regained her balance physically, but something appeared to have set her off emotionally. He stared into her blue eyes, watching them darken. Why? She wasn’t struggling to get away from him, but her pupils were dilated and her body swayed closer.
His own body woke up. He dropped his hands and stepped back slightly, and he smiled down at her. “Hey, you okay?”
She visibly tried to pull herself together. “Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry.” She gave a headshake. “I have to watch where I’m going. I came out of my room and you surprised me.”
“I’m just hoping to get dinner before it’s too late.”
On cue, her stomach growled. She gasped, and then laughed. “I guess my stomach has the same concern.”
He grinned, happy to see her calming down and relaxing a bit. She was tense, had been most of the time he’d known her, except when she had the camera in her hand. Then she became someone else.
He motioned for her to precede him. She did, somewhat. She walked a half step in front of him, not quite comfortable that he was behind her. He walked, watching as she walked half-twisted as if to keep an eye on him.
Weird.
He took several larger steps to walk beside her, and she stopped trying to look behind her while she walked.
He wondered if she’d been attacked from behind at some point. He hadn’t noticed this behavior before, but then he wasn’t sure, and he cast his mind back to try and remember if he’d ever been behind her. He had, but he’d been a ways behind, like earlier this afternoon when she raced back to the hotel, not on her heels like this. And that appeared to be the problem.
He filed the tidbit away for later. He’d seen enough victims in his life to recognize some of the signs, but Tania was different. There were some things she couldn’t hide, like when they’d first met. He was used to his size raising eyebrows. He’d also experienced some uncomfortable shuffling away when he sat down, like on an airplane, where people expected him to take up more than his single seat.
But in her case, she’d had the same reaction to him whether he’d been standing or sitting. As she was tiny, he figured she just felt dwarfed.
He’d seen it before. Some women liked a big man because it made them feel small and protected, while other women felt overpowered.
She reached over and pushed the elevator button, and then stepped back to give him space.
It was starting to piss him off.
When the elevator arrived, he stepped in first and slouched against the back wall, crossing his arms across his chest. He wouldn’t want her to think he was going attack her in here.
The small elevator moved swiftly, but not fast enough for him to miss the worried glances she shot his way. He stared at the ceiling, feeling the same old burn inside build as old anger issues came to the forefront. His mood went downhill quickly as past grievances swamped him.
Damn females. Why couldn’t they just be honest? Instead, they did this dance back and forth, always sending a guy from one side to the other. Being liars and cheats naturally, he figured the chances of finding a straight-arrow female to be impossible. It wasn’t in their DNA. They were naturally wily and were born to manipulate. Most used their beauty to blind the poor male they were currently with.
Tania was a prime example, sending out all the right signals then immediately changing those signals so he had no clue what was going on. She was attracted to him, no way he could have missed those signals, but to look at her now…Christ.
The door opened at the restaurant lobby level. She walked out and headed to the restaurant, with another group stepping between them. They must have come from the stairwell. He was hungry, but at this point he wasn’t sure he could eat. He stepped out of the elevator, walked to the front door, and stepped outside. The sun was still high, but with the buildings around, there were long shadows deepening the sky.
“Kane?”
He
His own body woke up. He dropped his hands and stepped back slightly, and he smiled down at her. “Hey, you okay?”
She visibly tried to pull herself together. “Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry.” She gave a headshake. “I have to watch where I’m going. I came out of my room and you surprised me.”
“I’m just hoping to get dinner before it’s too late.”
On cue, her stomach growled. She gasped, and then laughed. “I guess my stomach has the same concern.”
He grinned, happy to see her calming down and relaxing a bit. She was tense, had been most of the time he’d known her, except when she had the camera in her hand. Then she became someone else.
He motioned for her to precede him. She did, somewhat. She walked a half step in front of him, not quite comfortable that he was behind her. He walked, watching as she walked half-twisted as if to keep an eye on him.
Weird.
He took several larger steps to walk beside her, and she stopped trying to look behind her while she walked.
He wondered if she’d been attacked from behind at some point. He hadn’t noticed this behavior before, but then he wasn’t sure, and he cast his mind back to try and remember if he’d ever been behind her. He had, but he’d been a ways behind, like earlier this afternoon when she raced back to the hotel, not on her heels like this. And that appeared to be the problem.
He filed the tidbit away for later. He’d seen enough victims in his life to recognize some of the signs, but Tania was different. There were some things she couldn’t hide, like when they’d first met. He was used to his size raising eyebrows. He’d also experienced some uncomfortable shuffling away when he sat down, like on an airplane, where people expected him to take up more than his single seat.
But in her case, she’d had the same reaction to him whether he’d been standing or sitting. As she was tiny, he figured she just felt dwarfed.
He’d seen it before. Some women liked a big man because it made them feel small and protected, while other women felt overpowered.
She reached over and pushed the elevator button, and then stepped back to give him space.
It was starting to piss him off.
When the elevator arrived, he stepped in first and slouched against the back wall, crossing his arms across his chest. He wouldn’t want her to think he was going attack her in here.
The small elevator moved swiftly, but not fast enough for him to miss the worried glances she shot his way. He stared at the ceiling, feeling the same old burn inside build as old anger issues came to the forefront. His mood went downhill quickly as past grievances swamped him.
Damn females. Why couldn’t they just be honest? Instead, they did this dance back and forth, always sending a guy from one side to the other. Being liars and cheats naturally, he figured the chances of finding a straight-arrow female to be impossible. It wasn’t in their DNA. They were naturally wily and were born to manipulate. Most used their beauty to blind the poor male they were currently with.
Tania was a prime example, sending out all the right signals then immediately changing those signals so he had no clue what was going on. She was attracted to him, no way he could have missed those signals, but to look at her now…Christ.
The door opened at the restaurant lobby level. She walked out and headed to the restaurant, with another group stepping between them. They must have come from the stairwell. He was hungry, but at this point he wasn’t sure he could eat. He stepped out of the elevator, walked to the front door, and stepped outside. The sun was still high, but with the buildings around, there were long shadows deepening the sky.
“Kane?”
He
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