Deception of the Heart (17 page)

‘I’m fine, really
,’ she managed to answer without her voice shaking too much, for which she was grateful. She didn’t want him to think she was a wimp.

H
e smiled into her upturned face, his fingers gentle as he stroked her cheek. ‘Good. That was not a part of the plan for today. But they’re gone, probably trying to escape before we alert the police.’

They were
both careless, but she didn’t care. She’d regret this short moment of perfection later. Because it was perfect, the warm blanket of security as he held her close erasing any bad memories and making her wish the moment would last forever.

They didn’t want to stay underground any longer. At least she didn’t, and judging by Jon’s eyebrows pulled together into one straight line of displeasure, neither did he. She yearned for sunshine and air, the sense of freedom and safety that had been
breached by the senseless attack down there.

With
Jon’s arm around her shoulders, they walked on, the short path leading to the opening seeming much longer than on the way in. Even the stones seemed rounder and more slippery, their treacherous wobbliness conspiring to keep them in.

‘We can have a drink a
t the restaurant, if you’d like. That should take care of shaking off this whole sorry mess.’ Jon was trying to reassure her, she realized. She hated to be so weak, but the men did give her a fright. Pictures of what could have been rose before her eyes. If Jon were less physically fit, they wouldn’t have walked away without a fight, but the odds would have been stacked against her and Jon.

‘As for now, I think it wouldn’t hurt to keep your mind busy
.’ He stopped and she stopped with him, her questioning gaze met by his dark eyes. She could tell where it was going, and her body melted into his embrace before she gave herself permission to do so. As if she were on autopilot, she let him bring her even closer, reveling in the firm bone and muscle meeting her.

He kissed her
. The whole world spun out of control and disappeared into the red haze that made thinking not only impossible but also unnecessary. His firm lips probed gently, shaping themselves around her trembling mouth. Her nerve endings ignited into a net of electricity that threatened to set her whole being on fire. She kissed him back, braver as she felt his response to her femininity pressed against her lightly clad frame. He wanted her in the most basic way a man could want a woman. There was no mistaking the imprint of his erection, or her own body responding with a rush of scalding heat and need.

‘That’s more like what I hoped for
.’ He stepped back a bit, his darkened gaze smoldering with fire that threatened to burn her to ashes. ‘Did I successfully distract you?’ he inquired, a smile in his voice. ‘Or should I keep going?’

‘How about we have something to drink and get back to it later
?’ She smiled back, her whole body humming with energy almost too powerful to contain.

Hand in hand
, they walked back to the meadow, the sun beating down from the cloudless sky. It was getting hotter, and the scent of grass and flowers mingled with the heady aroma of heated evergreens. Melanie looked forward to a cool glass of water instead of allowing herself to drift into more wishful thinking.

T
hat was when she saw him. The man from inside the ruins was back, casually propped against the crumbling wall as he watched them approach. Her heart tightened in premonition, and she scoured the abandoned spot, hoping for someone, anyone to appear. Yet nothing but chirping cicadas and rustling oak branches broke the silence.

‘Don’t worry
.’ Jon held her close, his breath tickling her ear as he spoke to her softly, his voice too low to be overheard. ‘He is just making sure we know he isn’t a coward. Case of hurt pride, I’d say.’ He was absolutely calm and collected, yet she sensed he was worried. It was funny how well she already knew him after two short days, the way his mouth tightened ever so slightly, his tall frame too quiet to be really relaxed.

‘Not so brave anymore?’
The tall man she recognized as the pack leader jeered, his dark hair glistening in the sunlight. ‘Still want to fight with me?’

‘Not really
.’ Jon grimaced, his onyx eyes impassive. ‘I would have thought you’d be gone by now. I know I would, if I was you.’ He gestured to the road. ‘Unless you really want me to send you off properly?’

Jon
stepped forward, shielding Melanie with his body. She didn’t like it. She noticed the silver knife before it came closer. Like in a dream, she watched with horror-widened eyes as the blade flashed through the air, making contact with Jon. She screamed, the sound hysterical even to her own ears. The sound of the knife hitting the ground reached her ears, and she stared as Jon grabbed the attacker by the collar and pushed him against the wall. The man said something to Jon in a voice so low she couldn’t quite make out the words. The short exchange lasted less than a few seconds. The man pushed Jon away, freeing himself with ease that told her Jon must have been hurt.

She had to do something
. She was desperate to be useful. She had frozen before, passive and weak as she watched him defend her. Not this time, she decided, making a low pass to where the weapon lay on the grassy ground, the blade red with what she could only imagine was Jon’s blood. She grabbed it, her hands marvelously steady and accurate. She couldn’t mess up, not this time.

‘Get lost,’ she demanded, her voice hoarse but strong. ‘Now
! Before I hurt you.’ She waited for the man to attack again, but to her utter amazement, he didn’t. Instead, he glanced at her uneasily, his eyes narrowed speculatively. Apparently her input wasn’t something he’d expected. Running on adrenaline, she kept going, ignoring Jon’s voice from the sidelines.

And then it was over. The man ran off, his steps slow at first but taking on some speed as he disappeared.

‘Melanie, it’s ok.’ Jon stepped forward, his hands outstretched in a cautious gesture. ‘Let go of the knife, please. It’s ok, really…’

Holding on to the knife offered some safety,
and her fingers were tightly woven around the wooden handle. She tried to open her palm, but she couldn’t do it. Only then did she notice the pain in her palm, burning slowly yet steadily as she clutched the weapon. Still, she didn’t dare to drop it. What if the man returned for a third encounter?

‘Let it go, sweetheart
.’ Jon put his hand around hers, his warm fingers finally breaking the icy coldness holding her spellbound and unable to move. ‘He is gone for good this time.’

She let him move her fingers, gently yet firmly as he unclutched her palm.
He gasped, and the harsh sound made her look down at her hand. She saw blood. The blade of the knife was smeared with it, the ruby red color vivid against the silver metal. At first she thought it was Jon’s, so her worried eyes went over his chest and arms, searching for injuries. She couldn’t find any except for a small nick on his wrist, more of a scratch really.

Only then did she realize that it was her
s. Her adrenaline fuelled body still barely noticed any discomfort. She saw the cut across the soft flesh of her palm, not deep and yet bleeding, an angry red line at least three inches long.

‘Oh, great,’ she groaned, humiliation bringing blood to her cheeks. ‘
Here I am trying to help you, and all I do is get myself cut. Not even by anyone else, just myself. Talk about a klutz.’

‘
You’re not a klutz.’ A strange light came to his eyes, his voice warm and strong. ‘You reacted to the threat, that’s all. You came to my rescue, Mel. That was very brave of you.’

‘Somehow I don’t think so
.’ She laughed, the sound shaky and hysterical to her own ears. ‘Did you see him? After you pushed him, he practically ran away, Jon. I didn’t do anything except hurt myself. Are you all right?’

Maybe
he was hurt after all? She worried suddenly, his strange expression making her second-guess her earlier conclusion. He looked pained, and his skin was pale under the golden tan and dark stubble.

‘I am totally fine
.’ He inspected her palm, his brows snapping together. ‘Which is more than can be said about you, Mel. We need to clean your hand and put some dressing on it. I don’t think you need stitches, but some antibacterial wrap can speed up the healing.’

‘I ruined the trip,’ she groaned, embarrassed. ‘I mean, I
’d been looking forward to it since yesterday, and now I totally messed it up.’ She shut up, terrified by her loose mouth. Could it get any worse?

‘Nothing got ruined
.’ Before she could react, he bent swiftly and kissed her nose, the kiss sweet and tender. ‘Once we get you sorted out, I promise to make up for those rough beginnings.’

For now, he produced a clean, crisp cotton hankie and wrapped it gently around her hurt palm, pressing it ever so slightly.

‘We should go back to the hotel and take care of your cut. I’ve got a first aid kit in my car, but you’ll need to wash it properly and you’ll probably want to change your clothes as well,’ he said, his tone leaving little room for discussion. ‘After that, you can pick any place you want to visit. I am at your command, Mel.’

He meant it. For a brief moment
, she had the weirdest feeling he meant it in more than one way, however absurd that sounded. That he’d vowed something not only to her but also to himself, his lips a grim line as he looked at her cut. She could tell he blamed himself for what happened, and she wanted to tell him that he was wrong. He didn’t do anything to cause this mishap. It was just her luck, nothing else.

But she didn’t. She worried she might tell him the truth and see his eyes widen with awkward understanding. Because the truth was that she’d take the cut any day if it meant they were together,
with his hand around her shoulders and his lips on hers. Nothing else really mattered.

He was so mad he had to force his hands to hold the wheel properly so Melanie wouldn’t notice them shaking. Luckily she seemed preoccupied, because at the moment, he was really struggling to control his emotions. Each time he noticed the white wrap around her palm only added to his fury.

He would have a word with
Bernard right after they parted today. He’d tell his boss what a cunning son of a bitch he really was, manipulating Melanie into something that shouldn’t have happened. He didn’t possess even a shred of simple human decency. Jon had realized it the moment the cocky, bulky man leant his way and whispered, his voice too low for Melanie to hear, “Now take her to this damn hotel, will ya?” in a perfect cockney accent. The pieces of the puzzle fell into place, making what exactly transpired in the ruins of the old chapel obvious. These weren’t annoying locals trying to score a point with naïve tourists. The orchestrated assault was nothing but Bernard’s bullish way of making sure they ended up in the hotel. He wondered how far they were supposed to go if he didn’t cooperate? And why wasn’t he warned? Bernard had probably decided the act needed an air of authenticity. Scaring the hell out of Melanie and making sure she wanted to go back to the hotel didn’t go according to the plan. Knowing his team, the boys were supposed to rough him up just enough to justify his plea to go back to the room. What nobody counted on was Melanie’s response. What if she’d actually tried to stab one of the men? Would they disarm her without actually causing her any harm, or was it something Bernard would overlook, if needed?

Too many loose ends and too few answers.
He had to be patient, though. Melanie’s wound was the only thing requiring his attention at the moment. He still felt the warm sensation of something he couldn’t, or rather daren’t, name as he saw her standing there, fierce and ready to help him. An image of his ex-fiancée briefly popped into his head and he chased it away. The comparison was less than flattering for the woman who was supposed to be his wife not that long ago. He couldn’t think of any other woman who would have acted the way Melanie did. Her act of spontaneous courage was much rarer than one would expect. If he were to be in trouble, he’d like to have her at his side. His throat tightened with an emotion that begged to be named.

‘Almost there
.’ He caught her watching him and smiled, hoping he’d look convincing. ‘How is your hand?’

‘Good
.’ Did she know how pretty she looked when she smiled? He felt an avalanche of mushy comments flood the gates of his mind, each more pathetic than the previous. He had to get a grip on himself and fast.

‘
It stopped bleeding and it barely hurts.’ Luckily for him, she kept talking, her soft voice soothing his anger. ‘I feel really silly going back to the hotel, Jon. I mean, a Band-Aid and some gauze would do. No need to launch a full blown rescue operation, really.’

‘
Let me be your knight in shining armor for a moment or two,’ he asked and was rewarded with a smile.

‘I mean, we can eat at the hotel and start exploring afterward
.’ He kept talking, realizing he needed a distraction. The closer they were to the hotel, the worse he felt about the whole operation. Plus, he couldn’t really silence a totally different set of fantasies that had nothing to do with Pete, Daniel, and the whole Peace Brigade. Those featured only Melanie and him, preferably naked. Although he wouldn’t mind taking his time to undress her, each inch of her skin slowly revealed to his eyes.