Kiss an Angel by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

courage to fall asleep in his trailer, not even on the couch.
    "Come on, we're going to bed."
    The last of the sleep-induced cobwebs vanished, and she was instantly on guard. She couldn't see anyone else around. Most of the trucks had pulled out, and the workers seemed to have gone with them. "I've decided to sleep here."
    "I don't think so. In case you haven't noticed, your teeth are chattering."
    He was right. It had been warm in the truck when she'd first gotten in, but the temperature had dropped since then. "I'm perfectly comfortable," she lied.
    He hunched his shoulder and wiped the side of his face with the sleeve of his Tshirt.' 'Consider this a friendly warning. I've hardly slept in three days. First we had a nasty storm and nearly lost the top, then I've had to make two trips to New York. I'm not the easiest person to get along with under the best of circumstances, but I really turn mean when I'm sleep-deprived. Now get your sweet little butt out here."
    "No."
    He lifted the arm he'd been holding at his side, and she gave a hiss of alarm as she saw a coiled whip clasped in his hand. He punched it toward the trailer.
    "Now!"
    She scrambled from the truck, her heart pounding. The threat of the whip was no longer abstract, and
    she realized it was one thing to tell herself in broad daylight that she wouldn't let him touch her, but it
    was quite another late at night when they were alone in the middle of a darkened field someplace in rural South Carolina.
    She gasped as he took her arm and led her across the lot. As the damp weeds slapped at her sandaled feet, she knew she couldn't let herself go to her fate without a struggle.
    "I'm warning you right now that if you try to hurt me in any way, I'll scream."
    He yawned.
    "I mean it," she said as he pulled her forward. "I want to think the best of you, but it's hard to do when you keep making all these threats."
    He opened the trailer door and gave her a light slap on the rear to nudge her inside. "Could we postpone this until morning?"
    Was it only her imagination or had the interior shrunk since she'd first seen it?
    "I don't think we can. And please don't touch me like that again."
    "I'm too damned tired to attack you tonight, if that's what you're worried about."
    His words failed to reassure her. "If you don't intend to attack me, why are you threatening me with that whip?"
    He looked down at the coil of braided leather as if he'd forgotten it was there, which she didn't believe for a minute. How could he be so casual about it? And why was he carrying a whip this late at night if he wasn't trying to threaten her?
    Another thought struck her, one that sent chills through her bloodstream. She'd heard plenty of stories about men who used whips as part of their sex play. She even knew some specific examples. Was that what he had in mind?
    He muttered something under his breath, closed the door, and walked over to sit on the bed. The whip uncoiled onto the floor, but the butt dangled over his knee.
    She eyed it apprehensively. On one hand, she'd promised to honor her marriage vows, and he hadn't actually hurt her. But on the other hand, he certainly had frightened her. Confrontation wasn't something she was good at, but she knew she had to do it. She braced herself.
    "I think we need to clear the air. I have to tell you that I'm not going to be able to live with you intimidating me."
    ''Intimidating?' He inspected the butt of the whip. ' What are you talking about?"
    Her nervousness grew, but she forced herself to keep going. "I suppose you can't help how you are. It's probably because of the way you were raised, not that I believe for a moment that Cossack story is true." She paused. "It isn't, is it?"
    He looked up at her as if she'd lost her mind.
    "No, of course not," she said hastily. "When I refer to intimidation, I'm alluding to your threats and that"—she took a deep breath—"that whip."
    "What about it?"
    "I know a little about aberrant behavior. If you have