Sanctuary(108)

"I didn't face it."

"Stop it. How much is anyone supposed to face? The son of a bitch, putting you through that." He stared over her shoulder, wishing viciously he had something to fight, something to pummel. "What's the Charlotte PD doing about it?"

"I didn't report it in Charlotte." Her eyes went wide when he jerked her back. Widened still more when she saw the wild fury in his.

"What the hell do you mean, you didn't report it? You're )just going to let him get away with it? just do nothing?"

"I had to get away. I just wanted to get away from it. I couldn't cope. I could barely function."

When he became aware that his fingers were digging into her shoulders, he let her go. Snatching up his glass, he paced away from her. And he remembered how she'd looked when he first saw her on the island. Pale, exhausted, her eyes bruised and unhappy.

"You needed sanctuary."

Her breath came out in three jerks. "Yes, I suppose I did. Today I learned I hadn't found it. He's been here." Resolutely she swallowed the fresh panic in her throat. "He mailed photos of me from Savannah. Photos he'd taken here on the island."

Fresh fury clawed at him with hot-tipped fingers. Drawing on all of his control, Nathan turned slowly. "Then we'll find him. And we'll stop him."

"I don't even know if he's still on the island. If he'll come back, if ... I don't know why, and that's the worst of it. But I'm facing it now, and I'm going to deal with it."

"You don't have to deal with it along. You matter to me, Jo Ellen. I won't let you deal with it alone. You're going to have to face that too."

,,Maybe that's why I came here. Maybe that's why I had to come here."

He set his wing down again so he could take her face in both hands. "I won't let anyone hurt you. Believe that."

she did, a little too easily, a little too strongly, and tried to backpedal. "It's good knowing you're on my side, but I have to be able to handle this."

"No." He lowered his mouth gently to hers. "You don't."

Her heart began to flutter in a different kind of panic. "The police said-"

"You went to the police?"

"Today. I . . ." she lost her train of thought for a moment as his mouth brushed hers again. "They said they'd look into it, but they don't have a lot to look into. I haven't been threatened."

"You feel threatened." He ran his hands down to her shoulders, over them. "'That's more than enough. We're going to make that stop." He skimmed his lips over her cheek, along her temple, into her hair. "I'm going to take care of you," he murmured.

The words revolved in her spinning mind, refused to settle. "What?"

He doubted either one of them was ready to face what he'd suddenly realized. He needed to take care of her, to soothe away those troubles, to ease her heart. And he needed to be sure that whatever he did wouldn't snap the thin threads of the relationship they were just beginning to weave.

"Put it aside for a little while. Take an evening to relax." He ran his fingers up and down her spine once before drawing back to study her. "I've never seen anyone more in need of a rare steak and a glass of wine."

He was giving her time, she realized. That was good. That was best. she managed to smile. "It does sound pretty good. It would be nice not to even think about all of this for an hour."

"Then I'll put the steaks on, you can dig out the fries. And I'll bore you to tears talking about this new project I have in mind."

"You can try, but I don't cry easily." she turned to the freezer, opened it, then closed it again. "I don't like sex."

He stopped one step away from the microwave. It was necessary to clear his throat before he could face her again. "Excuse me?"

"Obviously that's part of the package we're putting together here." Jo linked her hands together. It was best to be up-front about it, she thought. Practical. Especially since the words were out and couldn't be taken back.

He really had to stop putting his wine down, Nathan decided, and picking it up again, he took one long, slow sip. "You don't like sex."

"I don't hate it," she said, pulling her fingers apart to wave a hand. "Not like coconut."

"Coconut."

"I really hate coconut-even the smell puts me off Sex is more like, I don't know, tan."

"Sex is like tan."

"I'm ambivalent about it."

"Uh-huh. Meaning, take it or leave it. If it's there, fine, but why go out of your way?"

Her shoulders relaxed. "That's about it. I thought I should ten you so you wouldn't build up any big expectations if we go to bed."

He ran his tongue over his teeth. "Maybe you haven't had any really well-prepared tan ... in your experience."