Anything for Her - By Janice Kay Johnson Page 0,83
he managed to get out. And when it ended, he collapsed.
If he was smothering her, it took her a couple of minutes to notice. At her first wriggle, Nolan managed to roll onto his side, taking her with him. To his regret, he slipped out of her body. If he could have stayed there for the rest of his life, he’d have been happy.
“Damn,” he said in a thick voice. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?’
“Hurt me?” Her lack of comprehension was obvious. A frown puckered her forehead while she thought about it. “No,” she finally decided. “You couldn’t.”
“I could.” He rubbed his bristly cheek on her head. “I’m so much bigger than you are.”
A giggle was his answer. It fizzed, pure effervescence. “Bet I can jump higher than you can.”
He’d gone to a ballet once. A woman he was dating in Chicago had bought tickets. He couldn’t say he followed the plot, if there was one, and the experience wasn’t one he’d had any interest in repeating, but the athleticism was mind-boggling. The lead ballerina had literally flown.
“I bet you can, too,” he admitted. Light on his feet he wasn’t. “Next time I’ll let you dance on top of me.”
She stroked his chest, her fingers curling in the dark hair. “That sounds like fun.”
They were quiet for a few minutes. Nolan had never felt so sated, boneless, relaxed. The curve of her slight body against his was perfect. The only part of him inclined to move was his hand, which traced patterns on her back.
As his brain slowly revived, he became aware of how very thin she was. Damn it, he hadn’t been able to feel her ribs the last time he’d held her like this, had he? Her delicate vertebrae were definitely more prominent.
“You’re still losing weight.”
She didn’t move for a moment. He wasn’t sure she was even breathing. At last she sighed. “I do that when I’m worried or unhappy.”
“This time it’s my fault.”
“No. We couldn’t have gone on with me lying to you. I told you. It was tearing me apart. Mom refused to understand at all.” Allie went quiet. “That was the worst part,” she said finally. “She was...pressuring me to stay quiet.”
“Will you tell her?”
“That I opened my mouth and absolutely everything spilled out?”
“Yeah.”
“Yes,” Allie said softly. “She needs to know. Anyway, I’m not a good liar. Remember?”
“I remember.” He nuzzled her hair. “Will she be upset?”
He didn’t like the way she kept going quiet. He felt so good himself, he hated to think that all her worries were already building again inside her.
“Yes,” she said. “I think she will be.” She lifted her head to stare fiercely at him. “You have to promise me you won’t tell anyone. Not even Sean. Especially not Sean. He’s a teenager. Nobody can know. Nobody. Promise me.”
“I promise.” He couldn’t imagine what he’d tell Sean, but not this. Allie’s secrets, Nolan understood with some shock, had now become his. The man who insisted on complete honesty now knew things he’d never be able to tell another soul, even his sister. “I swear, Allie.”
Her eyes burned into his, but finally she nodded and laid her head down again. The way she snuggled closer as she relaxed felt like trust to him. His arms closed more firmly around her. God, he loved her.
In the peaceful time that followed, he tried to decide how uncomfortable he was about keeping Allie’s secret, but didn’t find as much uneasiness as he might have expected. Her safety and happiness had become the most important thing in the world to him. He would never do anything to endanger her or her mother.
Thank God, he thought suddenly, he’d stopped the P.I. when he did. What if the guy had succeeded in tracing the Nelsons to New York? Somehow identified Allie Wright as the talented young dancer Chloe Marr? A chill passed through him. No wonder the investigator’s visit had scared the crap out of Allie’s father!
Did Nelson have some way to get word to Allie’s mother that someone had come around asking questions? Nolan hoped not. Should he call the P.I. and emphasize that he should call it quits?
No. Better to pay the bill and let it go.
Guilt did a dip and roll in his gut. Did he have to tell Allie what he’d done?
He stared up at the ceiling. Yes. He’d demanded complete honesty from her, and he had to give it to her in turn. But...not yet. She’d had enough trauma for one