The Perfect Bride - By Kerry Connor Page 0,48

her mind to focus on the question. Was she all right? “I—I’m not sure. I think so.”

“What happened?”

Someone pushed me down the stairs.

Jillian swallowed hard, trying to think of what to say, not sure how much she should reveal, especially when the person she suspected was—

“She must have fallen down the stairs.”

Meredith, Jillian registered, her gut tightening with fresh suspicion. It was Meredith who answered, her voice rapidly coming closer. Jillian heard footsteps approaching quickly on the stairs.

Meredith, who’d been standing there, looking down at her.

Meredith, who’d pushed her?

“Did you see it happen?” Adam asked his sister without looking at her.

“No. I just heard the noise, and when I got to the top of the stairs, I saw her at the bottom.”

Jillian couldn’t see the woman with Adam in front of her. She wished she could, wished she had a chance to try to read her expression up close. It was impossible to tell anything from her voice. Meredith sounded believably horrified.

Grimacing, Adam nodded tightly and refocused on Jillian. “How do you feel? Are you in pain? Do you need me to call a doctor?”

The words drew her focus back to him. And in spite of the terror that had gripped her only moments earlier and the suspicion still racing through her mind, she felt heat rush through her at the open concern in his voice. His dark eyes, his chiseled features, usually so cold and remote, were softened with worry. For her.

It was the nicest he’d ever sounded when speaking to her, she realized with a flicker of amusement. If this was what it took, maybe she should have gotten shoved down the stairs long ago.

As she watched, the concern on his face deepened, and he went pale. “Meredith, call 911. I think she might have a concussion....”

Jillian flinched, and she realized she hadn’t answered him, had simply been staring helplessly into his eyes. No wonder he thought she had a concussion.

“No, really, it’s not that bad.” She started to push herself up on her elbows. “I’m pretty sure nothing’s broken.” She flexed her legs and feet tentatively to test the statement. There was definite soreness, but no real pain to indicate any serious damage.

“Still, we should be careful. Let’s get you back to your room and we’ll see how bad it is.”

Before she could protest, he swept her into his arms in one smooth motion as though she weighed nothing at all. She fell against his chest, the wall of his torso hard and solid as stone against her body. The arms around her were strong yet gentle, holding her close with the lightest of touches. She drew in a breath at the sudden surprise of his nearness, only to pull in the scent of him so deeply it seemed to fill all her senses. She almost felt light-headed from it.

Rising to his feet, he turned and began to quickly climb the stairs. She knew she should protest, tell him this wasn’t necessary, that she was capable of walking. Instead, she found her head falling back against his shoulder instinctively, fitting as naturally as if it belonged there. Her eyes drifted shut almost automatically, as the feeling of being in his arms, surrounded by him, sank in. The past few days had been so hard. Having to keep on her guard, having to tell so many lies and not being able to trust anyone. For the first time since she’d arrived here, it was possible to forget all of that, if only for a moment. Who she was. Who he was. She sank into the feeling of being held against him, the safety in his arms. At that moment, nothing else existed in the world.

He suddenly slowed, and she knew before she opened her eyes that they’d arrived at her bedroom. He leaned forward and opened the door with one hand, the movement so careful she was barely jostled.

Moments later, he was lowering her onto the mattress. Once she was sitting upright, propped up against the pillows, he eased his arms out from under her.

To her surprise, he didn’t move away immediately. Instead, he slid onto the edge of the bed and sat facing her. He peered at her closely, clearly looking for any signs of injury. “Are you sure you’re all right? I think I’d feel better if we at least had you checked out by a doctor.”

She gave her head a vigorous shake. “Really, I’m fine. A little sore, but thankfully no worse than that.” Given