Read Online Outlaw Derek by Kay Hooper - Free Book Online

Interesting.”
    “You’re sure he left because they were too close?”
    “He wouldn’t have moved otherwise. The girl is—too fragile, I think, to move needlessly.”
    “And he’d care about that, of course.”
    The tall man looked down at his companion, his flicker of amusement lost easily in the darkness. “Jealous, Gina?” he asked gently.
    She stiffened. “Don’t be ridiculous! I’m merely concerned that his emotions not … not cloud his judgment. There’s too much at stake for such things.”
    Her companion nodded gravely, the darkness still hiding his expression. “I see. An admirable caution.”
    She fumed in silence.
    He chuckled softly, and changed the subject. “If we are very, very lucky, he saw no sign that he was followed here.”
    “It’s almost impossible to spot a tail if two different cars share the duty,” she pointed out in a sharp voice, still obviously annoyed. “And traffic was certainly heavy tonight. He didn’t see us, Alexi.”
    “Perhaps.” Softly, as if to himself, Alexi added, “But I have learned never to underestimate his skill—or his instincts. He’s been hunter and hunted far too often not to have learned well the tricks of the chase.”
    Gina looked up at him, frowning slightly. “Sometimes I think you actually like him. Certainly you admire him.”
    “Is that what you think?” Alexi murmured, and then added, “I’ll take the first watch. Relieve me at dawn.”
    She hesitated, but turned away. And she was making herself as comfortable as possible in hercar, parked around the corner, when it occurred to her that Alexi hadn’t really answered her implied question about Derek Ross.
    Not really.
    The loft was huge, open, and airy. It was bi-level, with a raised platform supporting a large, old brass bed, a polished antique mahogany wardrobe, and an equally old rolltop desk; a bathroom and walk-in closet had been built into the upper space in one corner, and a lively schefflera spread its umbrellalike leaves to provide greenery in another corner.
    The lower level held a compact kitchen partitioned from the living area by a waist-high counter, and the remainder of the room was casually furnished with a long, overstuffed couch, two comfortable chairs, a wooden rocking chair with a hassock in front of it, end tables, and a coffee table. There were bright rugs on the polished wood floor, the kitchen was stocked withfood, and the bed was made up. The place had a lived-in air, but a curious waiting air as well, as if it wasn’t occupied on a daily basis.
    Shannon, sitting in the rocking chair and keeping it moving slowly, watched as Derek made hot cocoa in the kitchen. “Who does this place belong to?”
    He looked across the counter at her, taking in her methodical rocking, which obviously hadn’t relaxed her. She had been silent all the way here, withdrawn. He couldn’t really blame her for that, but he knew how dangerous it was for her to retreat into herself rather than face what was happening. He had to reach her, had to strengthen that tenuous bond between them.
    “It belongs to me,” he said finally. “But it isn’t in my name, and it would take weeks to trace the deed back to me. We’re safe here for a while.”
    She was looking at him, but her eyes were focused on something else, something locked away somewhere inside her. “We moved a lot while I was growing up,” she said softly. “Packing andunpacking, a different house or apartment to get used to. Different school. People I didn’t know around me. I could never have a pet. And I always felt I—I wasn’t a
part
of anything. That I didn’t belong anywhere.”
    Derek hardly realized he was moving toward her; he knew only that the desolate, lost sound of her voice pulled at him like a magnet. He found himself sitting on the hassock and holding both her hands even when she would have instinctively pulled away. Even when she stiffened. His forearms rested just above her knees, and he could feel