jerked off the road and came to a screeching halt. He was going to do it; he was going to let her out. She reached for the door handle again, only to freeze when his voice lashed out at her with a razor-edged warning.
“Touch that handle—just touch it—and I promise on my life that you’ll have hands all over you!”
Oh, she was dying—dying!—to ignore him. Dying to rip open the door and give him nothing more than the contemptuous and indifferent glare he deserved!
But he was shaking just as much as she was. So intense that it seemed he might explode at any second. His fingers were gripped around the steering wheel so tautly that his knuckles were white. And though he appeared slim because of his height, Katie knew that he was totally composed of hard muscle and sinew and his shoulders could have served as battering rams.
And she had learned firsthand that he was capable of moving on whim or insane impulse.
She locked her teeth together so hard she was certain they would splinter and break, and she folded her hands together so tightly that her nails dug into her palms. She barely felt them.
She stared straight ahead, praying that she could get hold of her own temper, praying that she could reason with this madman.
“Miss Hudson,” he said at last, staring straight ahead into the darkness of night just as she was, “if I disrupted an evening of fun and pleasure for you, I’m sorry. I—”
“I went with Sam Loper!” Katie snapped out, then she groaned inwardly, begging herself to shut up. Involuntarily, she turned to him, certain that his eyes were on her. They were. Deep, dark—and yet blazing with a heat that reached all the way inside her and made her tremble. Then his hands flew off the wheel with exasperated strength and fell back to it with a force she was certain would break it.
“Maybe I really was wrong! Maybe you wanted to be in that pool with Sam—and maybe after that you wanted to try out every player on the—”
“Maybe I did!” Katie shouted. Her hands jerked apart; she didn’t mean to do it, her left hand just flew sideways in the most ridiculous gesture she had ever seen. She hit him in the chest with her knuckles. The irony of it was that she couldn’t have hurt him in the least—and without even that satisfaction, she fueled his temper to a very dangerous level.
He didn’t touch her, but his voice went very low, slow and threatening. “Do you know what I would have done the day you scratched me if your father hadn’t been there? Do you know what I should have done anyway? Found a switch and taught you a lesson. Well, maybe—since we’re on maybes—maybe it isn’t too damned late!”
Oh, God, Katie thought fleetingly, what was happening to her? She could barely think, much less think rationally. She had never been so angry, and she had never felt eyes touch her in such a way. She still trembled. She felt an unearthly strength and a horrible weakness, all at once. She wanted to think before she spoke, but she couldn’t. Words spewed from her like dripping ice to combat the fire that seemed to burn all around her in the tumult of her emotions.
“Are you threatening me, Mr. Hart? If so, bear in mind that it’s illegal—”
“Illegal?” He stared at her incredulously, then all of a sudden he began to laugh. “Illegal!” He looked up as if seeking help from heaven. “Illegal! She’s in the middle of nowhere with an irate man almost three times her size, and she’s talking about illegal!”
“I’m not at all amused,” Katie warned, then stopped herself quickly because he was, at least, laughing. If she could just get him off guard, she could get out of the car and onto the highway, where someone would stop and get her away from him. “Ah!” She forced herself to smile—and to think. She drew in a deep, shaky breath. “Kent, I’m sorry. Truly sorry. I see now that you were saving me from sheer stupidity, and I’m terribly grateful, really I am.”
He
“Touch that handle—just touch it—and I promise on my life that you’ll have hands all over you!”
Oh, she was dying—dying!—to ignore him. Dying to rip open the door and give him nothing more than the contemptuous and indifferent glare he deserved!
But he was shaking just as much as she was. So intense that it seemed he might explode at any second. His fingers were gripped around the steering wheel so tautly that his knuckles were white. And though he appeared slim because of his height, Katie knew that he was totally composed of hard muscle and sinew and his shoulders could have served as battering rams.
And she had learned firsthand that he was capable of moving on whim or insane impulse.
She locked her teeth together so hard she was certain they would splinter and break, and she folded her hands together so tightly that her nails dug into her palms. She barely felt them.
She stared straight ahead, praying that she could get hold of her own temper, praying that she could reason with this madman.
“Miss Hudson,” he said at last, staring straight ahead into the darkness of night just as she was, “if I disrupted an evening of fun and pleasure for you, I’m sorry. I—”
“I went with Sam Loper!” Katie snapped out, then she groaned inwardly, begging herself to shut up. Involuntarily, she turned to him, certain that his eyes were on her. They were. Deep, dark—and yet blazing with a heat that reached all the way inside her and made her tremble. Then his hands flew off the wheel with exasperated strength and fell back to it with a force she was certain would break it.
“Maybe I really was wrong! Maybe you wanted to be in that pool with Sam—and maybe after that you wanted to try out every player on the—”
“Maybe I did!” Katie shouted. Her hands jerked apart; she didn’t mean to do it, her left hand just flew sideways in the most ridiculous gesture she had ever seen. She hit him in the chest with her knuckles. The irony of it was that she couldn’t have hurt him in the least—and without even that satisfaction, she fueled his temper to a very dangerous level.
He didn’t touch her, but his voice went very low, slow and threatening. “Do you know what I would have done the day you scratched me if your father hadn’t been there? Do you know what I should have done anyway? Found a switch and taught you a lesson. Well, maybe—since we’re on maybes—maybe it isn’t too damned late!”
Oh, God, Katie thought fleetingly, what was happening to her? She could barely think, much less think rationally. She had never been so angry, and she had never felt eyes touch her in such a way. She still trembled. She felt an unearthly strength and a horrible weakness, all at once. She wanted to think before she spoke, but she couldn’t. Words spewed from her like dripping ice to combat the fire that seemed to burn all around her in the tumult of her emotions.
“Are you threatening me, Mr. Hart? If so, bear in mind that it’s illegal—”
“Illegal?” He stared at her incredulously, then all of a sudden he began to laugh. “Illegal!” He looked up as if seeking help from heaven. “Illegal! She’s in the middle of nowhere with an irate man almost three times her size, and she’s talking about illegal!”
“I’m not at all amused,” Katie warned, then stopped herself quickly because he was, at least, laughing. If she could just get him off guard, she could get out of the car and onto the highway, where someone would stop and get her away from him. “Ah!” She forced herself to smile—and to think. She drew in a deep, shaky breath. “Kent, I’m sorry. Truly sorry. I see now that you were saving me from sheer stupidity, and I’m terribly grateful, really I am.”
He
Similar Books
