He shook his head.
“Lion. The tattoo, your name, and…” She stood up and paced the room. “God, this is going to sound crazy, but what does it really matter at this point. I saw you, and I felt pulled toward you.”#p#分页标题#e#
“That’s attraction, Abby.”
“No. Well, yes. But no.”
He laughed. “Which is it? Don’t spare my ego.”
“What woman wouldn’t be attracted to you?”
“Don’t do that. I might not be as smart as you, but I know I deserve more than that.”
She paused. “You’re right, Tah. I’m sorry. I’m very attracted to you. But it’s more than that. I watched you and couldn’t stop. It felt like I was waiting for something, some sign from you. I couldn’t force myself away.”
“I felt the same way.”
“What?”
“I know you thought I ignored you. I did a good job of making you feel that way. But I was always aware of you. I told Logan and Reno I’d kick their asses if they hit on you.”
“I doubt you had to worry about that.” Reno was the friend who’d made the comment about her devouring Tah with her eyes.
“You have no idea what you do to a man. You tie our guts in knots with lust then shoot us down with that brilliant mind. How do I compete with that? How will I ever be good enough for a woman as intelligent and beautiful as you? You deserve more than a bartender who spent eight years as a Marine in a desert overseas. You deserve a man who can meet you on your own level.”
“Tah.” She felt her eyes fill with tears. Is that what he thought? That he wasn’t good enough for her?
“I watched you every night, Abby. Every fucking night. The way you tilt your head to the right when you’re really studying something. The way your nose scrunches up when you’re concentrating. The way you rub the spot just under your right breast when you’re worried.”
Her hand dropped to it and rubbed.
“I watched you, Abby. Just like you watched me.”
“I didn’t realize.”
“So, which one of us is really the clueless one here?”
“That’s not fair.”
“No, it’s not, but you can’t be mad at me for what isn’t true.”
“There’s more to talk about,” she whispered as he moved toward her.
“I’m suddenly not in the mood to talk.” He kept coming toward her until her back hit the wall and he loomed over her.
“Things didn’t end so well the last time we were in this position,” she reminded him.
“I’m willing to try again.”
She glanced around. “We’re still in a cheap motel.”
He sighed. “Trust me. It’s not that cheap.”
She laughed. “We need to talk, Tah, before I lose my nerve.”
“I can’t see you ever losing your nerve.”
“Something happened when they chained you to that wall. I think you know it. I think we need to talk about it.”
She saw his tongue run over his teeth again behind his closed lips.
“Yeah, we need to talk about it.” He moved away from her and walked over to the window. He opened the curtain an inch and glanced out at the parking lot where his bike sat. “I did that, didn’t I?” He turned back to Abby. “I killed him.”
She nodded.
He sighed and hung his head. “What happened? You need to tell me exactly what happened.”
“You roared.”
“I know I roared. I had a sick bastard cutting me with a knife after torturing the shit out of me. He wanted me to roar. I fucking roared.”
She shook her head. “I’ll get to all that in a minute. When he hit you in the chest with that syringe full of adrenaline, you roared so loud you shook the whole building.”#p#分页标题#e#
“That’s what he gave me?” He rubbed his chest where the needle had pierced. “Fuck. I’m lucky that shit didn’t kill me.”
“Not only that. Look at you. You were just beaten and tortured, shot full of adrenaline, drugged, shocked, and knocked unconscious not once but twice.” She walked over and jerked his shirt up, revealing his chest and the lion tattoo. “But look at you. There are no marks on you, not even from the knife. Hell, you’re not even sore.”
He glanced down as if just now realizing what she was pointing out. “I’ve always been a fast healer.”
“No one heals that fast, Tah.”
He leaned his head back and sighed. “What else?”
She paced away from him. “He hit you with the needle and you…God, you…”
“I what, Abby?”