Read Online Princess by Christina Skye - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Christina Skye
Tags: Fiction
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door, and carry her suitcase back down the hall. Hawk would probably sleep right through, so there was no reason for her to be so jumpy.
Even if he did sleep naked, probably with no covers over that phenomenal body.
She pulled on her robe and crossed the bedroom. She never closed her door completely when she slept, so turning the knob didn’t pose a problem, and when there was no sign of movement next door, she moved down the hall toward the living room.
Silently she inched through the darkness around a fake potted orange tree. The rain was hammering hard, and she was certain Hawk wouldn’t hear her.
She took another step and stopped, her heart pounding as something struck the window.
She jumped nervously when a second pebble struck the glass, tossed by the wind. Some instinct of danger made the little hairs stand up at the back of her neck.
Which was ridiculous. Hawk had promised she would be safe here.
Not that she believed him completely. She was pretty sure he wouldn’t jump her, at least.
With the shadows stretching around her and the storm raging in the night, she began to play back everything he had said earlier. What if he and his friend were criminals, not government agents? What if she’d stumbled into the middle of something they wanted to keep quiet; something her sister didn’t know anything about?
Jess realized she was shivering. Bending carefully to pick up her suitcase, she heard her stomach growl loudly. Wind rushed across her face, and then she was spun around, pinned immobile against the wall. Callused fingers gripped her throat.
Choking her.
chapter 8
T he movement came so fast that Jess had no time to fight back. She was falling before she knew it, her heart slamming in her chest as panic set in.
Even then he didn’t speak or offer threats. He simply gripped her, silent and ruthless, until the room began to blur around her.
Jess gasped for air.
Suddenly his hands loosened and his arm shot around her shoulders, to keep her from falling. “What the hell are you
doing
?”
She tried to talk, but could only manage a dry cough.
“Tell me, damn it.”
“Not—” Jess bit off another cough. “Not meeting spies from a hostile government.”
His voice was flat and emotionless. “Then why were you out here?”
Jess drew in a gulp of air. “To find the last granola bar and the other food I usually carry in my suitcase.” She shoved impatiently at his arms, more irritated than frightened now. “Because I was hungry, okay?”
He muttered a curse. Only then did she realize that in her irritation she had elbowed him in the ribs. “Sorry.” She leaned closer, trying to see his face in the darkness. “How bad is it?”
His body was wedged against hers, trapping her against the wall. His hand seemed to burn through the thin cotton of her nightshirt.
The old, awful fear kicked in.
Small places. Locked doors. Darkness.
Trapped.
A moan broke free, and she twisted, frantic.
A second later Jess was free.
“You should have listened, damn it. I told you I was a light sleeper. Your suitcase is on the desk, so grab your granola bar and whatever else you need, then go back to bed. And this time,
stay
there,” he said tightly.
Jess rubbed her wrists, which still stung from the force of his grip. What kind of dark world did this man inhabit, where threats lurked around every corner?
She decided she didn’t want to know. Her sister inhabited that same world, and Jess had seen her sister’s face all too often after a tough assignment, ruthlessly stripped of any emotion. Sometimes it was days before Jess heard her sister laugh again.
Summer loved her work, but Jess knew that she paid a high price for dealing with the darker side of human nature.
Jess realized that this man had learned to pay that same price. But his choices were none of
her
business.
In a blur she turned, carrying her suitcase down the hall, but by then she’d lost all hint of an appetite.
Hawk didn’t move.
If he
Even if he did sleep naked, probably with no covers over that phenomenal body.
She pulled on her robe and crossed the bedroom. She never closed her door completely when she slept, so turning the knob didn’t pose a problem, and when there was no sign of movement next door, she moved down the hall toward the living room.
Silently she inched through the darkness around a fake potted orange tree. The rain was hammering hard, and she was certain Hawk wouldn’t hear her.
She took another step and stopped, her heart pounding as something struck the window.
She jumped nervously when a second pebble struck the glass, tossed by the wind. Some instinct of danger made the little hairs stand up at the back of her neck.
Which was ridiculous. Hawk had promised she would be safe here.
Not that she believed him completely. She was pretty sure he wouldn’t jump her, at least.
With the shadows stretching around her and the storm raging in the night, she began to play back everything he had said earlier. What if he and his friend were criminals, not government agents? What if she’d stumbled into the middle of something they wanted to keep quiet; something her sister didn’t know anything about?
Jess realized she was shivering. Bending carefully to pick up her suitcase, she heard her stomach growl loudly. Wind rushed across her face, and then she was spun around, pinned immobile against the wall. Callused fingers gripped her throat.
Choking her.
chapter 8
T he movement came so fast that Jess had no time to fight back. She was falling before she knew it, her heart slamming in her chest as panic set in.
Even then he didn’t speak or offer threats. He simply gripped her, silent and ruthless, until the room began to blur around her.
Jess gasped for air.
Suddenly his hands loosened and his arm shot around her shoulders, to keep her from falling. “What the hell are you
doing
?”
She tried to talk, but could only manage a dry cough.
“Tell me, damn it.”
“Not—” Jess bit off another cough. “Not meeting spies from a hostile government.”
His voice was flat and emotionless. “Then why were you out here?”
Jess drew in a gulp of air. “To find the last granola bar and the other food I usually carry in my suitcase.” She shoved impatiently at his arms, more irritated than frightened now. “Because I was hungry, okay?”
He muttered a curse. Only then did she realize that in her irritation she had elbowed him in the ribs. “Sorry.” She leaned closer, trying to see his face in the darkness. “How bad is it?”
His body was wedged against hers, trapping her against the wall. His hand seemed to burn through the thin cotton of her nightshirt.
The old, awful fear kicked in.
Small places. Locked doors. Darkness.
Trapped.
A moan broke free, and she twisted, frantic.
A second later Jess was free.
“You should have listened, damn it. I told you I was a light sleeper. Your suitcase is on the desk, so grab your granola bar and whatever else you need, then go back to bed. And this time,
stay
there,” he said tightly.
Jess rubbed her wrists, which still stung from the force of his grip. What kind of dark world did this man inhabit, where threats lurked around every corner?
She decided she didn’t want to know. Her sister inhabited that same world, and Jess had seen her sister’s face all too often after a tough assignment, ruthlessly stripped of any emotion. Sometimes it was days before Jess heard her sister laugh again.
Summer loved her work, but Jess knew that she paid a high price for dealing with the darker side of human nature.
Jess realized that this man had learned to pay that same price. But his choices were none of
her
business.
In a blur she turned, carrying her suitcase down the hall, but by then she’d lost all hint of an appetite.
Hawk didn’t move.
If he
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