Hidden - Laura Griffin Page 0,75

in front of her, resting his hands on either side of her on the counter. He gave her his stern cop look. It was probably meant to intimidate her, but instead she felt turned on.

“Double fudge chip?” She held up a spoonful.

“No. Are you ever going to tell me what happened at Granite Tech?”

“I can’t yet.” She took a bite of ice cream. It was rich and decadent.

“When?”

“Soon.”

“When?”

She took another bite. Heat flared in his eyes as she slowly pulled out the spoon. She licked her lip and set the carton aside.

Jacob eased her knees apart with his body. Keeping those dark eyes on hers, he loosened the knot of her robe and his hand slid inside, and the sight of those long fingers curving around her pale breast made her insides tighten.

She wrapped her legs around him, pulling him closer. She pressed a kiss against his neck, inhaling the amazing scent of his warm skin, which was more decadent than any food.

“Later,” she whispered. “I promise.”

CHAPTER

TWENTY-FOUR

THE PARKING GARAGE was dark. Someone was behind her.

Bailey’s heart hammered as she peered around the concrete pillar. She couldn’t see him, but she knew he was there, watching her, stalking her through the concrete forest. She gripped her keys like a weapon and sprinted for the next pillar, ducking behind it to catch her breath.

There were no cars here now. Not the black BMW or the white Mercedes or the yellow Fiat. Everything was gone except her and the concrete pillars.

And him.

Footsteps thudded behind her, sure and confident, getting closer and louder. He didn’t even care about stealth now.

Bailey looked around frantically. She spotted the dark tunnel. An escape. How would she get the door up? She didn’t know, but she had to try. It was her only out.

Bailey ran. Her feet slapped against the concrete and she raced for that tunnel. The footsteps followed her, and she ran harder, faster. She didn’t dare look back.

Go, go, go. She sprinted for the tunnel, a big black maw. Her only out.

Something glowed there. An orange ember. It moved, and she realized it was a cigarette.

She halted. Someone stood in the shadows watching her, blocking her way. Panic shot through her.

Behind her, a metallic click.

Bailey jolted awake.

She sat up. The room was dark. The space beside her was empty. Her foot throbbed, and she remembered the cut. Then she remembered the sour taste of fear in her throat as she’d run across the concrete.

Keys jangled in the kitchen. Jacob.

He was leaving.

Disappointment stabbed at her. He was sneaking out without saying good-bye.

She lay back against the pillow and waited for the click of her lock and the sound of her front door opening and closing. Instead, she heard the floor creak. She snapped her eyes shut and immediately felt childish.

The mattress sank with his weight. His warm hand closed around hers, and the relief was so strong it made her breath catch.

“Bailey.” His voice was low. “I have to go.”

He’d somehow known she was awake, and she felt even sillier.

“What time is it?” she asked.

“Almost five.” He kissed her forehead and stood up. “I’ll call you.” He paused beside the bed and looked at her. Then he walked out.

She lay there listening to all the sounds she’d expected before: the click of the latch, the door opening and closing. A few seconds of silence and then she heard the barely-there thud of his boots on the stairwell outside her window. If she hadn’t been listening closely, the sounds would have been lost in the vague white noise of her apartment building.

She lay stock-still, gazing at the ceiling and thinking of Jacob’s deep brown eyes and his skilled hands and the manly scent of his skin. She rolled onto her side and pulled the pillow against her, inhaling deeply.

Why had he left so early? Darts of insecurity pricked at her, and she knew she was in trouble here. She’d ignored caution. She’d ignored all her reservations and his, too, and now here she was. She shouldn’t see him again, but the thought of not seeing him again put an ache in the pit of her stomach.

She’d thought she could do this once and get him out of her system. But she’d been very wrong, and if anything, her yearning had only ramped up now that she knew how good they were together. The experience was seared into her brain, and there was no going back to not knowing what it was like to be with him. Jacob