help.
Yet every good Sensitive knew what his partner or patient needed. She could deny him all she wanted—but she needed him and Dane, and not just to get her to South Dakota. She evidenced hurt in everything from the way she walked to her avoidance of being touched. Kon knew he could help—if only he could find a way to convince her.
She’d grabbed the duffel bag he’d found for her new clothes and stood in the doorway, holding it. Kon met her gaze, struck once more at how affected he was by her fierce determination. He fought the urge to drop to his knees and beg for her attentions. She wasn’t ready. She might never be, but he could hope.
* * * *
With a skeptical Dane in tow, he threw the bags into the trunk of a silver sedan, one of five the enclave kept for business use. Eliana climbed into the backseat so she could sit sideways and stretch her bad leg. Kon knew she was in pain but she hadn’t uttered a word of complaint.
Ordinarily Dane preferred to drive, but Kon had more experience in snow and didn’t offer the keys. He pulled out of the enclave’s parking garage. Outside, the sky was filled with dark clouds. Flakes of snow dotted the windshield.
As they headed up I-25 and out of the city, the flakes grew thicker and the drivers progressed more slowly. Not that northern Colorado had much of interest to look at. It was flat, and with the increasing snow flurries, he couldn’t see much of it anyway. Eliana wore the down jacket Kon had procured for her and shivered despite the additional warmth from the car’s heater. Dane slouched in the passenger seat, humming or singing in tune to the radio.
They crawled along the highway through Greeley and beyond. Dump trucks filled with salt and gravel loosed their contents on the road. More than three hours into their drive, they reached highway exits for Cheyenne, Wyoming. Kon pulled off. The car fishtailed as he navigated the curve.
A strangled sound came from the backseat. A quick glance in the rearview mirror showed Eliana white and petrified. Kon didn’t blame her; his own heart thudded from nerves as he struggled to control the car. He stopped at a red light, and when it turned green, the tires spun for a second before finding purchase. He carefully eased his way down the snow-covered street in search of a hotel.
Dane twisted around to look at their passenger. “First time in a blizzard?”
Eliana nodded.
Kon hunched down as he fought to see through the windshield wipers slicing madly back and forth. “We’re going to stop soon, all right?”
Eliana didn’t answer. Kon spotted the glowing red sign for an extended-stay hotel and pulled in. To his relief, a family diner and a gas station shared the parking lot. They wouldn’t starve.
In short order, he’d procured adjoining rooms from a bored front-desk clerk. “Bring back some food,” he told Dane. “I’m going to get Eliana settled.”
Cold and stress leaked from Eliana, yet she was determined to make her way across the parking lot already high with slush and snowdrifts. Thick hair plastered against her face. The cane slipped. She stumbled and pitched forward.
Kon caught her. Without asking, he scooped her into his arms.
Rage marred her pretty face. “Put…me…down.”
“Or what?” Kon asked innocently.
“Or I’ll strangle you.” She wrapped her hands around his throat.
“Try it. I don’t think you’re strong enough.”
To his amusement, she did try, but between her chilled fingers and her inability to use the weight of her body, she lacked the pressure necessary to restrict his airway. He laughed.
She slapped him.
Pleasure rushed through him, a sensation so sweet he couldn’t stop a murmur of appreciation.
With a hiss of annoyance, she slapped him again.
A second shaft of pleasure set his cock straining against his pants. Hell. He shouldn’t be doing this, encouraging her while she was helpless—almost—in his arms with no idea of what her mistreatment was doing to
Yet every good Sensitive knew what his partner or patient needed. She could deny him all she wanted—but she needed him and Dane, and not just to get her to South Dakota. She evidenced hurt in everything from the way she walked to her avoidance of being touched. Kon knew he could help—if only he could find a way to convince her.
She’d grabbed the duffel bag he’d found for her new clothes and stood in the doorway, holding it. Kon met her gaze, struck once more at how affected he was by her fierce determination. He fought the urge to drop to his knees and beg for her attentions. She wasn’t ready. She might never be, but he could hope.
* * * *
With a skeptical Dane in tow, he threw the bags into the trunk of a silver sedan, one of five the enclave kept for business use. Eliana climbed into the backseat so she could sit sideways and stretch her bad leg. Kon knew she was in pain but she hadn’t uttered a word of complaint.
Ordinarily Dane preferred to drive, but Kon had more experience in snow and didn’t offer the keys. He pulled out of the enclave’s parking garage. Outside, the sky was filled with dark clouds. Flakes of snow dotted the windshield.
As they headed up I-25 and out of the city, the flakes grew thicker and the drivers progressed more slowly. Not that northern Colorado had much of interest to look at. It was flat, and with the increasing snow flurries, he couldn’t see much of it anyway. Eliana wore the down jacket Kon had procured for her and shivered despite the additional warmth from the car’s heater. Dane slouched in the passenger seat, humming or singing in tune to the radio.
They crawled along the highway through Greeley and beyond. Dump trucks filled with salt and gravel loosed their contents on the road. More than three hours into their drive, they reached highway exits for Cheyenne, Wyoming. Kon pulled off. The car fishtailed as he navigated the curve.
A strangled sound came from the backseat. A quick glance in the rearview mirror showed Eliana white and petrified. Kon didn’t blame her; his own heart thudded from nerves as he struggled to control the car. He stopped at a red light, and when it turned green, the tires spun for a second before finding purchase. He carefully eased his way down the snow-covered street in search of a hotel.
Dane twisted around to look at their passenger. “First time in a blizzard?”
Eliana nodded.
Kon hunched down as he fought to see through the windshield wipers slicing madly back and forth. “We’re going to stop soon, all right?”
Eliana didn’t answer. Kon spotted the glowing red sign for an extended-stay hotel and pulled in. To his relief, a family diner and a gas station shared the parking lot. They wouldn’t starve.
In short order, he’d procured adjoining rooms from a bored front-desk clerk. “Bring back some food,” he told Dane. “I’m going to get Eliana settled.”
Cold and stress leaked from Eliana, yet she was determined to make her way across the parking lot already high with slush and snowdrifts. Thick hair plastered against her face. The cane slipped. She stumbled and pitched forward.
Kon caught her. Without asking, he scooped her into his arms.
Rage marred her pretty face. “Put…me…down.”
“Or what?” Kon asked innocently.
“Or I’ll strangle you.” She wrapped her hands around his throat.
“Try it. I don’t think you’re strong enough.”
To his amusement, she did try, but between her chilled fingers and her inability to use the weight of her body, she lacked the pressure necessary to restrict his airway. He laughed.
She slapped him.
Pleasure rushed through him, a sensation so sweet he couldn’t stop a murmur of appreciation.
With a hiss of annoyance, she slapped him again.
A second shaft of pleasure set his cock straining against his pants. Hell. He shouldn’t be doing this, encouraging her while she was helpless—almost—in his arms with no idea of what her mistreatment was doing to