Night Heat (Forged of Steele 2)

He drew back and gazed down at her. She refused to open her eyes and look at him. “Leah,” he said gently, “rest and we’ll talk.”

She turned away from him and faced the wall. “No, please leave,” she said quietly, sounding defeated, humiliated and embarrassed. “I want to be alone.”

Her words tugged at his heart. There was no way in hell he would leave her alone. He remembered Jocelyn saying that she would be returning to town around noon that day and he intended to stay put until she got there. “I’m not leaving, Leah. I’ll be in the living room if you need me. Try and get some rest.”

He then turned and walked out of the room, quietly closing the door behind him.

When the car came to a traffic light Bas glanced over at Jocelyn. They were about to get on the interstate to head back to Newton Grove. She had the seat reclined to a comfortable position and was resting with her eyes closed. At least he thought they were closed but he couldn’t tell beneath the dark sunglasses.

During breakfast she hadn’t had a whole lot to say and had avoided discussing what they’d shared last night. But with all the memories flooding his mind, he couldn’t think of anything else.

She looked different this morning. More rested and relaxed. Her hair fell in glossy curls around her shoulders and the lime green of her skirt and matching sweater made her dark coloring that much more beautiful. He remembered last night and how she’d stood there while he’d loved her with his mouth. He hadn’t regretted anything about what he’d done and wondered if she had. There was only one way to find out.

“You okay?” he asked quietly.

She glanced over at him and smiled. “Yes. Is there any reason why I wouldn’t be?”

He shrugged. “You’ve been quiet this morning.”

She sighed and stared ahead. “I’ve been thinking.”

“Oh. You want to share your thoughts?”

She glanced back over at him. “I was wondering how to convey my thanks to you for giving me something really special last night.”

He felt a rush of pleasure that she didn’t have any regrets about what they’d shared. “Conveying your thanks isn’t necessary because you gave me something special, as well.”

She raised her brow. “What?”

“A chance to savor a special part of you.”

Heat sizzled her skin and a yearning erupted in the pit of her stomach when she thought of how he had done so. “Yes, but you took things a step further when you exposed me to your incredible experience and masterful skills.”

He chuckled. “Did I do that?”

She angled her face toward him. “Yes, you did.” Moments later she said, “And I’ve decided to go to your brother’s party with you after all.”

He smiled then, pleased with her decision. He glanced over at her when the car came to a stop at another traffic light. He wished she didn’t have her sunglasses on because he wanted to look into the depths of her dark eyes, see if they held some clue as to why she’d made that decision.

“Why are you staring at me like that?”

“Mmm, I was just thinking that you have such a pretty face.”

She laughed. “Thanks, and if you keep saying such nice things, I might want to keep you around.”

He grinned. “That’s what I’m hoping.”

An angry Reese paced Jocelyn’s living room, getting angrier by the second. Why hadn’t anyone told him what had happened to Leah? How could they keep something like that from him? And to think that for five solid years he had hated her, despised her, tried to eradicate her from his memory…his heart.

The scene that had played out in this very living room less than an hour ago had his stomach in knots. Neil Grunthall had forced himself on Leah! The thought of her defenseless against Neil made Reese’s entire body shake in rage.

He sighed, trying to recall what Jocelyn had almost let slip the other day when she’d come to Leah’s defense. She was certain her sister wasn’t pregnant because, according to Jocelyn, he was the last man Leah had been involved with. What she hadn’t said was that someone had forced himself on her.

He doubted he would forget for as long as he lived the crazed look in Leah’s eyes when he had touched her. Hell, he could just imagine what had played out in her mind. He’d watched a special episode on rape victims on CNN once and according to the reporter, some women never fully recovered from such an ordeal and were encouraged to seek some type of professional counseling. He wondered if Leah had done so.