Detained

“I can’t make out words, just squiggles, lines and shapes, upside down and backwards letters.”

“Like when you were a kid.”

He looked up. “Bingo.”

&nb

sp; “So how did you learn then?”

“Painstakingly slowly. I had the reading ability of an eight year old when I moved here.”

“Can I help?”

He stood up. “No.” He went back to the fridge; his wounded pride stomping off first, followed by his shadow of shame. He fussed about inside it, shuffling stuff around.

“How about when you left here?”

No response. She could see the curve of his back, the shredded skin of the burn across his side, and the edge of his hipbone, where his jeans slipped low, but his face was hidden. She didn’t need to see it to know he was intensely uncomfortable with this.

“Could you read when you left here?”

A muffled, “Yes.”

“So what happened while you were here?”

“God, Darcy.” He closed the fridge door scrupulously carefully when a slam was more in keeping with his tone. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Physically he was so close, so open to her touch, but the moment she came anywhere near his reasons for being in Tara, or tried to get him to talk about his health or the future, he froze up like the steaks Bo had stacked in the freezer.

She slid off the table and went to him. He was arms folded, leaning back on the benchtop. She knew when she kissed him he’d be stiff lipped, holding back under protest. He loved kissing; he loved to lose himself in her. She was going to win this one for his sake, or sleep in Bo’s room trying.

She tiptoed her fingers up his arms and draped her hands over his shoulders. He unfolded his arms and put his palms on the bench behind him. She rose up, flicked her tongue over his closed lips.

“I know you want to kiss me. How about a trade?”

“I’ve kissed you enough today.”

Oh. She stepped away. He was properly cranky with her. She went back to the table, took up her former position and swung her legs. “Pity, it was going to work like this. I get one question answered—I grant one sexual favour.”

“If that’s the naked twister version of truth or dare, I’ll pass.”

She smiled. Will was about to be defrosted. She hitched his shirt up and parted her knees. His eyes snapped into place.

“Bingo.”

His lids came down. “I’m not playing, Darcy.” He was vaguely annoyed with himself as well now. She probably shouldn’t have used his word back at him. She didn’t want to sleep in Bo’s bed, but if Will wouldn’t play she needed another tactic. She went with push and shove. “Then why are you here?”

He levered off the bench. He was going to walk out.

“Don’t walk away from me.”

He was headed for the front door, a grim expression on his face.

“If you walk away from me I’ll leave.” There was a minute hitch in his stride. Oh shit, she didn’t mean that. She could no sooner leave him than fly to Shanghai with her own wings.

He met the doorway and kept going, disappearing into the sunlight. She got off the table to go after him, no clue what to say to make things right again.

“Will!”