Silver Falls - Anne Stuart [45]
“I’m sorry we woke you up, darling,” she said as she reached the door.
David was in his pajamas, his blond hair mussed, his eyes sleepy. He looked like a little boy, and a rush of tenderness welled up in her. She stepped inside, her bare feet cold on the flagstone entry, and David leaned out and waved at his brother before he closed the door. Closing them in again.
“I’m so glad you took care of Caleb, darling,” he said, brushing her cheek with his soft lips. “I meant to tell you I’d invited him for dinner but then things got out of control on campus with the news of the body they found, and I just couldn’t leave.”
“Of course not,” she said, pulling off the colorful shawl and holding it in her arms. David never liked it—he said the bright colors assaulted his eyes and detracted from her pure beauty. Which was a ton of shit, but flattering anyway, and she did her best to accommodate him. “Sophie’s over at the Bannister’s.”
“I know—I saw Maggie on my way back to campus. I think that was an excellent idea as well. Dear Sophie pretends to be very strong, but these things can be devastating to young girls.”
Sophie didn’t pretend to be anything, but Rachel kept her mouth shut. “Do you want to come into the living room? We could turn on the fire, light a few candles, snuggle on the sofa?” And end up doing the wild thing on the ancient Persian rug in front of it, making up for the other night’s failure.
David shook his head. “I’m exhausted, and I’ve got an early class tomorrow.” He planted a soft, damp kiss on her lips. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
Soft and damp. So different from Caleb’s kiss. Kisses. Hard and wet and…
“Would you like to join me tonight?” she said, wiping that erotic thought out of her mind. She needed something, she needed David to drive away the memory, the feel of Caleb. She needed to be held, to remember why she chose this man and this life. “I’m feeling a little shaky myself.”
“Oh, Rachel, I’d love to, but it’s just been too long a day,” he said, sounding genuinely regretful. “You don’t mind, do you? I find I have the need of solitude in order to regroup. You understand, don’t you?”
“Of course,” she lied. Caleb said he’d dream about her. Actually he’d said worse than that, the bastard. And without David beside her, she was going to have the same sort of dreams.
Better than dreaming about murdered young women, or thinking back to poor Tessa, only a few years older than Sophie. Gone, torn from a young life by a monster. And it was happening all over again.
But Tessa had been in San Francisco, a thousand miles away. There couldn’t be any connection with a local college student, and the less she heard about the second body the better.
“Good night, dear,” David said, his voice breaking through her abstraction. “You really don’t mind, do you?”
She summoned a bright smile. “Of course not. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“I might be gone before you wake up. But I almost forgot—Stephen Henry has summoned you for lunch. I told him you could make it. One o’clock at his house.”
Shit. “I had other plans. Actually I was thinking of taking Sophie and going on a little trip. Just to get some fresh air, maybe some sunshine…” Her voice trailed off.
He gave her a dazzling smile. “I think that’s a wonderful idea. I know all this rain has been getting to you. We natives are used to it—we call it liquid sunshine—but I can understand that it might be a little hard for you two to grow accustomed to it. This business up at the falls must bring up some terrible memories.”
Rachel felt relief flood her. “It has. I just think it would be good for Sophie if I took her away for a few days.”
“And I agree. In another week she’ll have a break for Thanksgiving, and I’m sure I can get away myself. That’s one good thing about Caleb’s return—he can keep my father busy while you and I have some time away.” A faint look of anxiety darkened his eyes. “Unless…you didn’t specifically invite me. Maybe you wanted to go alone?”
“Of course not,” she lied. He’d been so sweet, so amenable, that