The Game Has Changed by D. L. Wu Page B

wore.
    She giggled. “And I need some shoes,” she said,
lifting up one of her bare feet in his direction.
    “Blimey,” he laughed. “We’re quite the pair,
huh?”
    “Oh, yeah,” she agreed as he pulled the car
back onto the two-lane highway and sped off toward their next
destination at a reasonable speed.
     
    ***
     
    Silence fell between them for the better part
of the journey. Evan glanced at Jaime and noticed that her head was
pressed against the window as she gazed out of it with an air of
melancholy surrounding her. He heard her sigh once in a while as if
she were a little uncomfortable about something.
    “Hey,” he breathed. “You alright,
Luv?”
    The sound of his voice startled her as it broke
the silence.
    “Yeah,” she said softly as she looked at
him.
    “I'd be very surprised if you were,
Sweetheart,” he offered tenderly. “I'd be quite shook up after what
you went through if I were you.”
    A shaky sigh slid past her lips. “Yeah,” she
whispered in agreement, returning to her previous
position.
    “He really didn't hurt you, right?” he
insisted.
    “Well . . .” she said, her voice quavering. “He
did strike me across my face.” She trembled as the memory surfaced.
“And near my leg, I felt . . . I felt his . . . his . .
.”
    He nodded with understanding.
    “But I don't think he . . .” she gasped, unable
to finish her sentence. “I . . . don't know, though, but I think
not . . .”
    Evan was sentient of her innocence and purity
and said affectionately, “You would know. The first time would be
painful for you. If it didn't hurt, then you're okay.”
    A tiny, frightened cry escaped her. In an
unexpected display of both support and affection, Evan placed a
hand on her thigh in hopes of reassuring her. Jaime gasped with
surprise, causing him to draw back for a second or two. He
suspected that she was assuming his doing so was a sexual move
rather than a supportive one. She quickly placed her hand on his
and guided his hand back so that it rested against her thigh once
more.
    “Let me see your face,” he requested, hoping to
make her more comfortable. “Look at me.”
    He quickly glanced at her face to give her a
once over. Turning back to face the road, he said, “I don't see any
damage to your beautiful face. Does it hurt, then?”
    She shook her head, a dreamy sigh escaping her.
“Not anymore.”
    “ Can I ask you something, Darlin’?”
he inquired, moments later.
    She nodded. “Of course.”
    He released a pent-up breath and said, “You had
the perfect opportunity back there to end your whole ordeal with
me, you know. You could have brought me down fast and hard, but you
didn't. Rather than do so, you protected me instead. Why did you,
Sweetheart?”
    Jaime felt her heart hammer within her chest.
She wasn't sure as to why she’d done it, but the maelstrom of
feelings and sensations she was having since their first day
together were muddling her senses and scrambling her common sense.
Of that, she was sure.
    Should she divulge to him what she was really
feeling for him? Was it too soon? Should she wait and see how this
'relationship' evolved or if he really had more ominous plans for
her? Yet if that was the case, if his intent was the least little
bit nefarious, would he have so bravely fought for her? She felt so
confused and wanted to break down and cry, but she found herself
suppressing her tears.
    Evan sensed her confliction and remained quiet.
He preferred to let her think things through.
    “I guess . . .” she replied, at last, after
making the decision to lay her heart upon her sleeve for him to
see. “You made me feel so safe when I needed it so desperately.”
She took another deep breath to steady herself. “I felt safer with
you than I've ever felt with anyone before.” Another moment of
silence slipped by. “I mean I do feel safe with you. I don’t want
to lose that . . . to lose you yet.”
    Evan felt touched by her heart-rending
admission as well as