Page 24 of Impenitent Claim

Scowling in frustration, I looked around the upper floor of the department store. It was hard for someone as large as him to disappear. But it was more than his size, it was the essence of the man. Something dark pulsated around him. The energy was thick and tangible, calling to me, beckoning me to find him!

I kept to the edge of the store, first so that the ladies wouldn’t see me wandering about, but also because I didn’t want to leave myself exposed to surprise.

Stupid, stupid!I could be chasing a kidnapper or murderer.

This could be my doom. And yet, no matter why he left such thoughtful presents, he hadn’t shown me he meant any harm. His friendliness cheered me in these desperate, trying days.

Even when I knew I shouldn’t accept this twisted attention.

I stopped short as he suddenly blocked my path. We were in the bedding section, mattresses to the right and left, and he simply appeared as if from thin air. My stalker had never been this close before without the thick cover of night, never allowed me to see so much of his formidable form, preferring to stay as one with the shadows.

He was so tall that I had to tip my head back to look up at him.

Wow….A simple math calculation with my own height plus shoes gave me the reasonable guess that he was six and a half feet tall.

“Hi there,” I breathed. I sounded awestruck, young. Probably silly. I cleared my throat and tried again. “Aren’t you worried someone will catch you watching me?”

Grey, unblinking eyes, the color of the autumn sky when the clouds hid the sunlight, watched me. The rest of his face was concealed. It should have been frightening. I was crazy to be standing here, staring back at him.

“Thank you for the bath salts and muscle rub, and the bunt cake the day before. It was delicious,” I said, deciding kindness was the better course of action this time. Besides, I didn’t havethe gifts to throw back in his face. “But you shouldn’t have taken the risk.”

The ghost stared at me with unblinking intensity. “Your trainer won’t be bothering you again.”

Those words, clipped and short in cadence, sent a rush of excitement through me. It was the same forbidden tones I heard in the inky darkness of the night. But here, under the bright overhead fixtures, it was as if he was trying to hide his true voice from me.

“Yes, we heard that she’s taken a leave of absence.” I shivered but laughed. “It will be nice to enjoy the gym again.”

The spectre nodded once.

I had the terrible urge to reach out and touch him. It was silly; we were standing in the bright light of the department store’s harsh overhead fixtures, and yet this man didn’t seem real. If I could touch him, feel the warmth of his skin, the solid presence of his muscles, maybe it would be easier to believe he was actually here.

“Thank you, for whatever you did to make her move across the country,” I smiled up at him.

One long arm lifted. My breath caught in my throat, but I didn’t flinch. He was going to touch me.

I braced myself for the impact.

And then felt incredibly silly when I noticed the brown paper bag from a coffee shop clutched between his fingers.

His words came out tight, strangled, maybe strained. “You looked hungry.”

Was that a note of shyness in his gruff, masculine tone? Or was he forcing his voice to sound like that, so I wouldn’t recognize him?

Grinning, I plucked the bag. “Starved. We only had tiny salads for luncheon.”

“I know. I saw.”

Those four words should have shocked me. Set off warning bells in my head. They didn’t. In part, because I’d known all along that he was near. The same prickling at the back of my skull that vibrated with the strength of a cellphone right now, had been tingling since I stepped out of the vehicle to be escorted into the eatery.

I pulled the pastry from the bag, my insides clenching painfully. It was unlikely he knew they were starving me. He only left me treats and dainty, indulgent food. Things that I loved, just like the other small presents.

Emotion pricked in my eyes.

I didn’t want to admit to this stranger that I had no control over my life, even the simplest parts like what, when, and how much I ate. He couldn’t know that his snacks were the only substantial calories I had in a day, even if they were of the less nutritional variety.

“That’s your favorite,” he murmured roughly. “Isn’t it?”

Realizing I’d been lost in thought, I nodded quickly, murmured my thanks, and took a huge bite. That large, muscled frame seemed to visibly relax.

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