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dealing with the aftermath of her most recent poor judgment call.
Sam pulled away slightly and Lila forced herself to meet his gaze, shocked to see
that his eyes had seemed to change color. Now they were a deep soft blue, almost
innocent-looking, and strangely incongruous with the rest of his slightly hard-bitten
appearance. The wrinkles around his eyes made him look older than she guessed he
was, and the military-short black hair did nothing to soften the sharp planes of his face,
but those eyes& They were haunting, drew her in with a mesmerizing power that was
unexpected and whose effect on her was anything but innocent.
Of course, his body didn t help matters much, either. As mortified as she d been to
be found buck naked and yelling at her invisible friend, she d still noted how tall and
lean he was, how well he filled out the tan shirt that was part of his uniform. The man
was walking feminine temptation, and certainly no innocent when it came to the ladies.
He d proved that.
So maybe he d know how to handle this awkward moment a little better than she
would. With a held breath, Lila slowly, and as casually as possible, withdrew her hand
from the front of Sam s pants. She knew she was probably blushing bright red as she
crossed her hands in front of her in a gesture that was ridiculously demure for a woman
who had done what she d done, but it was the best she could do. Now she d just wait
for Sam to talk first, and hopefully be able to follow his lead to a smooth conclusion to
their erotic interlude.
Lila. The way he said her name was strangely intimate, making her breath catch.
She suddenly wanted to say his name back to him with the same softness around the
edges, and maybe ask him if he wanted a hug.
Jesus Christ. What was wrong with her? Was she starting to fall for every guy she
fucked, or fingered, or whatever? What did that mean for her and Arthur? Was the
powerful emotion between them real if she could feel even the hint of something more
than lust for another man? Could Arthur forgive her for something like that? Where the
hell was Arthur anyway?
Do you mind telling me who you re looking for? Sam asked, a harder note to his
voice that made Lila pull her eyes back to him, away from the line of trees where she
suspected Arthur was hiding.
No one, I just& I m just I m not sure where to look, Lila said, the words
grounded in truth. She didn t know where to look, but most certainly didn t think it
was safe to keep staring into the blue eyes in front of her, eyes that were now taking on
an edge of gray, an impending storm in a summer sky. This was very& unexpected.
Why don t I take you home? he asked, once again the kinder, gentler sheriff, so
kind and gentle, in fact, that Lila wouldn t have been surprised if he d taken her hand in
his to lead her back to the cruiser.
No, thanks. She darted another quick look to the trees, still seeing no sign of
Arthur. It s not that far, I can walk.
67
Anna J. Evans & December Quinn
For a second, he looked surprised and maybe a little hurt, but as she watched, the
expression disappeared, replaced by the professional calm she d seen earlier. She noted,
however, with a strange burst of female satisfaction, that it was harder for him to
remain detached when the front of his trousers sported a large wet spot. Fine, he said.
Where are you staying? I ll drive by later and make sure you got home all right, make
sure that you haven t noticed any injuries once the shock wears off.
I m not in shock.
I d feel better if I could stop by and see that for myself.
Something about the tone of his voice alerted her that he still didn t trust her. Fine,
two could play that game.
I d rather not tell you. I don t know you that well.
If you ll remember, ma am, I wasn t the one who instigated anything more than a
professional relationship.
So now I m ma am again?
Just give me your address and I ll let you go.
You can t seriously still be interrogating me, she snapped.
Sam s eyebrows rose for a second before dropping back down. In that movement,
Lila realized what she d said and how a police officer would take her words. Did you
think giving me a hand job would mean you wouldn t have to answer any more
questions?
I didn t mean it like that, she said quietly, her cheeks burning again. This was,
without a doubt, the most embarrassing encounter of her adult life. She was ashamed of
herself, and deeply saddened that Sam Walker thought she was the kind of woman who
would use sex to get herself out of trouble.
Seems like an awfully long way to go to avoid getting your driver s license run
through the system. The voice that had been so breathless with passion only a few
minutes before was now cold, professional. Lila s heart sank. Is there something I
should know?
I wasn t trying to manipulate you. I kissed you for reasons that have nothing to do
with the accident, she said, startled to find tears threatening. She must be more
traumatized by the last half-hour than she realized. She certainly couldn t have let a
total stranger hurt her feelings, no matter how intimate they d been only a few minutes
past.
Sam was silent after that, letting her words linger long enough that she was forced
to look up into his eyes. The sadness she saw there threw her even more than her own
odd emotional state. She had to fight harder than she would have believed possible to
keep from reaching up to touch his face, to ease away the confusion she saw there.
I would ask you what those reasons were, but my gut says I won t get an honest
answer.
68
As the Lady Wishes
Lila could only return his stare, knowing that he was right, but almost wishing she
could tell him about Arthur, an urge that made absolutely no sense and would probably
get her locked away in the nearest loony bin.
Sam, please trust me, she replied. His gaze was unnerving. I haven t done
anything wrong, I just
You re going to have to do better than that, Lila. I want to help you, I really do, but
you re going to have to give me more than that to go on.
I can t. Really, I can t. I would, but
Then let me see your license, he said, obviously losing patience with her. He
turned and started to walk back toward the riverbank, forcing Lila to run to catch up
with him. Is your purse in the car? Let s go get it.
Look, Sam, please& She swallowed. She d have to trust someone, sometime, and
this looked like the time. If she didn t explain, he would haul her in and her name
would be on the public record. She wondered how long it would take Clayton to find
her if that happened.
Sam, I& please don t do that. Please don t run my license. Seeing the stubborn, set
look on his face, she held out her hands. It s not like that. I didn t do anything wrong, I
swear it. But my husband, my soon-to-be ex-husband is, well, he s not a very nice man.
I m listening. Sam turned to face her, his features still controlled, but something
about the way he looked at her making her feel she could trust him, that he really did
want to help her if she d let him.
I left him. And he s a cop. If you run my license, he ll see that you did and he ll
find me. I don t mind telling you that scares me to death. Tears started in her eyes, and
she didn t bother to brush them away. Please. Please, Sam. I swear I haven t been
drinking, I swear I didn t do anything wrong, in fact She couldn t believe this hadn t
even occurred to her before. Ask the town doctor, Bob Waterhouse. And his friend,
Amy, the one with the little girl named Meg. I was with them at the burger stand just
before I got in the car and came back here. They ll tell you.
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