Iris Johansen - Eight Days To Live

“Eve?” Her eyes widened with shock. “Eve told you about those dreams? No, she wouldn’t do that.”

“Because you wouldn’t tell me? It wasn’t a breach of faith. She’s ready to try anything to keep you safe, and she trusted me.” He grimaced. “In this single instance. I didn’t let it go to my head.”

She was silent a moment. “I’m not in denial. I just have to believe that what appears extraordinary may be ordinary if we knew everything behind it. That’s how I have to think. That’s who I am.”

“And I believe that what appears extraordinary may well be only the tip of the iceberg and entirely out of the realm of the ordinary.” He smiled. “And that’s how I have to think. That’s who I am.”

Yes, that’s how Caleb would have to think since he dealt with the extraordinary and bizarre every minute of his life. “Then we’ll have to disagree. I couldn’t live like that.”

His smile faded. “Yes, you could. I can teach you.” He looked away. “But we won’t go into that. You’ve got to accept the dreams and use them. It’s a valuable weapon, and you shouldn’t ignore it.”

“Even if I did accept that there was some validity to what you’re saying, it’s not something I can control. It’s smarter to rely on what’s real and predictable.”

“Think about it. You’re a very strong woman. There’s not much you can’t control if you put your mind to it.”

“I don’t want to put my mind to anything but what I’ve learned about the Field of Blood. I want to do something about it.”

“What? You said yourself that you’d read that the field in Jerusalem where they take all the tourists isn’t necessarily the real place.”

“That’s what I read.” She paused. “I want to go there. I want to see for myself.”

His gaze narrowed on her face, but his tone was light. “Why not? But could we wait until Millet isn’t on our heels trying to crucify you?”

“Maybe. But it might be a way to draw Roland if he thinks I know something he doesn’t. He wants those Judas coins.”

“True.” He tilted his head. “Then by all means let’s stake you out. What’s a little risk? Millet might not cut off your head as he did Celine’s sister.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. There has to be a way. I thought you’d be more reasonable.”

“More reasonable than Eve or Jock? Yes, they might object to you going to the Field of Blood and trying to add a little of your own to the mix.” He paused. “While I have an affinity for blood, don’t I?”

His voice was without inflection yet she was aware of a tension and something else. Anger? “It’s very reasonable that I’d expect you to be objective. You have less personal involvement.”

“Not less personal, just different.” He added, “You should understand that about me. You think everything about me is different, don’t you?”

She gazed at him in helpless frustration. What was she supposed to say? Caleb wasn’t like anyone else. She wasn’t sure at any given moment what he was feeling. Yet in this moment she thought she was seeing a flash of vulnerability. Dammit, she didn’t want to acknowledge that vulnerability. It was safer for her not to see anything in him that would make her respond emotionally. “Perhaps. At any rate, it seems you’re not going to help me think of something that will bring an end to this any quicker.” She started to get to her feet. “Good night, Caleb. Thank you for listening if not for-” She inhaled sharply as his hand closed on her wrist.

Heat. Tingling. Sexuality.

“Not yet,” Caleb said. “Don’t walk away from me.”

Her chest was suddenly tight. She was having trouble breathing. “Let me go, Caleb.”

“In a minute.” His thumb was slowly rubbing up and down along the sensitive inner flesh of her wrist. With every movement she felt a jolt of sheer primitive sensuality. “I want you to realize I’m not all that different. I have needs. I may even have a few other sentimental similarities to your other lovers.”

She stiffened. “Lovers?”

“Did I forget to tell you that I did a little research on you when I left the lake cottage all those weeks ago? You’re very discriminating. Your relationships are rare, and they have to involve something besides sex. You had one long-standing affair with a Mark Trevor, but you backed away before you committed. I was very happy that you did, but it didn’t surprise me. You’re afraid of commitment. I won’t ask for a commitment. I won’t ask anything from you that you don’t want to give.”

She stared at him in angry disbelief. “Why the hell would you pry into my business?”

“Because I knew that I wanted to be with you,” he said simply. “I was just waiting for the right time. And then you called me.”

Waiting.

She tried to pull away, but his grasp on her wrist tightened. “Let me go, or I’ll clobber you,” she said between her teeth.

He chuckled. “Delicate and ladylike as usual. Just give me one more minute.”

“Screw you.”

“I only wanted to say that the reason I’m telling you is that I want to be honest with you.” His lips twisted. “Which isn’t precisely true. I was planning on making a move, but you managed to goad me into doing it too soon. You have an unusual way of upsetting my control.” He released his grasp on her wrist. “Besides, I wanted to touch you. I’ve been wanting that for a long time.”

The wrist that he had released was throbbing, the pulse pounding, the skin exquisitely sensitive. She was shaking. Lord, he had only touched her for a moment, and she felt as if she’d gone up in flames. She had a sudden thought. “Did you-”

He smiled. “No, it’s just chemistry. I think we both knew it would be like this.”

She started to turn away. “Just stay away from me.”

“I can’t,” he said simply. “But I won’t touch you again until you’re ready for me.”

“That’s not good enough.”

“It will have to be. I can’t keep my distance when I know that Millet may be around the next corner. Think. You’re going after Millet and Roland, and I’ll be valuable to you.” His voice was soft. “What difference does it make in the scheme of things if we want to go to bed with each other? We’ll just ignore it until the time is right.”

Ignore it? She was still feeling that deep throbbing sensuality, and just looking at him was causing her heart to pound, hard, harder. The sensation was more powerful than anything she had ever experienced, and it was frightening her. “It’s not going to happen.”

“No.” He smiled. “Not until you’re ready.” He reached down and let the water in the fountain slowly trickle through his fingers. The movement was inexpressibly sensual. “You’d better go to bed now. You’re tired. And you’re going to want to start planning and moving as soon as Lina gets done with the translation.” His dark eyes were glittering as he looked up from the water. “But I’m going to have to keep busy. I think I’ll go back to London and pay a visit to Roland. I thought I’d ask you what you want me to accomplish with the visit so that I can prepare. Just a conversation or something more final?”

“You mean you want to know if I want you to kill him. No, I’m not turning you loose to go hunting.”

“You don’t have to shoulder the responsibility. Just tell me what you need from Roland.”

How simplistic could you get? Of course, she would be responsible. “No, Caleb. Nothing has changed since we left him yesterday.”

“Yes, something has changed. I need distraction. Roland thinks he’s a hunter, but he only points the way. I could teach him what hunting is all about.”

Yes, Caleb knew every nuance of that skill. But what he proposed was incredibly dangerous for him. “You said it would be difficult and take a long time. Forget it.”