Her breath hitched when she realized he was right. She did want him. He was good and kind and smart and hot as hell. She had no doubt sex with Ben would ruin her to anyone else. But in the moment, she was using him. He had the power to make her forget anything but him and how he made her feel.
Before she apologized, he dropped a lingering kiss on top of her hair and strode toward the kitchen.
“I’ll see to dinner. Make yourself comfortable. Ziggy will keep you company until it’s ready.”
She hadn’t even noticed the animal’s return until she collapsed in a chair, stunned by what just happened. Ziggy jumped onto her lap, his fur tickling her face. His long body reached across her lap, and she scooted as far back in the chair as she could to give him room. The cat circled her lap, careful not to slip off. Then he dropped to a heap on her thighs, his head resting on the arm of the chair. A loud rumble erupted from him.
With tentative movements, she stroked his fur, the texture calming her. With each pass of her hand, hair swirled up from his body to float on the air and settle on the floor, on the chair, on her. His warmth and weight relaxed her, and when he gave a low throaty groan as his eyes closed in sleep, she smiled.
She didn’t expect Ben to be a cat person, but if a strong and intimidating man like him was going to own a feline, it would be one the size of a small jungle cat. She would have to ask him how he came to own the unusual kitty.
In fact, there was a lot she wanted to ask him. She wanted to know him. He had been right to imply there was too much between them to pursue anything serious right now. She had to resolve the threat on her life before that could happen. But what frightened her almost as much as being hunted by a killer was not being able to put an end to it.
If she didn’t stop the threat, she’d have to go on the run again. Ben couldn’t give up his life and his work to follow her, to live under a secret persona, never knowing what day would be the one when it all would end for good. She would be on her own again because it would be too dangerous to return to Ivy Springs and bring trouble to the people she loved there.
She heard Ben moving around in the kitchen and the occasional clang of pots and utensils colliding. Ziggy was sound asleep in her lap, and she continued to stroke him. She allowed her thoughts to drift away, to dream of a life that could be if the demons in this one were slain.
Chapter Eighteen
Paige gasped as she jolted up in bed. Her heart slammed against her chest, and a light sheen of sweat coated her skin. Her covers were in a tangle around her legs as if she’d been tossing and turning for a while. She gazed around the dark room, trying to remember why she was in the unfamiliar space. When memories of Ben flooded her mind, she relaxed.
Untangling herself, she climbed from the mattress and visited the bathroom. She didn’t think she could fall asleep again so soon after her nightmare. Careful not to make too much noise, she slowly opened the bedroom door and crept into the hallway. She turned toward the kitchen to get a glass of water and then skidded to a stop.
Oh, my!The thought flitted across her mind unbidden, but it was apt for the moment.
Ben stood in the open doorway to his room, leaning against the door jamb as if he had all the time in the world. He wore loose sweatpants and nothing else. Her eyes traveled the length of his body. From his bare, well-muscled chest, with only a hint of dark hair along his sternum, to his bare feet, she was entranced by him.
“Paige? Everything okay?”
“Hmmm?” she asked, bemused. “Oh, um, bad dream. I was just going for a glass of water.”
He straightened and approached her. Concern darkened his eyes, and when he was in front of her, he placed his fingers under her chin to lift it. His gentle touch sent butterflies fluttering across her stomach.
“Nightmare about Boyd?”
She shrugged. “Probably. I never remember them.”
He released her. “You’ve had them before?”
She nodded. “Since that day at Mr. Warner’s house. I never remember the details. I just wake up frightened. It usually takes me some time to shake it off.”
He pulled her into his embrace, and she allowed herself to relax against him. Her head rested on his chest, his heart beating in her ear. The sound was comforting.
“I’m sorry,” she said softly, enjoying the feel of his arms around her.
“For what?”
“For earlier. For trying to use you to forget. I didn’t realize I was doing it at first. You don’t deserve that.”
“And what do I deserve?”
She pulled back and searched his face. The man before her was strong and handsome, but there was a hint of the insecure and sad little boy she once knew. She loved that little boy, and she hated to think of him being unhappy for even a moment.
“You’re incredible. You deserve only the best things in life.”
His finger traced a line down her cheek, and she shivered. “I’m not incredible. I’m human. There’s good, and there’s bad.There was a time when I didn’t care to be used by a woman because I was probably using her too.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
