her side. He’d never experienced such absolute darkness. He couldn’t see her, but he felt her body heat, smelled her perfume, felt her energy pulsing in her hand on his arm, heard the soft pant of her panic. “A thing?”
“Yeah, I don’t like it worth a damn.” Her laugh verged on pathetic and tugged at his heartstrings. As if everything she did didn’t tug at them. “Curiosity got the better of me and I managed to lock myself in a closet for a couple of hours when I was four. I was terrified. Ever since, the dark freaks me out.”
She laughed again, and if he hadn’t been so tuned in to the nuances of her voice, he might’ve missed the nervousness still lurking behind it. Against his better judgment—touching her, as he’d found a few minutes ago, was definitely bad judgment—he caught her hand in his. “It’s okay. I’m here. Does your building lose power often?”
“Twice before. But it was always during the day.” Her voice sounded surer, less panicked, and her hand was steadier. She tried to pull her hand from his. “I’m fine now.”
Her slight breathlessness gave her away. She wasn’t fine, but she was doing her best to give that impression. He fought the urge to pull her closer, wrap his arms around her soft vulnerability and reassure her everything was okay. Instead he contented himself with clasping her hand tighter. “Well, I’m not. I’m blind as a bloody bat in here. Where’s your flashlight?” he asked.
She turned into him and her cheek brushed against his shoulder, setting his heart racing. It was agony to be so close to her, touch her, smell her.
“I don’t have one. It got broken when I moved and I keep forgetting to replace it.” Her breath feathered against his neck and her hair teased along his jaw.
“Okay. No flashlight. Move on to plan B. Where’s a window?”
Her fingers curled around his. “My bedroom. There’s one in the bathroom, but it’s small.”
“Okay. Lead on to your bedroom.” Despite the dark, he closed his eyes when he spoke. Under different circumstances...
“This way.” She tugged him by the hand and within seconds he ran into something hard.
“Ow. Damn.” Obviously the wall.
“Sorry,” she apologized, her disembodied voice beside him.
He rolled his shoulder. “I take it you didn’t hit the wall.”
“No. I’m in the doorway.”
Brilliant. She was laughing at him. Actually banging into walls was rather funny but hard on the shoulder.
“Walking beside you isn’t going to work. I’ll walk behind you.” He braced his hands on her bare shoulders. In the dark he could well imagine her naked. Correction. It was as if she was naked, the way he’d imagined her so many times before. Her shoulders were soft, her skin like warm, supple suede. Her scent surrounded him, seduced him. He ached to pull her back into him, to lower his head and kiss the delicate skin at the back of her neck, shower kisses along the curve of her shoulder. He wanted to absorb her heat, her taste, her.
Longing pierced his very soul. To have her in his arms but still out of reach was cruel beyond measure. Just one taste of her... He leaned forward and she swayed ever so slightly back into him, tensing beneath his fingertips. Wisps of hair brushed his face. What the hell was he doing? He jerked his head back.
“Simon?” The husky way she said his name always curled heat through him.
“Give me a second to get my bearings.” Clothes. He needed to touch clothes. “How about this?” He grasped her full, round hips just below the curve of her waist, the same way he would if they were dancing in a conga line. Yeah, or having sex from behind.
“That’s fine.” Her voice sounded strained. Or maybe it was just him. This proximity had him near daft.
“Okay. Lead the way.” Sod it if he sounded harsh. Better she think him rude than randy.
He walked behind her, keeping a firm grip on her hips, trying to ignore the sweet sway beneath his fingertips. Wouldn’t she be impressed? While she fought off a panic attack, he was getting a stiffy from merely touching her and inhaling her scent with every breath he took.
In the room behind them Tawny’s cell phone rang. She hesitated, tensing, turning slightly in the direction of the ring. Simon tightened his hold on her. “Just keep going. We don’t have a chance of getting to it before it goes to voice mail. Not to mention