Like Silk. Mary Baxter Lynn

him more depressed than ever. “Ah, to hell with it,” he spat aloud, crossing to the bed and plopping down on it. Perhaps if he lay there long enough, he would fall asleep, regardless of his restless mind and heart.

      He awakened with a start, totally disoriented for a moment, then realized where he was. He couldn’t identify what had interrupted his sleep. He peered at the clock. Midnight. His rest had certainly been short-lived.

      Collier heard the noise then. This must be what had awakened him, and this time he recognized it. Someone was sobbing. Brittany was sobbing. Before he had time to think, he lunged off the bed and headed for her room. Without hesitation, he opened the door, then eased onto the side of her bed, scared shitless that she had internal injuries only a doctor could fix.

      “Brittany,” he whispered, hearing the note of panic in his voice but unable to control it.

      The small lamp burning in the corner gave him access to her face. When she gazed up at him, the stark sadness in those eyes opened an emotional floodgate inside him. It was all he could do not to grab her and hold her tightly, aching to absorb some of that pain.

      Instead he ignored that need and concentrated on his fears, growing more alarming by the second. “Are you in pain?” he rasped.

      She blinked back tears. “No. I…guess I was dreaming. I’m sorry I disturbed you.”

      “Hush,” he said gently.

      As if they had a will of their own, his hands began wandering over her body, searching for broken bones, signs of something, anything, he might have missed.

      Only after a sob suddenly caught in her throat and her big brown eyes locked on his did he pause, realizing one hand was covering her breast.

      For the longest time, neither one of them moved. The feelings clamoring through him were so raw, so all-consuming, so terrifying, that he could only stare back at her while her nipple budded in his palm.

      “Collier,” she breathed, placing a hand on his cheek.

      Further indulging himself in this moment of madness, he lowered his mouth to hers. At first he simply grazed her lips. But when she answered his groan and pressed her mouth closer, his need increased to a feverish pitch. He drank from the sweetness she offered him, kissing her with a deep and frightening intensity.

      All the emotions that had been smoldering inside him since that first night exploded. Only after he had no more air in his lungs did he let her go and pull back.

      Mutual shock seemed to paralyze them both for several seconds, the sound of the rain barely drowning out the rapid beat of their hearts.

      “Dear God,” Collier said in a strangled tone before easing her back onto the pillow, horror washing over him.

      Before she could respond, he got up, turned and walked out the door.

      Six

      “What on earth is going on?”

      Brittany tightened her grip on the phone. “You did get my message, didn’t you?”

      “Yes,” Sissy Newman, the owner of the travel agency, responded. “But I didn’t like the vibes I got. You sounded different, like something was wrong. Is it?”

      “Yes,” Brittany admitted, “but I can’t go into it right now.” She had left a generic message and the phone number on Sissy’s machine after Collier had given her permission to use the phone. She had called the diner, as well. She hadn’t wanted to lose either of her jobs.

      “As long as you’re okay.” Sissy paused. “I’m assuming you’re not coming in today.”

      Sissy sounded a bit out of sorts, since Brittany often worked on Saturdays, but Brittany took no offense. The older woman was her friend and had been for years. She knew Sissy had her well-being at heart. She was the only person Brittany felt like she could count on in a time of crisis.

      But because Rupert was Sissy’s biggest client, his involvement made for a sticky situation. While she couldn’t entirely keep what had happened from Sissy, she wasn’t about to go into it on the phone or tell her who had hurt her.

      “No, I’m not,” Brittany hedged.

      

      “When are you going to tell me what’s going on? It’s not like you to miss work.”

      Brittany willed the tears back. “I know.”

      “Are you sick? Why don’t you just say so?”

      “Please, Sissy, I’ll explain later. I promise. Just trust me, okay?”

      “All right,” Sissy said with a sigh. “I know when to back off. You take care now, and let me hear from you.”

      Once the phone was back in its cradle, Brittany sat still for a minute. That was when she realized how quiet it was. Had it stopped raining? Crossing to the window, she opened the blind. Peeping out from behind the clouds was the sun. Relief washed through her.

      Did that mean they could leave? She dared not get her hopes up, but she couldn’t help it. After what happened between her and Collier Smith last night…

      For a second her mind simply closed down and she couldn’t get enough air through her lungs for a decent breath. Feeling dizzy and slightly queasy, she tried not to think about that soul-depriving kiss.

      Crazy.

      That was the only word for it. She was shocked and mortified at her own behavior. Long after he’d lurched off the bed and torn out of the room, she had lain awake, thinking that the trauma she’d suffered had affected her mind, made her so weak and vulnerable that she hadn’t known what she was doing.

      Liar. She’d known, all right.

      Not only had he kissed her, but she’d kissed him back. This time fresh tears burned her eyes. Furious with her inability to control her frayed nerves, she made her way into the bathroom, flipped on the light and looked in the mirror.

      She still looked the part—an abused woman. Another sick feeling washed over her. If there was a positive note to this, at least only one side of her face had born the brunt of Rupert’s fist. She dug her nails into her palms, not even wincing against the pain.

      Damn him. Damn herself for letting him do this to her. He shouldn’t get away with it. He should have to pay. Collier was right about that. But turning him in wasn’t the answer, either. She knew Rupert and his connections. He would find some way to make everything her fault, deal her more misery than she could handle. With Tommy, two jobs and college, her plate was full.

      Rupert had the money and the power to squash her. She had neither. Because she was without means, young and alone, she had been an easy target. However, when the time was right and she knew she had a chance to get Rupert, she would. Her gentleness was often perceived as weakness. But that wasn’t so. She was smart enough to pick the battles she could win. One of these days, Rupert would pay.

      Turning away from her bruised face, Brittany made her way back into the bedroom, her eyes going immediately to the bed. Collier’s image rose to the forefront of her mind, bigger than life. Who was this man? Other than the fact that he was an attorney, she didn’t know anything about him. Yes, she did. She knew he had class and money, and that he was good-looking, though not magazine good-looking. His angular jaw and slightly crooked nose prevented that.

      Still, he had plenty of entries in the plus column. He was tall and slender, with just the right amount of well-defined muscles and lines in his face to give him character. His dark hair, free of any gray, accented his deep blue eyes and long sooty lashes.

      She wondered if he was married. Probably. The good ones always were, and she judged him to be in his late thirties, too old to still be single. He wasn’t wearing a ring, but that didn’t mean anything these days. If he wasn’t married, he was certainly involved.

      Suddenly she pictured