A bullet seemed to plow through his heart at the thought of Tess not making it out of this.
“Now why?” he practically bit out.
He thought her shoulders went back at his surly tone, but it was only to shrug off her jacket. It hit the floor, leaving her in a little black dress.
His pulse quickened with a lurch. Slowly, she dragged the side zipper down. The front and back of her dress began to separate until they were a lot like him—torn in half.
Tess pushed the straps off her shoulders, and her dress fell, pooling around her feet. Heat blazed through him. She wasn’t wearing anything underneath.
She raised her chin a notch. “So you don’t think this is in any way an offer to pay for my ship.”
Shade’s mouth went bone-dry. She was stunning. Every single part of her was perfect.
Except…His eyes narrowed. There were bruises and needle marks all over her skin.
“What the fuck is that?” he demanded, picking up her hand and holding one arm up to the low light.
She seemed to recoil, and he let her slip from his grasp. “Nothing you need to worry about,” she said.
Was this about the orphanage again? More blood? “I hope you’re staying hydrated,” he ground out. That was all he could manage. His jaw had locked up tight.
Tess nodded, like she knew all about this, like maybe she did crazy shit like this all the time, and he was gripped by the sudden urge to rattle something. Not her. Just something—to get some aggression out.
“Why?” he asked, curling his hands into fists.
Her eyes flashed. “They’re children.”
Did that answer his question? He wasn’t sure it did.
“Yeah, and they’ve got people taking care of them already. Why you? What does it mean to you?” He pushed for answers, for something from her, like he always did. With Tess, he couldn’t seem to stop himself.
Her reaction was fast, almost frantic, and stronger than he’d bargained for. “I grew up there! I rocked some of those kids. Played with them. Read to them. Buried too many that I couldn’t help!” Her breath hitched, and a sheen of tears brightened her eyes. “Didn’tknowI could help.”
Shade felt like a bastard when he pushed for more. “You’re from 12.”
“I’m from 8!” She looked like she wanted to ball up her fist and sock him in the nose. “Eight!” she practically yelled.
Abruptly, Tess bent down and pulled up her dress. It was mostly on and she was halfway to the door before he even moved.
“Tess!” Shade sprang after her. He didn’t grab her and pull her back like he wanted to. He touched her bare arm with his fingertips instead.
She turned, one dress strap on and the other drooping down her shoulder. The zipper still gaped, and her coat lay forgotten on the floor.
He curved his hands around her upper arms, hating the hurt and anger he saw in her eyes. Her skin seemed chilled, and the need to warm her rose inside him so quickly and powerfully it overwhelmed. “Don’t go.”
She stayed rigid for a moment while his heart thudded, and he wondered what the hell he was doing. He’d been mostly on track until now.
Her expression softened. “Don’t go?”
Shade shook his head. “Come downstairs.”
She swallowed, and her hands rose to his chest, light and cool and a little tentative.
“Stay with me tonight,” he said.
And that was that. He’d decided, because he couldn’t watch her walk out the door when he could have one more minute with her. Apparently, that was how deeply fucked he was willing to get for Tess Bailey—and he in no way meant the sex she was offering him now.
She hesitated only a second before sliding her hands up and around his neck. “No one’s expecting me back tonight.”
