Caught in Darkness by Rose Wulf

if
he didn’t find her missing things soon. Hopefully she didn’t have bank records
in her purse.
    Veronica slumped back against the
arm on a sigh. “That’s something, at least.” She was quiet for another minute
before adding, “I don’t usually condone violence, but, when you find him if you
could maybe hit him really hard—just once—for me? It would make me feel
better.”
    Scowl transforming into a bitter
grin, Seth nodded. “I’d be happy to.” I might hit him really hard a few times. And
then maybe I’ll turn him over to Jasen .
    Setting the purse on the floor near
her feet, Veronica leaned into the duffel again and sifted through the rest of
what he’d brought for her. It was hard to miss the rise of heat to her cheeks
as she discovered the bag’s contents, and he tried not to dwell too long on why
she would be flushing. But not even the increased beating of her heart could
distract him from the memory of going through her wardrobe. He’d thought he was
too old to be embarrassed about simple things like seeing a woman’s underwear,
but he’d been wrong. And the images those harmless garments had sent flying
through his mind were still making his mouth water.
    Having her staying in his home for
any length of time was going to be interesting.
    Resting her hands on the top of the
duffel bag, Veronica lifted her head despite the blush still staining her
cheeks and smiled. “Thank you, Seth. I would never have asked you to do this
for me.”
    “It wasn’t a problem,” he assured
her, fighting to keep his eyes on hers.
    He saw the moment something dawned
on her and she nearly cringed as she asked, “Did you have to, uh, pick the
lock? Or do I need a new window?”
    He was torn between grinning and
frowning at her question, and he wasn’t sure what his face ended up doing as he
replied, “I would have picked the lock, but your door was unlocked when I got
there. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to lock it behind me.”
    Veronica sighed and nodded. “That
makes sense. But I’ve never had any trouble before, so hopefully it’ll be all
right overnight.”
    Arching one eyebrow, Seth asked,
“Are you planning on going back tomorrow?”
    She stared at him for a long
second, and he suspected she hadn’t really given it any thought yet. It was a
minute before she said, “I…don’t know. But I won’t overstay my welcome, I
promise. If I’m not comfortable going back when you get tired of me I’ll just
rent a hotel room. I only meant that I’ll need to go back tomorrow anyway, if
only because I need to call a locksmith sooner rather than later.”
    Inclining his head, Seth said,
“That’s true. And don’t worry about exhausting your welcome. Your company
doesn’t bother me.”
    Her lips twitched in a grin and she
teased, “You haven’t lived with me yet.”
    As his lips lifted in a matching
grin it occurred to him that the more accurate statement would be he hadn’t
lived with anyone in a while, but she didn’t know that. He was sort of looking
forward to the change. “I could say the same,” he returned instead.
    Something flickered behind her eyes
and he heard her swallow, but she never broke from his gaze. He would have
wondered if he made her nervous now, but the thing he’d seen in her eyes had
definitely not been fear—he’d become very good at spotting fear over the years.
This was something else, and he suspected he knew what that something else was.
Or maybe that was just what he wanted to see. It was becoming hard to tell the
difference, and it was becoming hard to be around her without touching her.
    He could still remember the feel of
her soft, warm palm pressed against his. It had been a long time since he’d
felt anything from someone else’s touch, especially anything like that. It was
hard not to wonder if he’d get the same sensations if he touched her again—and
maybe in other places.
    “I hate to be a buzz-killer,”
Veronica said, dragging him from his dangerous