Read Online Touching Darkness by Jaime Rush - Free Book Online Page B

she’d made for his birthday. Damn, that had been sweet. Her proposition had been something else—and infinitely hard to refuse. He could almost forgive her for keeping him from that folder. She was following the rules. She had integrity.
    As though he’d summoned her, he heard her voice at the entrance. “Mm, something smells—” Her expression darkened when she saw him. Though he had never personally betrayed a woman, he so clearly saw the pain of betrayal on her face. She continued to walk over, her mouth in a tight line. He liked that mouth much better when it was soft, pliant.
    â€œI can’t believe you were snooping through his files!” she said in a harsh whisper.
    Her personal investment in what he’d done told him she was way too emotionally involved with him. He’d made the right decision. Though perhaps that involvement had kept her from telling Darkwell.
    â€œDarkwell invited me to ask questions the other day, then didn’t answer them. The folder I had in my handhad my father’s name on it. He worked with Darkwell twenty-four years ago on a program that sounds a lot like this one. Darkwell never mentioned that they’d worked together. In fact, he lied about how he’d come to know him. Why?”
    She shrugged. “I know there was a program he had some success with, but that’s about it.”
    He believed her. “My father was killed while he was in that program. Someone came in and shot up the place.”
    Her hand touched his arm. “I’m so sorry.”
    He had the strange urge to console the grief she felt for him. “I don’t really remember him.”
    â€œThat doesn’t make it any less painful.”
    He nodded in agreement, seeing a deeper knowledge of that on her face and remembering she’d lost her mother. Lost. The need rose up in him, but he squelched it.
    She let her hand drop. “Your father’s death…I’m sure it was just being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
    He leaned against the counter. “Maybe. Maybe not. I have a right to know what my father did with Darkwell because it affects me in ways I can’t explain to you. But aside from that, this is about my father, a man I never got to know. Wouldn’t you want to know everything you could about your mother? What traits you’d inherited?”
    â€œThat’s cruel, comparing my situation with yours. Using what I told you against me! My mother’s records aren’t classified.”
    He leaned closer. “But wouldn’t you do whatever you could to find out? Wouldn’t you, in fact, try even harder if they were classified?”
    Despite the situation, he found her reddened cheeks charming. She turned away and snatched a prepackaged sandwich from the enormous fridge.
    He plucked it from her hand, eyeing the wilted lettuce. “This thing’s past due, and it probably wasn’t good when it was fresh. Sit.” He tilted the pan and turned the sandwich onto the plate. “Have a grilled cheese sandwich.” So muchfor distancing himself from her. Now he was feeding her! He started another sandwich.
    â€œYou betray my trust, and now you want to make me dinner? I don’t think so.”
    But she was eyeing the sandwich, perfectly golden on top, three different cheeses oozing out between the slices of bread.
    He lowered his voice. “You know you want it.” Her gaze flicked to him, obviously picking up the sexual connotation. Which was really not a good idea. “You can hate me, but eat. You look hungry.”
    She leaned against the counter. “I did forget to have lunch.”
    He fired up the gas stove and took the pan he’d just used. “Eat. It doesn’t mean anything.”
    She took the sandwich and tore a big bite out of it, rolling her eyes. After swallowing, she said, “I haven’t had one of these in years. Sometimes I’d bribe the nanny into