Angel in the Shadows by Amy Deason Page A

fingers glided down her leg leisurely, teasingly.
    “It’s no wonder you twisted your ankle, running in shoes like these,” Seth declared, his voice mirroring the softness of his touch. He gingerly removed the black high heels from her feet, clearly aware of the pain the slightest movements caused her. The heat from his bare palm felt wonderful against her aching skin.
    She sat, fascinated by the movements of his fingers as they massaged her swollen ankle. How could someone be so cold and harsh one minute and so warm and tender the next?
    With some remorse, she noticed, the small, even teeth marks in his hand where she had bit him. She had managed to draw blood through the gloves he had been wearing. Served him right! Or at least that’s what she tried to tell herself but the tenderness he was showing her curbed the emotion and before she knew what she was doing, she opened her mouth to speak.
    “I’m sorry about biting you. But you shouldn’t have yanked me into that dark room and besides . . .”
    Seth lifted his head, meeting her eyes, effectively stopping her rambling mid-sentence.
    “Do you always apologize for defending yourself, Ms. Sinclair?”
    Unsure what to say, Madison simply glared at him. It sounded as though he were laughing at her but there was no trace of amusement in his cool eyes. Only a sheer blankness.
    She felt a shuddering relief when he returned his attention back to her ankle. God, she had to get out of here. He was so close to her right now all she would have to do was kick him with her other leg and maybe she could get away. Turning her head slightly, she looked at the door, judging the distance.
    “Don’t even think about it. Even if you did somehow manage to kick me, I would catch you before you even got half way to the front door. It’s locked anyway. That would only slow you down.”
    Startled, Madison jerked her eyes away from the door and back to him, expecting him to be looking at her again but his eyes were still firmly resting on her foot.
    Damn him! He was inside her head again. How could he possibly know what she was thinking? Her temper threatened to elevate once again but then he dabbed at her knee with his fingertips. She bared her teeth and sucked in her breath with a sharp hiss.
    Seth looked up at her curiously. “Sorry,” he replied automatically, no feeling behind the word. “That needs cleaned. The bathroom is right through there,” he said, motioning to the closed door on her right. He stood up smoothly and grabbed her hand, easily pulling her to her feet. In her bare feet, she looked up at him, intensely aware of him looming over her. He was much taller now that she was minus the heels.
    “You mean you’re going to let me out of your sight? Aren’t you afraid that I might escape?” Sarcasm was going to be her downfall one of these days, she just knew it. Right now, she could care less.
    He regarded her with a steady, unwavering stare. “No.”
    She jerked her hand away quickly as if he had burned her and sent him a scathing look. There was such finality in that one word.
    He was right, her knee did need cleaned up but she was going to be damned if she was going to let him think she was following orders from him. Lifting her chin in as much defiance as she could muster, she stared directly into his eyes. “I’m fine,” she said tersely, turning to move into the next room.
    “Suit yourself,” he replied with a slight shrug of his shoulders. He followed as she hobbled into the living room. Her camera bag sat on an oak table in the middle of the room. She made her way ungracefully in that direction.
    “You know, sugarless gum is bad for your teeth,” he said casually.
    Madison stopped her ungainly trek to the table and whirled around to face him, the pain in her ankle temporarily forgotten.
    Indignation rose up in her, strong and fierce. “You went through my bag?” Her voice was level but heated with anger. Instinctively, she reached up to feel for the