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dredge up the past” conversation.
    He didn’t need to dredge up the past. He carried it around with him every damned second of every damned day.

    Filled with a giddy lightness, Tori hurried into the parking lot. Finding the perfect pieces always made her feel like she’d completed a fantastic treasure hunt. However, if she kept this up, she’d need a bigger apartment. Either that or she’d have to start passing things off to her friends and family.
    Poor Mark. She’d lost track of time, left him standing around far too long while she spent far too much money. He leaned against the trunk of her car and she put on her brightest smile as she joined him.
    “I’m so sorry. I get wound up in…” The words died on her lips. He stared across the highway, but his eyes seemed blank and unseeing, the sharp focus they always had gone. Concern flared. “Mark?”
    She laid a gentle hand on his arm and he flinched. He straightened away from her touch, the clearing of his throat a rough and uncomfortable sound. “Ready to go?”
    “Sure.” Tori eyed the pallor of his face, the tiny beads of perspiration above his lip. “Are you feeling all right?”
    “Fine. Let’s go.” He stalked to the passenger side, opened the door and sank into the seat.
    As she settled behind the wheel, she glanced at him. He stared straight ahead, chewing his gum so hard it looked like he was tearing into a tough steak. After starting the engine, she adjusted the air conditioner, but didn’t shift into gear. “What’s wrong?”
    He chewed harder. “Nothing.”
    She frowned. If he was angry, why not just say so? She’d never suspected he harbored a passive-aggressive streak. “Mark, if you’re mad because you had to wait, I already apologized.”
    “I’m not mad.”
    “Then what’s wrong?”
    “Nothing.”
    “Come on, something’s obviously bothering you—”
    “Tori!” His voice exploded in the confines of the car and she jumped. His hands clenched on his knees. “Leave it the hell alone, okay?”
    For a long moment, she couldn’t breathe. She held on to the steering wheel, a lifebuoy in suddenly treacherous seas. Oh, sweet Jesus, she was alone with him. He could do anything and there was pitifully little she could do to stop him.
    “Don’t look at me like that.” The skin around his mouth glowed white with tension. He stared at her, his torso heaving.
    “L-like what?” She tucked her hair behind her ears. Her fingers shook and the sick rush of adrenaline continued to pulse in her gut and chest.
    “Like you’re afraid of me.” His hands clenched into fists, but remained on his thighs. “I’m sorry I yelled, but I wouldn’t hurt you, Tori. Ever.”
    She’d believed that once, but the loss of control left her shaky, tears pricking at her lids. She blinked them away. Damn if she was going to cry in front of him. She reached for the gearshift. “We should get going. I wasted enough time—”
    “Wait.” His hand covered hers and she stared at his tanned fingers. The warmth of his touch should have been comforting, but every nerve in her body was crawling, screaming for space. “Tori, I—”
    “Please don’t touch me.” She pushed the words out between numb lips.
    He released her immediately, returning his hand to his lap. “Tor, listen to me.”
    “Don’t call me Tor.” Her voice trembled, but she straightened in her seat, stiffening her spine. Face the fear. The first step in recovery was facing the fear. “You don’t get to call me that.”
    “Okay.” He subsided into the seat, staring out the window again, jaw working over his gum.
    With a deep breath, Tori shifted into gear, careful not to touch him. Three days. She had to get through three more days in his company. A shudder traveled along her skin. She didn’t want to. She wanted to go home, cry on Tick’s shoulder…no, not Tick. Not while he was caring for Caitlin. Her mother. She wanted to curl up under a quilt and cry on Mama’s