Page 93 of Unbound Boxset

She kept her voice low and soothing, even though her heart squeezed in pain. “What did your mother do to support you?”

“Waitressed. Cleaned up after people in hotels. Anything to keep food on the table. I helped as much as I could, but it was years before I could earn any decent money.”

She felt the coldness within him envelop the man who had shared the last three nights with her; the man who had laughed and teased and held her close. She held him tighter as if her body warmth could ward off the chill. “What did you like as a boy?”

“Things I could fix. Things I could control. Math, science, cars, computers.”

“What business did you decide to embark on?

“Computers. One of my mother’s boyfriends was decent to her, and loved to fool around on a laptop. He taught me a few things and something clicked.”

“What?”

“I could finally control something. A computer has no emotions, and does what it’s told. I decided I would learn everything. Coding. Hacking. Anything that can be done was a challenge for me.” He shifted in the water and his hand played with the wet strands of her hair. “Eventually, I found a job at a computer firm and worked my way up. Just like you, I took my opportunity and made the most of it.”

“Do you ever think about your father?”

“No.”

She picked up her head and gazed into his eyes. The gleaming white mask covered half of his face, but the burning light in his eyes confirmed he was a liar. Hailey stroked his hard cheek, traced the full line of his lower lip, then cradled his jaw. Tenderness bloomed within her.

“I was invited to the senior prom when I was eighteen,” she said. “I had never been asked to a dance before, so I was beyond excitement. I spent hours looking through magazines for a dress, talking to my friends about which party we’d attend. When I told my parents I was invited, they refused to let me go.” She paused, wrestling with the memories. “They informed me most teenagers lose their virginity during prom. I was better than that. I would not barter my body for a chance at a solid, successful future. So, I called my date and told him I got sick. I watched out my window as the limos pulled out of the driveways with kids dressed in gowns and tuxedos. And I hated them. I wished I could just be a normal teen-ager and kiss a boy for the first time on the night of prom. I was so tired of trying to be good, of trying to follow my parents’ rules. I actually had a rebellion that night and screamed. Told them how much I hated them and their stupid restrictions. I went to sleep that night and wished they were dead.” She took a deep breath and angled her head so he could see her face. “Years later they died. I was finally free. I turned my back on the past and vowed to never think about them again. I wanted to build a new life for myself.”

“So, you won.”

“Ask me, Phantom. Ask me if I think about them anymore.”

“Do you?”

“Every day.”

Understanding took hold and blossomed. The chill eased, and Hailey lowered her mouth and kissed him. Her tongue slipped inside to give and share and receive. He tasted of brandy and smoke and male hunger. He tasted of her essence. And she knew in that moment she loved him.

Hailey broke off the kiss as the realization shook her in a storm of fear. Their gazes locked, and then the ringing of the bell in the distance cut through the air, and the moment was gone.

Slowly, Hailey eased away from him. God, she didn’t want to leave.

* * *

Slowly, Theo eased away from her. God, he didn’t want to leave.

“Phantom?”

“Yes?”

“Besides computers, what did you really love when you were little? What made you happy?”

He studied her face. Damned if she didn’t know how to reach into a man’s chest and rip his heart out. With that simple question, instead of focusing on the rage and pain of his childhood, he remembered something he thought he’d forgotten. A smile played about his lips as the memory took hold.

“Roses.” He shook his head, almost embarrassed. “We had this neighbor who used to garden. She had fruits, vegetables, herbs. And flowers, incredible rose bushes in red and pink and yellow. She was nice to me. When my mother was entertaining her boyfriends, she would invite me to her house and fix me peanut butter and banana sandwiches, and I would stare out at the roses.”

His vision blurred as vivid colors and fragrances danced before him. When his gaze re-focused, he realized she had given him a precious gift.

His one good memory.

She smiled, then leaned over to kiss him good-bye.

“Until tomorrow,” she whispered.

She rose from the tub and shut the door behind her.

Theodore sat in the cooled water for a long time after she had gone and thought about her smile. Thought about tomorrow.

Their final night.