that felt right.
He reached for the phone, satisfied with his plan. “Richie, here’s what I want you to do next...”
* * *
The instant Conlan walked back into the condo, he knew that something was wrong. Granted, with everything that had happened in the past few days, Kat had every reason to be tense and worried.
Ever since he’d walked back into the condo, she’d been restless, wandering from spot to spot, touching the few belongings Joss had left behind. But that wasn’t what bothered him. After all, she was bound to be a bit wired after all she’d been through. No, it was something else about her behavior that kept niggling away at him. It took a few moments to finally pinpoint the
problem—there was something off about that smile Kat kept flashing at him whenever she caught him watching her.
It was brittle and maybe a bit guilty. What had happened while he was gone that had her eyes looking so sad in stark contrast to the smile? He’d tried asking her if anything was wrong. Well, other than the obvious. She’d immediately claimed that she was relieved that he was back. The quick kiss she’d given him had been an obvious diversion with no passion, no heat.
He wished like hell she’d tell him what was going on. His plan for after dinner had been to go over her testimony one last time and then talk about the hard stuff. Like what had really happened to make her take off on him three years ago. Where she’d been hiding. Now he was afraid she’d shatter if he pushed too hard.
Maybe it was time to call it quits for the day.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for some downtime. You take the bedroom and I’ll sack out on the couch. We’ll get back to the hunt first thing in the morning.”
If he hadn’t been watching her so carefully, he wouldn’t have seen her flinch. Okay, what was that about? He started for her, intent on getting some answers.
Kat started to back away but then held her ground. “Conlan? What’s going on?”
“You tell me.”
He flexed his hands in frustration, fighting hard to keep this small bit of distance between them. His emotions were already running hot; touching her would only fan the flames. He fought back the urge to drag her into his arms and sink his fangs into that fluttering vein at the base of her neck. As satisfying as that might be, it would only complicate an already volatile situation.
“Tell you what?”
Conlan glared at her, making sure she recognized his frustration. “Why you’re so damn jumpy right now. You weren’t this wired when I left for the store. Nothing’s happened since I got back, so whatever set you off took place while I was gone.”
“Nothing’s changed. I’m just having trouble dealing with everything. It’s all just catching up with me.”
He might have believed that, but her eyes flickered over to where he’d left his phone on the counter after she’d returned it. Okay, that made sense. Someone had called. The question was, who? And why hadn’t she told him about the call?
He wanted to have some faith in her, but it was hard to do when she obviously didn’t return the favor. He’d risked everything for her, not just now but three years ago. What else did he need to do to prove himself? And why the hell should he bother?
Rather than corner her, he took a slow breath and released it. Gradually, his fangs retracted and the hunger for her blood and body faded enough for him to regain a bit more control. “Look, just go to bed. We’ll talk in the morning.”
She started to walk away, but then turned back to face him. “I’m sorry, Conlan.”
Weary beyond description, Conlan couldn’t help but ask, “For what, Kat? For lying to me just now? For screwing with my mind again? I don’t know what I have to do to make you trust me, Kat, but I’m tired of trying.”
Not that he really wanted to know. Without waiting for her answer, he picked up his pack and headed down the hall to the bathroom. Maybe a shower would wash away some of his frustrations.
He kicked the water up to just shy of scalding and stepped into the stall. He leaned against the wall and tried to lose himself in the contrasting sensations of the cool tile at his back and the hot sting of the spray. At that moment, he felt