The Unseen (11 page)

Winston gripped the steering wheel so tightly, his knuckles whitened. “The controlling bastard.”

“Yeah, he never gave me an ounce of freedom. And it only got worse. He threw away all my jewelry making stuff away one day while I was at work. He said it served me right for getting home ten minutes late the previous night. When I protested, he swung a chair at me, breaking three of my ribs. As badly as I wanted the stuff back, somehow even my favorite hobby didn’t seem worth dying for.”

Winston’s voice grew louder and his brows folded inward. “That guy sounds like such a jerk. I’d like to fly all the way to the States to tell him so, too. Although I’d be throwing more punches than talking.”

Bunny smiled. “He’s not worth the wasted effort.”

“You’re absolutely right. Just promise you’ll never go back to him.”

“That’s a promise I can definitely keep.”

“That’s good to hear.” He reached over and patted her hand. “What kind of jewelry did you make?”

“Mostly silver jewelry with different varieties of quartz. I bought the stones, had them shaped and polished the way I wanted and often did the metal working myself.”

“You sound like a very talented woman. Too bad I don’t have any material at the house you could work with. If this situation settles down, perhaps we could drive into town later to buy some.”

The man was so considerate—he was treating her like a houseguest he’d expected for weeks. “Maybe we could get silver to go with these stones I swiped from the smugglers’ stash. Look here.” Bunny plucked one of the sapphires from the depths of her purse.

Winston’s wide grin illuminated his whole face, making him look more boyish than ever. “Bullets are flying our way and you snatch up that sack you call a purse that weighs more than you. We could have run a tad faster without it.”

“Yeah, but a high maintenance girl like me doesn’t go anywhere without her purse. It was bad enough I had to leave without underwear.”

“Hmm.” Winston’s gaze wandered toward her nipples, which hardened into erect beads and pressed against her cotton dress under his sustained examination. His face flushed and then he blinked and glanced in the rear view mirror.

The gorgeous man’s reaction sent shockwaves of excitement through Bunny’s body. She wanted to entangle her fingers in his curly blond locks.

“Don’t look so shocked. Kent said we shouldn’t wear underwear here or we might get skin fungus.”

Winston’s face darkened another shade. “Yes, that sounds about right. I didn’t really ponder that until you, uh, brought it to my attention.”

The truck bounced along the muddy road toward the cobalt blue sea, which stretched across the horizon. The heavy clouds had broken apart, revealing slices of blue. All at once, the sun burst out from behind a cloud.

Bunny could tell Winston felt awkward and more than a little distracted. She decided to try to lighten the mood. “So don’t you want to know what else I keep in my bag?”

“I’m not sure.” Winston smiled, showing off a row of strong straight teeth.

Bunny pulled out nail clippers, mascara, lip gloss, blush, moist wipes, face powder, her wallet, an iPod, and her Swiss Army knife. “Oh, yeah, and I have this, too.” She pulled out a bottle of pepper spray. “One squirt of this and—”

Winston squinted and covered his eyes with the back of one hand. “Please put that stuff away. I’ve been sprayed with that stuff by mistake before and it burns like bloody hell.”

“I guess I better so you can see the road.” Bunny wondered what she’d done to deserve such a perfect day—being taken away to a beachside home by a kind man who also happened to be the most attractive male on Earth.

She cleared her throat imagining what would happen once they were alone together in the house.

Jason had never really made love to her, he’d only used her body to fulfill his own needs. The thought of an intimate encounter with Winston sent a rush of moisture between her thighs. She imagined he’d be considerate and give every inch of her body special attention. She imagined his beautifully shaped lips licking and suckling her breasts before they trailed down to the apex between her thighs.

She squirmed in her seat, worried her wetness would show on the backside of her dress. Winston nodded toward a wooden house that sat by the beautiful blue bay that broadened out in front of them. “That’s my place. I hope you like it.”

“How could I not—it’s got a gorgeous view. You must just love it here.”

“Yeah, I enjoy it very much. You can see the ocean from almost every room. And the water’s calm here most of the time. We can swim later, if it seems safe.”

“I would like that. It’s turning out to be such a beautiful afternoon.”

He pulled the car into a garage, turned off the ignition and stepped around to open her door. “Can I give you a hand? I’m afraid if you try to stand with that heavy purse, your legs might give out beneath you.”

Bunny slipped her fingers into his, feeling her face warm at his magnetic touch. “Thanks. But I’m used to heaving this stuff around—I’m not as weak as I look.”

“Oh, I don’t think you look weak at all. You nearly wrenched my arm off when you pulled me inside your hotel room.”

“I’m sorry, I’m just feeling a little sensitive lately.”

Winston pulled open the door and held the door, motioning her into the house. “Come on in and make yourself at home.”

Once she stepped inside, he gripped her arm and turned her toward him. His green eyes sparkled and as if by instinct she drew in closer to him.

He skimmed his hand up and down her arm. “Give yourself a chance to move forward. Forgive yourself for what’s happened and just be the person you want to be from now on.”

She paused, unsure of how to answer. “I know you’re right. And I appreciate your being so patient and understanding.”

Once he released her arm, she walked across the hardwood floor and peered around the handsomely furnished living room.

“What’s happened already is out of your control. But today and tomorrow are all up to you. For starters, why don’t you let me show you the rest of the house?”

“That would be great.” The picture windows provided stunning views of the turquoise sea. Bunny stepped closer to the glass, admiring the dance of sunlight on the water until she thought about what she might see through the windows at night. She imagined one of those evil men’s faces staring through the glass at her before the window shattered and the man grabbed her by the throat.

As Winston walked up behind her, tingly energy climbed up her back. His breath tickled her neck. “You’re a tad quiet all of a sudden. I bet you’re wondering how windows like this could keep those buggers out.”

“Yeah, kind of.”

“Watch this.” He walked toward where the curtains hung from either side of the window and pulled them back. Behind them was an accordion of metal. “At night, I stretch these collapsible metal bars across all the windows and lock them. I usually lock them when I leave the house, too, but Tas does a rather good job of scaring people so I wasn’t too worried. He must be sound asleep at the moment, though. He usually greets me when he’s not.”

“Who is Tas?” Bunny glanced around the room trying to spot the slumbering pet. She’d been bitten by a dog once, but she figured Winston’s pet, whatever it was, couldn’t be too vicious if it didn’t even hear them come in.
Maybe he’s hiding behind the sofa or one of those plump brown leather chairs.

“Tas is a dog. A Chow Chow, if you know breeds. Come and sit down. I’ll get you a glass of iced tea.”

Bunny walked tentatively toward the couch and then dropped her purse on the rugged wooden coffee table. “So he won’t bite, will he?”

Winston shook his head and offered her an endearing smile. “No, of course not. He’s only mean if you’re not supposed to be here. To my friends, he’s like a big fluffy teddy bear. At the moment, he’s sound asleep. I can hear him snoring.”

Bunny laughed, feeling more at ease as she crossed her legs and rested her back against the leather. From the kitchen, she heard the clink of ice against glass. A moment later, Winston strode in carrying two glasses of tea. He set both glasses down on coasters and sat beside her on the couch.

He picked up his glass and raised it. “Cheers. Here’s to a more relaxing rest of the day.”

Bunny picked up her glass. “I’ll toast to that,” she said, clinking her glass against his.

Winston sipped from his glass.

“Why do you call your dog Tas? For some reason, I’m thinking about the Tasmanian devil from cartoons with his gnashing teeth instead of a snuggly pet.”

Bunny wished the dog would introduce himself so she’d know for sure he wasn’t dangerous. Clumps of dark hair adhering to chair legs were evidence this dog was around.

“You’re still worried about him, aren’t you? Hang on a second and I’ll get him to come out. I named him Tas because he runs in circles when he’s wound up, just like the Looney Tunes character. Don’t look so surprised. Believe it or not, cartoons are quite popular with kids in England, too. But since chows are so hairy, when they move fast, hair flies in every direction. I do a lot of vacuuming around here.” Winston clapped his hands together and called out the dog’s name.

Bunny heard trotting feet on the hardwood floor before a fluffy dog with a tail curled up in a tall
C
appeared. He looked at her with big brown eyes lined with thick brown fur and then looked at Winston. “It’s okay, boy, she’s my friend.”

The dog inched toward Bunny, sniffing the air with his broad soft snout until his wet nose met her leg. As she reached out to pet him on the head, Tas wagged his fluffy tail.

“You might have to tell him no if you don’t want a wet one.” His gaze dropped to her vulnerable bare legs and lingered.

Bunny blushed, thinking how slick and wet her crotch felt at the moment. She hoped he couldn’t sense how aroused she was. “A wet one?”

“He likes to—”

Bunny giggled as the dog licked a bare leg. “Hey, that tickles.”

Winston grinned, licking his lips as his gaze followed her body’s contours. “He’s got good taste.”

Heat rushed to Bunny’s face. She forced a smile, trying not to let him see how much she ached for Winston’s touch, to feel his body mashed naked against hers.

Winston cleared his throat and stood to carry the empty glasses into the kitchen. He walked back into the living room. “Let me show you the rest of the house. You can shower now if you want. Otherwise, we can swim first and then clean up.”

“What if those men are out there waiting for us?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll pack my Glock in case they decide to give us trouble. There’s also very little vegetation on this coastal plain, so we should be able to spot anyone walking or driving in this direction.”

“A swim sounds great. But I don’t have a swimsuit.”

“There’s lots of clothing in your room. Follow me and I’ll show you where it is.”

She watched his butt muscles flex as she followed him up the creaky wooden steps to the next floor.

He craned his neck to speak to her. “The house has three levels—and there are bedrooms on the second and third floor. Here’s your room.” He paused in front of a door on the second floor before pushing it open. The room was quaintly decorated with floral patterned furniture. Lacy curtains bracketed a window looking over the sea. “There are women’s clothes in the closet and plenty of towels and swimsuits in that chest of drawers.”

A wave of jealousy washed over Bunny, making her feel agitated and uncomfortably warm. When he’d said there were things to wear, she’d imagined wearing his oversized T-shirts and boxers, not his girlfriend’s clothes.

She felt irritated at herself for reacting so strongly.
You barely even know him. Did you think a man so drop-dead gorgeous wouldn’t have someone else?
Bunny tried to keep the tone of her voice neutral. “Are you sure your girlfriend won’t mind if I borrow her clothes?”

Winston laughed and his lips turned up in a flirtatious smile. “Relax—these are casual clothes my sister wears when she visits. She’s the only one in the family who forgave me for running away from home. She usually spends February here every year to escape England’s harsh winters. I bought most of the clothes at a local flea market. Having stuff here means she doesn’t have to haul such a heavy suitcase along. There’s a bathroom with a shower through that door where you can clean up after we get back. Go ahead and find a suit you like and I’ll meet you downstairs.”

Bunny wanted to see how he’d decorated his own bedroom. “Aren’t you going to show me your room?”

“Sure. Follow me.” Bunny walked behind him to the uppermost level. He pulled open a door and placed his hand on her arm as they stepped inside. “This is it.”

Enormous sliding doors led to a balcony overlooking the ocean. He led her out on the balcony and she stood beside him, resting her hands on the railing and relishing the finger-soft touch of breeze on her face. When he turned to go inside, she followed.

A king size bed poked out from one wall. Huge tropical trees spilled out of brightly painted ceramic pots. Most of the room had been made into a comfortable sitting area where a wide-screen television was surrounded by three leather chairs. The tables and dressers accenting the room were rugged, hand-painted antiques. Woven rugs stretched across the polished hardwood floor, which shone under the afternoon sun.

“This is a beautiful room,” said Bunny. “I really like how you decorated it.”

The corners of Winston’s lips turned up in a smile. “Thank you. The house was beautiful to start with and I enjoyed picking up odds and ends to make it feel like a home. The floors are all teakwood. They needed polishing when I bought the place, but you can see they cleaned up nicely. Hand-crafted furniture is readily available here—there’s a man in Dong Hoi—his whole family keeps busy making this stuff and I’ve been a regular customer.”

Winston couldn’t have been more different from Jason. Not only was he kind and considerate, he also found home décor of interest. Jason had always said selecting furniture and wallpaper colors were for women. If she and Winston lived together, they’d probably spend hours planning how the house would look.