Page 14 of The Healing Touch

Intense? That was an understatement if she was anything like she was on the phone just now.

“Do you put out an ad in the personals or something, looking for crazy, homicidal women?”

“Homicidal?” He tilted his head curiously. “What makes you say that?”

“She threatened to hunt me down and hurt me. You’re hers, apparently.”

He shook his head and muttered something Becca couldn’t hear. Probably for the best. It would only piss her off more. His attitude toward women usually did. She might joke about it to keep from yelling at him, but it wasn’t one of his better habits.

She wasn’t prepared, however, when he swung the conversation back to her. “Let’s forget about Charlene. That’s over and done with. Are you okay? No signs of a panic attack?”

Strangely, no. There was an uneasy feeling that haunted the very edges of her psyche. She knew if too many people came near her, that unease would swallow her. Being with Dimitri kept the panic at bay. He always did do that for her, though. Even in high school, being near him comforted her. Maybe because she knew he’d never let anyone hurt her, and if she needed him, he’d be there. Not something she’d ever had with anyone except her brother. Certainly not her parents. She trusted Dimitri, and that was the simple truth of it.

“I’m okay.”

“Then you can come with me to South Carolina.”

She rolled her eyes. “How does ‘okay’ transform into me going with you to South Carolina?” The man wouldn’t leave it alone. He was bound and determined to take her with him, even if it was something she couldn’t do.

But could she? She wasn’t freaking out here in the diner. It wasn’t a room filled with hundreds of people either. But if they talked to Dimitri and she just sat there, handing him books and ignoring everyone, would that work?

“You’re stronger than you think, Becca, and the only way to prove it to you is to show you.” He reached over and took her hands, squeezing them gently. “I’m not going to put you through something I don’t think you can handle, sweetheart. If it’s too much, we’ll leave, no explanations to anyone. We’ll just get up and leave. I promise.”

“No, I’m not as strong as you think I am.” She’d spent most of her life hiding away. She spent each and every day terrified of going outside, of being part of the world. It was safer to do it from the comfort of her living room, behind a computer screen. That way, she could be as confident as she wanted without fear. It was easier to hide.

“Becca, I need you. It’s as simple as that. If you can’t go, then neither can I. And no buts. I know what I can do just as much as you know what you can handle. You have to give me the same respect as I’d give you if you really can’t do this.”

Damn him. Why did he always know exactly what to say to make her do something she didn’t want to do? He didn’t understand how hard this was for her. How could he, though? He thrived on being the center of attention, loved the crowds, the adoration. The public was his forte.

“Just try, Becca. Please.”

She closed her eyes to block out his pleading image. Damn him to hell and back.

“Fine. I’ll try, but if I break down in front of all those people, I will never speak to you again, Dimitri Sean Kincaid. That’s a promise. Do you understand me?”

“You won’t regret it, sweetheart.”

Somehow, she thought she would.

Chapter Five

Two hours later, she found herself packed and on the road to Charleston, South Carolina, in Dimitri’s new Jeep Grand Cherokee. It was a fourteen-hour drive. Why the hell hadn’t she at least attempted the airport? Because her anxiety rose to almost epic heights at the mere thought of a crowded airport. Not happening today.

When he said he needed to make a pit stop, she assumed he meant to get snacks for the road, but no. His pit stop was the dealership. He decided he needed something more comfortable than his rental. Plus, he couldn’t take the rental all the way to South Carolina and back anyway. So, he bought himself a new car.

Crazy man. Who went out and bought a new car on the spur of the moment? She knew his books sold well, but she had no idea they sold that well.

“If you turn the radio channel one more time, I swear by all that’s holy, I will tie your hands behind your back the rest of the trip!”

She snatched her hand back. They’d been fighting over the radio since they got into the car. She usually won simply because she ignored him, but he sounded testy. What put a bee in his bonnet?

Dimitri knew he was being a little bitch, but being this close to her was slowly driving him insane. His patience was at an end. Her scent kept wafting over to him. He’d even rolled down the fucking window, and it still wasn’t helping. This was a mistake, a very big mistake. There was no way he was keeping his hands off her if she was in close proximity to him for weeks. Weeks!

Hisbabushkaonce told him God would send a temptation he must resist. Damned if she wasn’t right. His temptation sat looking at him, slightly vexed and more than a little hurt. The very last thing he wanted, but every time she leaned forward and her scent hit him, it was all he could do to keep from hauling her across the seat.

Damn, damn, and double damn.

He needed a distraction. “Why didn’t you ever tell me your dad was a biker?”

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