Drawing Blood (2 page)

When her voice finally obeyed her commands, it sounded hoarse and low pitched. “Thank you. I lost my balance I guess. Wow, you must have good reflexes. I could have sworn no one was near me when I started to rifle through these things.” She inclined her head toward the packages of prepared food. Belatedly, she realized he still had a firm hold on her. The skin he touched felt heated despite the cool air from the refrigerated section. Awkward, she stepped away.

He let her go, but the concerned look on his face didn’t waver.

“Are you okay now?”

She waved a hand and said, “Yes…yes, I’m perfectly fine.”

Under his steady scrutiny one of her knees started to tremble. Glancing down at the offending joint, she frowned and put a hand on his arm to regain her balance. At first touch she wanted more. The buzzing in her head got louder. She felt the fine hair on his forearm and the hard muscle beneath his skin and barely kept herself from running her fingers up his arm to his chest, down to his stomach then down…

“Sure you are.” He took hold of her elbow. “Come on, there’s a bench at the front. You should sit down.”

Her little spell and his lightning quick reaction to it garnered considerable attention, but the man silenced all expressions of concern and bystanders politely melted away. Abandoning both their shopping carts, he helped her to the bench, but didn’t sit beside her. Instead, he said, “I’ll get you some cold water.”

Before she could thank him, he melted away and the strange sound in her head eased off. She leaned her head back, closed her eyes and listened to her heart pound. He returned so quickly she’d barely had time to take a breath. Watching her closely, he opened the bottle of water and put it in her hand. Her fingers trembled and he frowned.

Holly gave him a steady look, took a long drink of water and sighed.

“Ah, the restorative effects of water.”

“Are you pregnant?” He asked the direct question without embarrassment, but the thought obviously brought him no pleasure. A frown darkened his face. Disarmed, Holly answered just as bluntly.

“Not unless it’s another immaculate conception.”

She actually felt warmth when he sighed. The artist in her always made note of how light reflected off faces, but this was something she’d never seen before.
Wow, light sure loves him
. Looking at him was like looking through a pair of clean spectacles after years of wearing dirty ones. He was sharp, crystal clear and bright. Holly resisted the urge to blink. Shading her eyes from his brilliance even for a second seemed such a waste.

“Maybe I should take you to the hospital,” he suggested.

She shook her head firmly, trying to control her wayward reactions to him. “No, I’m just fine.” She stood up. “See? Look, Mom, no hands.”

“If you think calling me Mom is going to reassure me that you don’t have to go to the hospital, you’re sadly mistaken.”

She appreciated his humor. It seemed so normal compared to how strange her body was behaving. Holly narrowed her eyes and said, “There is a very faint resemblance between you and Mom actually.” For some reason, she added flatly, “But she’s dead.”

That drained the look of humor on his face.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“It’s not your fault…or um, don’t be sorry.” She stared back at him. What was wrong with her? Why couldn’t she carry on a normal conversation? Why did she care so much about his reactions? But there was no denying it. She wanted to impress him. As if her happiness depended on his responses. The near faint must have messed with her brain chemistry a little. Silently, she berated herself
. Shake it off, Holly and talk to the man or he’ll think you’re on a day pass from the mental institution.

 
“She died years ago. I never knew her. I was only joking about the resemblance. A lame attempt at humor, I guess.” She was babbling now. So much for proving she wasn’t mentally unstable.

He inclined his head. “I’m still not sure you’re okay. However, since you won’t let me take you to see a doctor, I’ll just shop with you for a while. If you don’t mind.” It wasn’t a question.

His gaze didn’t waver. Her stomach flipped at the thought of spending more time with him. Perhaps it was more prudent to put as much distance between them as possible, but she couldn’t bear the thought of leaving him. The whole thing was so unusual for Holly, a woman who usually took the safe route. She surprised herself, stuck out her hand and said, “I’m Holly Seaton.”

He took her hand in his and firmly but gently squeezed. His touch felt wonderfully cool on her heated skin.

“Pleased to meet you, Miss Seaton. I’m Stryker Cain.”

Her hand in his, Holly had a hard time concentrating. Was he for real? She wondered if his use of the ‘Miss’ was an affectation, but he looked at her with such sincerity she decided it wasn’t.

“Please call me Holly.”

“Okay then. Holly. You can call me Stryker.”

She felt like she’d stepped back in time for a brief second. People didn’t stand on ceremony anymore these days. They didn’t wait to be invited to use first names. Hell, even the kid at the gas pump used her first name.

Did she detect a slight accent when he spoke? Curious, she asked, “Where are you from?”

“I live here in Muskoka.”

She shook her head. He sure as hell wasn’t from around here. He wasn’t Canadian. That much was obvious because Canadians understood that when someone asked where you were from it usually meant from what old country did your great-grandfather emigrate.

Holly said, “Before that?”

“The
United States
.”

“Ah, but you’re no Yankee. Southern states, right?” She smiled.

He frowned. “Is it that obvious? I thought my accent was gone.”

“It is almost.” She tilted her head. “There’s just something about you.” Visions of dark and mysterious bayous flashed in her fevered mind. One minute she basked in the light surrounding him and the next she vibrated with an expectation of danger. Maybe she was losing her mind after all.

He arched an eyebrow and looked down at her. He had symmetrical features, blue/black eyes, high cheek bones and a jaw line you could sharpen knives on. Where did that air of danger come from? She couldn’t decide. The ends of his dark blond hair were delightfully sun bleached. Instinctively, Holly knew his hair color didn’t come from chemicals in a salon and his even tan wasn’t artfully applied. She couldn’t imagine this man sitting still long enough to have anyone fuss over him. Primping wasn’t in his repertoire. He was the real deal.

Remembering what she’d come to town to do, Holly filled her cart with food, barely glancing at the contents of the packages she grabbed. She tried to rein in her wayward thoughts and the pounding of her heart as she made light-hearted conversation with the man who was responsible for all her internal chaos.

This guy was a feast for the female eye and she wasn’t the only one who noticed. For the first time since coming to Muskoka Holly felt invisible. Walking beside such a man she was definitely a supporting player. Stryker drew all eyes. Some women actually did a double take. When their eyes finally alighted upon Holly, they were filled with curiosity and envy.

“Okay, how about you, Holly? Where are you from?” he asked, interrupting her reverie.

“Oh, ah…I live here now, but I was born in
Toronto
. My family is Canadian from way back,” she said proudly.

He smiled for the first time and Holly thought she’d break into a sweat. “I’ve spent some time in
Toronto
. It’s a beautiful city.”

She nodded. “It is if you like cities.” How was she carrying on a normal conversation?

“I like the idea of having an international city like
Toronto
just a few hours drive away. It has so much to offer. Like dim sum.” He looked at her and only her.

She made a determined effort to concentrate on his words and with enthusiasm she replied, “Me too! That’s the one thing I can’t find around here. I drive to
Toronto
to visit friends and we often go for dim sum. Some of my friends are Chinese. Believe me it’s great to have a translator when you’re looking down at barbequed chicken feet in Dim Sum no man’s land.” Was she babbling again?

As she spoke, his smile never wavered. It pulled at her, drawing her closer to him. He could bring about world peace with that smile. The strange tingling along her spine and the buzzing in her head started again. Could her body be transmitting a warning of some sort? Heart pounding, she paused and took a deep, steadying breath. Stryker’s frown chased away all trace of the magical smile.

“You okay?”

The concern in his voice sounded so genuine and she missed the smile so much, Holly decided then and there that the tingling sensation was fleeting and the buzzing was not so unpleasant after all. Hoping to ease the tension and improve her chances of seeing the smile again, she replied lightly to his question.

“Yes, I’m fine.” But she gripped the shopping cart tightly, grateful for its support.

When it came time to check out, he helped her unload and place her selections on the moving belt. The cashier looked at Stryker like she’d just taken a pillow to the face…stunned, but happy about it. He certainly was aptly named.

 
After she paid, Holly waited patiently, noting with a wry smile that the cashier lingered over his purchases just a little too long. They walked out to their cars together.

It was the middle of summer in one of
Canada
’s favorite vacation spots, so many of the people walking about were vacationers. Flip-flops were the footwear of choice and too often people revealed more flesh than was necessary, but Holly had lost that frenzied, gotta-get-it-done-now attitude she’d had in the city. It had taken her time to shed the sharp city edge. When she finally did, it was like she’d lost fifty pounds of anxious weight. An easy going approach made life so much more pleasurable and Holly had decided that was the way she wanted to live her life. Walking beside Stryker, Holly marveled at how easily he’d shattered her complacency. Thirty minutes with Stryker Cain and she was a nervous wreck.

Stryker loaded up her car then opened the driver’s side door for her. Holly’s heart beat insistently in her chest and her hands shook a little as she waited for him to ask for her phone number or something, anything to indicate that he wanted to see her again. It was inevitable, wasn’t it? Surely he could feel the chemistry between them. During their short acquaintance he’d looked at no one else. Stryker had kept his full attention on Holly, making her feel like the only woman within a fifty mile radius. He even ignored the come-hither glances from an artfully exposed woman with obvious fake boobs.

Could she have misread the situation? Such potent physical attraction was a new experience for Holly. Had her own extreme reaction to him clouded her judgment? When it came time to take her leave, she got nothing from him except a rather stiff, “Drive safe.” The self recriminations began. Had she done or said something wrong? Anything was possible. During their short time together, she’d hardly been in control of her tongue or her response to him. For a moment he simply stared at her, his eyes held such intensity it surprised her that they didn’t sear a hole in her skull. How was it she didn’t burst into flames on the spot? The silence between them was pregnant with tension. But he said nothing more. He tapped the top of her car twice as if taking frustration out on the metal. Without another word or a backward glance he turned away.

Disappointed, yet highly charged, Holly sat frozen in her car as she watched him walk off.
God, he moves so effortlessly.
She blinked and in that split second he walked twenty paces, covering the distance to his car surprisingly quickly given the ease with which he moved and his unhurried gait. Like a mirage, one moment he turned away from her and the next he was unlocking the trunk of his car parked at the other end of the lot. Strange.