Running From Fate (48 page)

James ignored her attempts to pull free and determinedly continued up the stairs.
“I’m taking you to bed,” he grated out.
He had originally intended to do something relaxing
with her
after dinner
.  If only to prove he wasn’t the ravening monster she thought he was.  They could have
curled
up on the sofa
and watched
a movie.  H
e even had a few in
mind
.
For her own safety and his own personal reas
ons, he needed Mira to stay.  M
aking her skittish was the last thing he
wanted.  A
tranquil evening
would
have
be
en
good
for the both
of them.

Unfortunately, he had underestimated h
is reaction to seeing her sitting
at his table.
It was
a great deal
different from having her over for dinner.
She looked like she belonged there
.  He could easily imagine her
sitting and his table and sleeping in his bed
night after night.  I
t had stirred something primitive in him.
There was no
way
he could sit calmly in a room with her for two hours without jumping her.
It was much safer to le
ave her behind a closed door.  S
he was going to her room whether she liked it or not.

Well, she had been right, Mira thought as James continued to drag her.  The fact
that
he seemed
so desperate to take her to bed sent a sensuous tingle through
her
body, but she could
no
t allow herself to be swayed.
James may believe
they could pick up their relationship as if nothing had happened
, but she could still remember the look on his face as he had stood in her living room and flung accusations at her.
Until she could be completely sure of herself and
of
him they needed to stay out of the bedroom.

She took a deep breath and
wrapped
herself in the tattered remains of her flagging resolve
.
They had stopped at her bedroom door and he was still holding her hand.
She pulled away and stood in front of him, braced for a battle.

Instead of attacking her, his blue eyes clashed with her green ones and something in his gaze held her spellbound.
When he raised his hands to cup her face
,
she found it impossible to move.
His fingers stroked gently across her cheeks and, slowly, he lowered his head
and
set
tled
his lips gently on hers.
She thought that she had resisted but, as the soft kiss continued, Mira found her arms rising to twine around his neck.
She grasped his hair, trying to deepen the kiss.  He laughed softly and nipped her bottom lip.

In the end, he was the one to pull away, leaving her standing bemusedly in front of her door as his whispered “good night” floated down the hallway.

**********************************************
************

The next several days passed in almost the exact same manner.
James always insisted that he go
running with her in the morning
,
never on the same r
oute in case the
y were followed—
he was taking the perceived
threat to her way too seriously—
and then
they ate a quick breakfast together and went to work in
their
separate cars
.
In the evening
they
had a late dinner before retiring
to their
separate
rooms for the night.
When they were in each other
’
s company James was unfailingly
courteous, polite, and amusing.
He hadn’t yelled, demanded, or
even attempted to kiss Mira in days.  I
t was driving her crazy.

So, when
Saturday morning rolled around
Mira found
herself
awake and
restive
at an ungodly hour
. 
The
idea of
spending an entire
day
, without even the dubious escape of work,
with the exceedingly correct, distant man that James had become just didn’t appeal to her.

With a muttered oath, she pushed back the blankets and jumped out of bed.
She hadn’t seen a sign of Kimberly in over a week and there had been no hint of a threat since the night that her house had been broken into.
She was restless and itchy and the idea of
having
an hour alone in
the fresh morning air was sounding more
and more
tempting by the minute.
As quickly as possible, she pulled on some clothes and her running shoes and tiptoed down the stairs.

When
she walked outside and
the cool morning air it her face, Mira breathed deeply and sighed with pleasure
.  When her lungs were full she turned to the right and headed
for the stretch of woods that bordered the estate.
She had
spotted
a glimpse of
what appeared to be
a trail there on yesterday’s run and she was determined to find it.

Twenty minutes later, as she ran steadily along the packed dirt path, she caught a glim
mer
of something sparkling through the trees.
She kept up her steady pace and soon
emerged into a large, tree-lined clearing with a beautifu
l, glistening lake in the center
of it.
The path
curved and wound around the
small lake
before heading back the way it
had come.

As she
topped a small incline and began the arc that would take her around the lake, she felt her troubles melt away.
The air was sweet and pure, the soft hues of dawn blanketed the world, lending a magical quality to the light, and power was rushing through her body.
At that moment Mira felt as if she could have run forever.

She was still feeling that rush
fifteen
minutes later when she rounded the lake and started down the other side.
Suddenly, from up ahead, she heard a loud rustling sound in the trees and the dawn chorus of birds went silent.

With a warin
ess that was not yet alarm, she
slowed her pace and edged forward.
Something as simple as a fight between two squirrels or the presence of a fox could be causing the problem.
Unfortunately, the noise got louder
and this time it was
accompanied by muttered swearing in a distinctly masculine voice.
It could just be a hiker who was lost, she told herself bracingly.
But her intuition,
the weight in the air
,
and the prickling of her skin said something different.

She stopped in the middle of the trail and debated the wisdom of turning around.
The path back, however, would take longer
and it was filled with lonely shadows
.
If she put on some speed and ran forward, she could get back to civilization that much sooner.
She could take her chances and pray that she was faster t
h
an whoever lurked in the woods. 
As fast as the notion had popped into her head, she discarded it
.
I
t was too dangerous
and her instincts were screaming at her
.
In a split second, she turned on her heel and sprinted back the way she came, but it was too late.

A heavy weight smashed into her from behind, throwing her to the ground
. 
She had a
brief
second to be grateful that the path wasn’t paved before he
landed on top of her, pushing the breath from her lungs and leaving her momentarily dazed.

By the time Mira had regained her breath, she was on her back with her legs pinned under a muscular thigh and her wrists held in a tight grip above her head.
In the midst of her fear, she realized that there was something very familiar about the blue eyes and the shaggy blond hair of the man who stared down at her, but her brain seemed to have stopped working.

She
had always believed that she was a fighter, but
now, when she needed it the most, her courage seemed to have fled.  T
his man was muscular and strong and
easily able to subdue any struggles.
 
F
ighting now would just get her hurt.
She was not, however, going to give up. 
She choked back the fear
and tried to think.  She may not have had his stren
gth, but she had a decent brain.  A
ll she needed was a plan.
Perhaps, if she could get him talking.

“Who are you?”
s
he croaked in a voice gone dry with fear.

His eyes stayed frozen, but he moved his free hand to lightly circle her throat.
“I’m the man who’s going to see that you get what you deserve.”

She swallowed thickly, tasting the fear like a bitter pill in the back of her throat.
His voice was hollow and his eyes
held a sheen that could only have come from drugs
.
This was not a man she could reason with.
  “Please,” she begged.  “D
on’t hurt me.
Whatever you think I’ve done, I’m sorry.
I didn’t mean to.”

“You ruined everything,” he spat out as his hand moved from her throat to her breast.
He squeezed hard, laughing when she cried out in pain.
“Now,” he continued as
pushed his thigh between her legs, prying them apart.
“I’m going to use you like the bitch you are.
You know,” he mused and he squeezed his hand aga
in and bent his head.  “Y
ou might even enjoy it.”