Regret trickled through the cracks of my irritation. It was true that I’d hidden my insomnia from him. Mostly because I didn’t want to reveal the cause of it. I didn’t want to mention the nightmare woman to him, or admit my primitive fear of her hitching breath, or dripping mouth… of what she might tell me.
If I let her.
“I didn’t want to bother you about it. It’s not a big deal. It’s probably got to do with all the stress and excitement of our wedding and the move here. I haven’t settled in yet, completely. I got an over the counter sleep aid. Once I get a few nights of decent sleep, I’ll get back into a regular rhythm.”
There was a long pause, in which I sensed him gathering the frayed ends of his restraint and tucking them back into place.
“I’d appreciate it if you’d let me drive you next time, or at the very least, let me go with you until you get more familiar with the road,” he said in a careful, strained tone. “You have no idea how many tourists crash on the roads around here. You’ve seen the drop-offs. I assume you can imagine what could potentially happen if you made even a minor driving error. It’s all I’ve been thinking about since I saw your note.”
If I’d felt regret before, I experienced full-fledged guilt now. Why had I been so impetuous? I’d purposefully avoided him. I hadn’t wanted him to know I was taking the trip alone, because I hadn’t wanted him to talk me out of it. And he’d had good reason to be cautious. The road had been alarming the first time out, even if I did think I would grow used to it, eventually.
“Evan—”
“I’ll see you inside,” he said gruffly.
And suddenly the only view I had of him was his back.
Chapter Five
I thought of looking for him when I got in the house, but figured maybe it was best for both of us to cool off first. I had planned to paint when I returned, but a wave of exhaustion hit me as I walked up the grand staircase. Maybe it was due to my insomnia, or maybe it was the adrenaline fading in my blood after the nerve-wracking drive and that spat with Evan.
I went to our room, drew the heavy curtains, and lay down. As I drifted off to sleep, the vision of Evan’s face popped into my mind’s eye. It struck me that he’d been angry, yes… but his concern had been almost wild.
He wasn’t worried about me. He was worked up because of her.
Elizabeth.
It was a nasty hissing whisper in a distant corner of my mind. I choked it off, thinking about my painting with a furious focus, until sleep finally took me.
I awoke to the sensation of Evan’s whiskered jaw lightly scraping my temple and his lips moving next to my ear. I turned. His mouth grazed mine. I opened heavy eyelids. The room had grown dim. Evan was an impenetrable shadow hovering over me, his touch and warm breath making my nerves flicker with pleasure.
“Dinner will be ready soon. I thought if you slept too much longer, you definitely wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.”
“I’m glad you woke me up,” I whispered, reaching to cup his shoulder.
He nuzzled me with his nose. Our mouths met again, clinging.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were having trouble sleeping?” he asked against my lips, his voice a low, delicious rumble in the hushed, heavily shadowed room.
“I didn’t want you to worry.”
“I do worry about you. It comes with the territory,” he said, nipping softly at my lips. I glided my hand along his back.
“God, you feel good,” I said.
He kissed my neck. “You smell so good. Always. So sweet. Fresh.”
“Evan, did Elizabeth die in a car accident?”
His tingling kisses ceased.
I bit my lower lip in inevitable regret when he slowly lifted his head. I strained to see his features in the dim light. All I made out was the gleam of his eyes.
“Is that why you think I’m concerned about your driving alone?”
“You seemed really worried. Unusually so. I thought maybe I’d struck a nerve because of something that had happened earlier… something with her.”
He straightened into a sitting position. I resisted a wild urge to take it all back… to pull him back down to me.