Iris Johansen - Eight Days To Live

“What are you talking about? Eve can take care of herself.”

“She saved my life.”

“She won’t want you to feel obligated.”

“She saved my life. I have to repay her.”

“Lina, she won’t want-”

“I don’t care. I’m going to hang up now. I want you to call that Venable person and tell him that he has to ease my way into going to the U.S. And I thought perhaps you should tell Eve that she won’t be alone.” She hung up.

Jane shook her head as she hung up. This was a development she’d never thought would come to pass. What was Lina going to do? Camp out by the cottage with her AK-47? No, Lina was neither intrusive nor stupid. She’d keep a low profile whatever she did. Eve had evidently won Lina’s affection as well as her passionate gratitude, and she would express it in her own time and her own way.

It wasn’t really Jane’s business. Since she felt she still owed Lina a debt, she would give Venable a call. Then she would deliver Lina’s message to Eve and leave it at that.

Eve would be able to handle her… and the AK-47.

Lake Cottage

Atlanta, Georgia

Three weeks later

“I’VE INVITED LINA TO DINNER tomorrow night,” Eve said. “I thought she’d like to try Joe’s barbecue.”

“I’m sure she will.” Jane’s pencil raced over the pad, sketching Eve’s hand resting on the porch rail. Eve had wonderful hands, strong, beautifully shaped… “She’s being surprisingly sociable.”

Eve chuckled. “She’s trying to be good, but she’s hovering.”

“She cares about you. I thought she was being pretty subtle… for Lina. At first, I thought she was going to ascribe to that old Chinese philosophy that because you saved her life, it belonged to you. But it’s not that bad. She’s even keeping herself busy helping Tischler with his work on the coins at Georgia Tech.” She sighed in frustration as she tossed the pencil down on the porch swing. “I can’t do any more on this sketch. It’s getting too dark. I’ll have to finish tomorrow.”

“No loss. For heaven’s sake, you’ve done four sketches of me since you got home. And two of Joe.”

“You’re both good subjects.” She flipped the sketchbook closed. “Character. Lots of character.”

“And you’re getting restless and bored.” Eve smiled. “You were fine for the first week, but you’re beginning to need more now.”

“I’m not bored.” She looked out at the lake that was dark ink instead of brilliant blue now that the sun was down. “But I bounced back quicker than I thought I would. I suppose I should get serious about going back to work. But I’m feeling lazy.”

“No hurry. It’s good to have you home.” She yawned. “I think I’ll turn in. I was up most of last night finishing the reconstruction on Ronnie. Joe’s going to be late. He had some paperwork to do at the precinct. If you’re still up, tell him about Lina and the barbecue.”

“Okay.” Jane frowned. “The doctor said you should take it easy for a few weeks.”

“I’ll take it easy tonight. Last night I had something to do.” She moved toward the door. “It will all come out the same in the end.”

Jane shook her head as Eve disappeared into the house. Eve and Joe were both back at work and on their usual intense schedule, while she was only playing at a few sketches.

But Eve was right, there was no hurry. She was enjoying this lazy cocoon, which demanded nothing and made her feel as if she was more asleep than awake…

“BUT YOU’RE NOT ENJOYING IT . You’re just not ready to face the real world yet,” Caleb said .

Caleb?

She glanced up at him. She should have been surprised to see him, but somehow she wasn’t. It was absolutely right that he was with her in this place. The sky was so blue, it made her throat tighten with the sheer beauty of it, the earth smelled of grass and fresh rain and felt soft and cushiony against her naked body .

But the sky shouldn’t be blue, the sun had gone down, and it was night now .

“It’s all right,” Caleb said softly. “Everything is as it should be. It’s my place in Lucerne. I wanted you to see it.”

He was naked, too, and beautiful. From wide muscular shoulders to slim hips and tight buttocks, he was all sleek sexual power. She had never seen Caleb naked, so this couldn’t be real. “A dream…”

“Whatever.” He moved over her. “I want you. Hell, I’m going crazy. Is it okay with you?”

“I don’t-” He entered her, and her nails bit into his naked shoulders. Okay? This was what she had wanted since she first met him. “Yes!”

Driving heat. Total madness .

His lips covered her own, smothering her scream as his hips moved and plunged. She could feel his heart pounding against her .

She had never felt this complete-

“Now!” he whispered .

She arched as the wild explosion of pleasure tore through her .

She couldn’t breathe .

She wanted it to go on and on .

“It can you know,” Caleb said. “Anytime, any way you want.”

“Again…”

He cupped her face in his hands and looked down at her. “It’s good, isn’t it?” he asked hoarsely. “I knew it would be like this for us. And it’s going to be so much better when it’s the real thing. I can’t wait to have my hands on you.”

But his hands are on me, she thought in bewilderment. He was inside her, moving, causing this inferno of feeling .

“No.” He kissed her gently. “Not yet. But won’t it be fantastic?”

“Not yet? What was-”

“I hate to leave you. Damn, you feel so good around me.”

But he was leaving her, and she was terribly lonely .

“I’m lonely, too. I’ve never felt like that before. Do you think it will always be like that for us now?” He smiled. “We’ll have to see, won’t we?”

“Why am I feeling like this? I don’t want it. It scares me, Caleb.”

“I didn’t do it. I just set the scene. The emotion is all yours… and mine.”

Set the scene…

She stiffened .

Not a dream!

HER EYES FLEW OPEN AND she sat bolt upright on the porch swing.

Full darkness, with no moonlight on the lake.

She was alone, and Eve had just gone into the house to go to bed.

She was alone.

It had to have been a dream.

A dream even though her breasts were swollen and her body was still aching and tingling? Hell, she still felt as if she were still having sex. Great, wonderful sex…

Dammit, no way !

She was not alone.

She jumped to her feet and strode over to the top of the porch steps. Her hands were clenched as she glared out into the woods and lakeside. No more cocoon. That was all ripped aside. This was stark, raw reality, where every day was a challenge and the greatest challenge of all might have just come back to torment her.

She had never felt more alive or wide-awake in her life. She felt as if her mind as well as her body had suddenly been jump-started. She wanted to murder him. Yet she was filled with a wild mixture of anger, excitement, eagerness, and anticipation.

“Caleb,” she shouted into the night darkness. “Damn you, I know you’re out there. How could you do that? You come here, or I’ll come and get you!”