The Hunted (The Chronicles of the Hunter Book 1) (7 page)

“Kane?”

LeeAnn’s whisper added to this unbelievable weakness. She put a hand to his forehead to push a lock of dark hair out of his eyes. Kane squinted as she regarded him. He’d never seen anything as beautiful as the look on her face.

Ever.

“That was pretty...um. Unbelievable.”

“Uh...” 

His throat was raw. The word sounded like he’d been smoking three packs of cigarettes a day for a half-century.

“What on earth do you do for an encore?”

“Uh...”

He tried again. Got the same result. Her lips curved and that’s when Kane started laughing. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed. And never with this much abandonment. He should have known what would happen, too. He collapsed into a corner of the shower, and forced the walls to hold them.

CHAPTER TEN

His silence was bothersome. As was the way he shied away from eye contact. She was having trouble getting her arms and legs to work properly, too. She could really use a nap about now. LeeAnn stifled a yawn and went back to drying off. These were really nice towels. Thick. Moisture-sucking. Wet skin didn’t have a chance. She bent forward and ruffled one about her hair a few times before wrapping her head, making a large, unwieldy turban the size of a small laundry basket. The weight wasn’t balanced properly, either. She tilted her head to one side to keep from toppling. Then, she tipped it the other way. She should probably start over. Do a re-wrap.

Kane was way ahead of her. But he’d cheated. He didn’t exactly dry off before moving onto other things. He was already covered and cinching the belt on a thick white, terrycloth robe. It was a match to the one he’d brought out for her.

After he’d quit laughing.

Back in the shower.

LeeAnn looked over at the rather forlorn-looking shower stall. The stool was upside down, one leg a little crooked. There was a big bulls-eye of broken glass in one wall. Cracks radiated outward from it, sending sparkles of color if she moved her head far enough. She sighed softly. It still looked heavenly.

What was she thinking?

It
had
been absolute heaven.

She’d never felt anything like making love with Kane. It wasn’t just her body adrift in a perfect blend of satiation and sense of well-being. Her soul felt like it radiated happiness, as well. His laughter had seemed the perfect accompaniment. It had sounded carefree. Infectious. She’d almost joined him. But then he’d just stopped. Without any slow-down of mirth and zero warning. His laughter had ceased. He’d lowered his chin. Narrowed his eyes. Regarded her for long, heart-stopping moments.

And then he’d disengaged her legs from about him and set her onto her feet.

She’d been shaky. Perhaps he’d known. That could have been why he’d taken her arm. Guided her from the shower stall. Grabbed a towel from the stack of them. His gestures had seemed a little brusque. Almost angry. It matched how he’d unfurled the towel and held it out for her.

He’d wrapped the next one about his hips. These towels were large. She still wore the first one. It covered from armpit to knee. Not his.
Oh, no
. On Kane, these towels didn’t look remotely bland and innocuous. Or he needed to wear it higher. Chest level. Not low about his hips.

She’d watched him walk from her. Open a tall cupboard. She hadn’t noticed it before because it was painted white. LeeAnn had looked about as she realized it. The lighting was really dim. It cast the slightest shade of pale yellow into the area. That didn’t do much to alter the impression. Everything was in the same white color. Walls. Floor. Ceiling. Furnishings...

The color was spotless.

Pristine.

Weird.

He’d walked back to her. She watched that, too. It wasn’t hard. She could look at him for hours. She didn’t want to delve into why. Not just yet. Maybe not ever. It was enough that he was gorgeous. A fantastic lover. His body beyond ripped. And with that white towel barely doing its job, he was showing off a lot of those assets.

That’s when he’d brought the white robes. Probably would have handed one to her, except she had her hands full with her hair towel. The garments got set on the floor. And then he’d stood back up and worked his hair into a loose braid of sorts. He had really nice hair. Coal-black. Long. Thick. Shiny. LeeAnn was envious. If she had hair like that, she’d wear it long, too. There was a bonus to watching him. The movements rippled and flexed all kinds of interesting muscles throughout his torso.

Until he’d caught her at it, anyway.

LeeAnn snickered softly at the memory of his expression. It looked like he’d flushed. Been a little self-conscious. But that was just fanciful thinking. Any man that looked like him and had the skills he exhibited, along with the package to back it up...? Well. That man probably had an entire army of women on speed dial.

She’d been easy.   

Now, it was her turn to blush. A little late in the day for that. Stupid, besides. So...she’d gone a little sex-starved crazy and practically attacked him. She couldn’t be the first woman.

Big fib, LeeAnn.

There was no ‘practically’ to it. She
had
attacked him. But he’d been a willing participant. She hadn’t heard any complaints, anyway.

The lights inset somewhere in the ceiling flickered.

She looked upward. Back down.  

“LeeAnn? We need to go. This room...isn’t private.”

“It’s...not?” 

Oh. Crap.

She’d been beyond easy. Her voice displayed the mortification. She pegged the emotion easily. Her blush rapidly receded, leaving her feeling a little dizzy.

“Wait. When I muck things up, I sure do it well. I misspoke. This place
was
very private...but that flash is a signal. We’ve got a new arrival. He’ll head for the showers. We need to be gone before that happens.”

“Oh.”

“You need to don the robe.”

“Robe. Yeah. Good plan.”

She bent to pick it up and the towel unwound, pulling her hair down as it dropped off her head.

Great.

Now she was clumsy, too. A stab of tears hit her eyes. She was going to cry? Oh.
No. Please, no
. That was too horrid to consider. She blinked rapidly.

“Babe. Please. You are really adorable. But we need to go.”

His words sent something sweet flashing through her. It erased everything in its wake. The span of white tile came back into focus. She couldn’t do a thing about how her heart seized up. Or the tremor that ran down her back before entering her legs.

“W-what?” she replied.

“Uh...I’d rather not explain the condition of that shower stall. Leon is not stupid.”

“Leon?”

“The last hunter. We’ve been waiting for him.”

“We have?”

“I’ll explain everything. Well. I’ll try to, anyway. The moment we’re safe. But, for now, we gotta go. Fair?”

Her answer was halfway between a sniff and a giggle. And then the robe disappeared as he grabbed it up.

“Here. I’ll help.”

He lifted her to her feet. Stood looking down at her. His eyes were still narrowed. He still looked angered.

“Kane?”

“You need to shed that towel. It’s damp. Probably cold.”

He shook the proffered robe out. Held it open. The muscles of his jaw clenched. LeeAnn pulled the end of her cover open and dropped it. The robe shook in his hands.

“Oh.
Hell
. You are so beautiful. I am either extremely lucky...or especially cursed. Here. Put this on. Please?”

He was right. The towel had been chilled. The robe’s thickness was nice. But it didn’t warm her near as much as his words. Or the tone.

“Where are we going?”

She asked it as he stopped at a door, cracked it open, and peered outside. There wasn’t much to see. The lighting system out there looked even dimmer than what was in the shower room. But it couldn’t be. Or Kane had some real light-sensitive issues. He held her hand with one of his, while the other fished a pair of sunglasses out of his robe pocket. He opened and positioned them onto his face with the same hand. Easily. Almost automatically. The accessory made him look unapproachable. And pretty damned scary.

He looked down at her solemnly for a moment. And then sighed heavily, sending a blast of air that ruffled the dried hairs along her forehead.

“The only place I can think of.”

“Is it...private?”

“It’s safe.”

“But not private? Well. Darn.” 

She had to hide the smile as he jerked slightly. His fingers tightened about hers.

“LeeAnn—?” 

He said her name with an undertone of anxiety. LeeAnn scrunched up her nose and watched her reflection in his black lenses. “Oh, come on, Kane. I was kidding.”

“It is not amusing.”

She tried to match his attitude. What she could see of his expression. The set look of his shoulders. But she had to factor in the tiredness that dogged her, turning her into the consistency of a leftover limp spaghetti noodle sitting in a cauldron of tepid water. The best she could manage was an eyebrow lift.

“You sure are a serious guy,” she remarked finally.

“I have to be.”

“I’m beginning to think you’re a cyborg, Kane, and I’m not that imaginative. Oh. Wait. I must be. I mean, look at the evidence here. In one day’s time I’ve been shot at. Kidnapped. Almost drowned in a pool. Gone SCUBA diving – without
one
lesson, mind you.”  Her voice grew louder as she continued. The words came quicker, too. “And then I just had the best um...uh. Well. Sex is not the right word for what happened, is it? I can’t even call it a romantic encounter. That was the most amazing session of lovemaking I have ever experienced! Okay? I am still wiped out. And—. Damn it! I can’t believe I just said that. This is so not me.”

“You’re doing fine, babe.”

“Fine? Me? Aren’t you listening? This is spy stuff! I rarely played video games when I was a kid! I’m a numbers person! I’m considered constant and reliable, not risky and dangerous. You know what I consider adventurous? Adding flavored creamer to my coffee! You wouldn’t believe the calories involved!”

His lips twitched. Then, the smile evaporated.

“I’ve gone from being a successful businesswoman to one without clothing, money, or even identification! I have a deranged killer after me! I’m in the clutches of a sinfully sexy stranger who could be a bad guy for all I know, and oh! You better add in that I have absolutely no idea where I am, either!”

“North, two four. Three zero. Zero seven. West, eight one—”

“What are you doing?”

“Giving you numbers.”

“To what?”

“Our location.”

“You’re giving me longitude and latitude?”

He nodded.

“I was right before. You are not real. Nobody goes around spouting those. Confess. You’re a robot. Right?”

He shook his head.

“Then what?”

“I told you. I’ll explain later. When we’re safe.”

“We’re on some ship in the Atlantic Ocean somewhere. How can that not be safe?”

He stepped closer. Pushed away an errant lock of hair from where it had fallen across his lenses, making him even more shiver-inducing. “Babe. Please? I lost my head for...a span there. As well as my objective. My focus. And a good chunk of time. I need to check things. Assess. Evaluate.”

LeeAnn regarded him for a long moment. Tried not to react. It was really difficult to stay annoyed. “Lost your head, eh? That’s what you’re calling it?” she finally asked.

“Lee. Ann.”

He separated her name into two separate chunks. He might have been trying to sound stern. It didn’t work. The man had a voice that matched the view.

“Yes?”

The lights flickered again. That was followed by the sound of the automatic doors opening. Kane pulled her to him. The contact was instantly incendiary. She wondered if he felt any of that.  

“We’re leaving right now. You ready?”

“Um. Sure. I guess.”

“Stay close to the bulkheads.”

“What’s a bulkhead?”

He swiveled his head, the move cracking something in his neck. And then he looked down at her again.

“Just...”  He grunted mid-sentence before finishing it. “Stay close.”

He opened the door wide enough to ease through. Pulled her with him. The door shut behind them with a hissing sound that sent a huff of air with it. Any lighting was a joke. She could hardly see. It took several seconds for her eyes to adjust. The halls were beige-toned. The lighting had the same dun quality. The only reason Kane stuck out was his attire. The white of his robe was just a bit lighter than the wall he was flattened against. His arm was crooked about her chest, just above her breasts, sticking her in place alongside him. She didn’t have much choice.

But she wouldn’t have moved if given one.