Fire and Ice - Anne Stuart [102]
She slipped off the table, wincing as she put her weight on her sprained ankle, and began moving toward the back of the cubicle, when the enveloping curtains were pulled back. He was there after all, a bandage across his forehead, his arm in a sling, his bad-boy smile in place, despite the fact that she’d managed to split his lip when she’d punched him.
She managed not to throw herself into his arms. She froze, looking at him. “You never told me. What happened to your beautiful hair?”
“I needed to blend in. You can’t guard someone if you stand out like a parrot.”
“You cut it for me?”
She was waiting for a denial, but none came. “Someone was following you. I needed to make certain you were safe. I got here a little late, though. You were already in the hospital.”
“And you were there, too.”
He didn’t deny that, either. “You want to get the hell out of here? They were talking about putting you under psychiatric observation when I went by.”
He was going to kill her. He was going to break her heart all over again, in tiny little pieces. She should just lie down and wait for it to pass. But she only wanted to lie down with him.
“I thought you’d be halfway to Tokyo by now,” she said, stalling.
“Not without you.”
Oh, man, she was so screwed. He was bad enough when he was giving her shit. Right now he was looking at her as if she was the most precious thing on earth, and she knew what she looked and smelled like. The world had turned upside down.
“I don’t suppose you love me,” she said. “Even a little bit?”
“Don’t be an idiot, Ji-chan. Why else would I be here? Now, do you want to stay here or do you want to prove you’re really crazy and come with me?”
“Will you grow your hair again?”
“If you want me to.”
“Then tell me.”
“You’re not going to make this easy, are you? Su-chan warned me about you.”
“She warned me, too. Tell me.”
He let out a long-suffering sigh. “Aishiteru,” he muttered.
“In English.”
“I love you.”
She beamed at him. “I love you, too. Now, let’s get the hell out of here.”
“Holy motherfucker, yes!” he said, relieved. And a moment later they were gone.
ISBN: 978-1-4268-1606-2
FIRE AND ICE
Copyright © 2008 by Anne Kristine Stuart Ohlrogge.
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, MIRA Books, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
MIRA and the Star Colophon are trademarks used under license and registered in Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, United States Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries.
www.MIRABooks.com
Table of Contents
Cover
Copyright
Contents
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23