“You get used to it.”
“But do you really have to? Tell me why you’re running.”
“No.” She eased back out of his arms. “Will you tell me what’s the deal with you and those scientists down there? I hear you talking about them and it sounds like more than just disliking what they do. It sounds personal.”
He owed her something, but did he want to go there?
“My ex was a scientist and specialized in genetic modification.”
“Samantha, right? So what? You hate them all just because of her?” Her blue eyes fixed on him.
“Not all of them,” he muttered. “I don’t like food being genetically modified, so shoot me.”
“That’s a narrow outlook, but we’ve covered that already. So she dumped you?”
“It’s a bit more complicated than that.” Noah looked away from her. “And it’s your turn to answer a question. Are you in danger?”
Her pause was telling to Noah. “What kind of danger?”
“There is more than one kind?”
“The someone wants you dead kind?” Noah persisted.
She looked away.
“Jesus, Lani. Can’t you go to the police or something? You can’t just keep running. What if whoever is chasing catches you?”
“You don’t think I’ve thought about that?” She jumped off his legs. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore. You need to go. I’ve said too much.”
“Why? So you can pack and run again?”
She spun to glare at him. Hands on her trim hips, she stalked back toward him. Noah got off the bed and went to meet her.
“You don’t know anything about this, and what’s more, you’re never going to. You just live here holding your grudge against the entire gene modifying scientific community, and pretty soon I’ll be a distant memory.”
“I’m not holding a grudge on the entire community—”
“Sure sounds that way.”
“You don’t understand.”
“No, just like you don’t understand about me.”
“Make me understand, then.”
“No.”
They glared at each other.
“She was pregnant.” He wasn’t sure who was more shocked by his words, him or her.
“Who? Your ex, Samantha?”
Noah nodded. “We were going to have a baby and the doctor told her to slow down when she started bleeding. She did, but the day I walked into her office and found her bleeding, she’d been carrying around heaving boxes.”
“Oh God, Noah, I’m sorry.”
Lani had never willingly touched him before, so the fingers she ran down his cheek were a surprise.
