She should have expected this.
CHAPTER 5
“What are you doing here?” Turning, Gypsy faced the member of the Unknown who had accepted her as a contact only months after the death of her brother.
The same warrior who had given her the terms of her participation.
She must always remain a virgin.
Was he trying to make her insane now? Was every man she knew trying to drive her freaking crazy this month?
“Checking on you.” Crossing his arms over his broad chest, the tall figure leaned against the frame of her bedroom door.
She didn’t even try to see what he looked like, she knew better. The war paint that marked his face was done in such a way as to make it impossible to distinguish his features, no matter how close she came or how hard she attempted to find a distinguishing angle.
She spread her hands out from her body and gazed back at him mockingly. “All in one piece.”
Literally. Even her virginity was still intact.
Which was all he was probably worried about.
“I had no doubt. But now, I wonder,” he assured her, the confidence in his voice grating on her already heightened nerves.
“Then why check on me?” Moving from the window, she strode across the living room to the kitchen, glancing back as she passed the counter that divided the rooms. “Want a drink? I’m having one.”
“No, thank you.” His answer didn’t surprise her.
Pulling the refrigerator door open, she snagged a long-necked bottle of her favorite beer and twisted the cap off in disgust before taking a long drink.
“You’re twenty-four years old, aren’t you, Whisper?” He spoke as she swallowed the bitter brew.
“What does it matter?” Turning to face him, she leaned back against the fridge, seeing the gleam of hazel eyes. The last time she saw him, they looked blue.
“You’ve remained a virgin for nine years in order to work with us. You’ve had no lovers, you have few friends and you began separating herself from your family even before Mark’s funeral. Tell me, how long do you think you can remain isolated among the people who so love you? Or this Breed who seems intent on having you?”
She lifted her brow in a deliberate attempt to convey unconcern. “I walked away.”
“You ran away,” he retorted knowingly. “There’s a difference.”
There was a difference, and she knew it.
She simply didn’t want to discuss it.
“When I can’t run from him any longer, I’ll let you know,” she promised, tipping the bottle to her lips again.
“And what would happen to you if you stopped running?” Compassion filled his voice. “If you suddenly found you needed more than a drink to sleep on the bad nights?”
He nodded to the beer she was lowering.
“You think I drink to sleep?” she asked, amused. “Tell me, have you ever slipped into my apartment and caught me asleep?”
She knew he hadn’t.
His head tilted to the side as he watched her, dissected her.
“Never,” he finally admitted. “But I haven’t tried to.”
“Then try,” she suggested. “But don’t stay long if you do catch my eyes closed, because it never lasts.”