‘Oh no, Sir. I still have my corset on.’

My little finger twitched, no doubt betraying my hand’s desire to wrap around her neck and start squeezing. ‘What a tremendous comfort to us all!’

Balling up her shirt, I hurled it over my shoulder and, with some satisfaction, heard it hit her in the head with a muffled noise.

Think! Think about normal things. Sane things. Things that do as they are told.

‘Where’s Karim?’ I demanded. ‘Has he gone to dance tango with the monkeys, or is there at least one person in this group besides me who has not lost their mind yet?’

‘He’s gone scouting ahead.’

‘This early? Why?’

‘I, um…’ Did she actually sound embarrassed? No, my ears had to be malfunctioning. The rest of my body seemed to be doing whatever the heck it wanted lately, so why not my ears as well? ‘He woke up just as I was pulling my shirt off. Gave the poor man quite a shock.’

I had been about to open my knapsack. At her words, I froze.

‘Yes.’ I whispered, my voice oddly calm. ‘I would imagine so.’

The ‘poor man’ and I were going to have a chat when next our paths crossed.

‘I, err…don’t think he saw very much.’

‘Is that so?’

Lucky him.

‘He ran off into the jungle as soon as he had untangled his legs from the hammock he dropped out of.’

‘I see.’

‘So…what about you?’ Footsteps crunched behind me on the forest floor, approaching slowly. ‘If you see me, are you going to run off into the jungle, too?’

I didn’t answer. My fingers clenched around my knapsack. I should run. I should. I should never have let things get this far.

But then…I had never been one to run. Especially not from something I wanted. And I did want her, for whatever infernal, illogical reason. I wanted her more than gold, more than diamonds, more than a three per cent reduction of income tax.[33]

‘What’s the matter, Sir? Are you afraid?’

Afraid?

In front of my inner eye flashed an image from long ago. A boy with sea-coloured eyes cowering in a dirty alley. A starving boy, facing two grinning opponents with wicked grins and wickedly sharp knives.

‘What’s the matter, runt?’ asked the bigger of the two. ‘Are you afraid?’

The boy that was me glared up at them - then, without warning, jumped to his feet and charged.

I whirled around. The knapsack dropped from my hands. Before it thudded to the ground, I was already in front of her, eyes burning with icy fire. Afraid? Me? I almost wanted to laugh. Fear had been beaten out of me a long time ago. And she thought I was afraid of her? She looked so small, so breakable standing in front of me. Afraid? Ha! I’d show her who was in charge here!

‘

Don’t play games with me, Mr Linton!’ I warned, my voice low and dangerous.

‘Oh yes? Why not?’

‘Because if you do, you might soon find yourself the plaything rather than the player!’

She smiled at me. Rising on her tiptoes until she was almost level with me, she lifted her eyes until she met mine straight on.

Tags: Robert Thier Storm and Silence Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net