a lot, almost like he had one continuous headache that simply couldn’t be remedied. Was she the source of tonight’s headache? Oh, yeah. No question about it. He definitely wasn’t pleased that she’d decided to stay in the city.
Rick had just left, which meant that she and Blake were officially alone. Her throat tightened at the thought. Even though she’d convinced him to let her stay, knowing they’d be in such close quarters made her apprehensive. Before the attack she would’ve capitalized on the coziness of the situation. Now she didn’t know what she was going to do. She didn’t know why her body had decided to wake up after six months of hibernation, didn’t know why Blake was the man who’d spurred the awakening. But what she did know, without a doubt, was that she wanted this man.
She wanted his stubborn mouth kissing hers again. She wanted to tangle her fingers in his messy dark hair and lose herself in his tall, sturdy body. She wanted those serious whiskey-colored eyes to look at her with passion again, wanted to hear that rough voice telling her she was beautiful.
Maybe it was crazy to want so much. Maybe none of those delicious things would come to be. But if she left town there wouldn’t even be a chance. Here, she could hope, and dream, and dammit,want.
“Knight requests that you lay low,” Blake said as they drifted back into the dining room. He moved his hand from his temples to the faint stubble shadowing his jaw. “You’ll be able to talk to Elaine on the phone, but you’re not leaving this house. Not until the media storm dies down.”
“All right.”
