Jamie Read Free Page B

quilt, some clothes, and a jar of suspicious-looking liquid. Somehow he’d come down the ladder without her hearing him.
    Hesitating in front of her, he visually explored her nakedness again, his gaze lingering on her breasts and belly, before reluctantly handing her the towels. “Did you drive here?”
    Her hands shook and her lips trembled. “Part of the way.” She stood and awkwardly wrapped one towel around herself, but it barely touched the top of her thighs. Never in her life had she flaunted herself in front of anyone, and she disliked doing so now.
    â€œLet me. ”Jamie set his bundle on a simple square table at the end of the couch, next to a battery-operated radio, and took the second towel from her.
    â€œI can do it.”
    Lacking sympathy, he said, “No, you can’t.”
    True. Her heavy limbs dragged at her, and her knees wanted to buckle. She pressed her legs together, trying without success to conceal herself.
    But as he began drying her with methodical indifference, she gave up. He ran the towel up the insides of her thighs, behind her knees, and she shuddered, feeling very unhinged and out of control.
    â€œYou drove ... ? ” he prompted, while easing her back against the couch to save her from collapsing.
    Knowing he needed answers, Faith slumped into the deep cushions. “I left my car several hours back and hitchhiked to Visitation.”
    Jamie paused, then resumed drying her. “You could have been hurt.”
    â€œI knew I wouldn’t be.” As he rubbed the loose towel over her arms, upper chest, and shoulders, she clutched the other towel to keep from losing it. “And I couldn’t risk being followed here, though I knew that wouldn’t happen either.”
    His gaze roamed from below her breasts all the way to her feet. He kept looking at her, giving her nudity a lot of attention.
    Absently, he pointed out, “You’re not psychic.”
    â€œNo.” She’d never demonstrated even the slightest ability, much as she wished it otherwise.
    He peered up at her. “Why?”
    â€œWhy what?”
    Impatience showed briefly in his dark eyes, then disappeared. “Why do you wish you had psychic ability?”
    Oh shit.
    At her mental curse, he again quirked his eyebrow. Given that he almost never showed reaction of any kind, Faith supposed a raised eyebrow meant a lot. It thrilled her.
    But rather than give herself away, she utilized the one talent she did have: blanking her mind. Given the new tightness in his features though, she’d been too conspicuous. Her throat felt scratchy and she cleared it with a rough cough. “It, um, would have been easier if I had some ability.”
    â€œEasier how?”
    She flapped a hand. “You know, to deal with ... some people.”
    â€œPeople close to you?”
    â€œYes.”
    Accepting her verbal reluctance, Jamie sat down beside her—not touching, but not with obvious distance either. Did he even notice her as a woman? Unless she’d misunderstood, which was entirely possible, he was supposed to ...
    He handed her the second towel, touched her chin, and brought her face around to his. “Who said I would?”
    Her eyes flared.
    â€œYou may as well tell me.”
    She worried her bottom lip with her teeth before giving up and admitting with disgust, “I’m usually much better at blanking my thoughts.”
    â€œAn odd talent.”
    â€œOne I’ve honed. But for some reason, around you, I’m slipping.”
    â€œYou’re tired.” His fingers glided through her wet hair, tunneled in close to her skull and gently massaged.
    It felt too good. “Jamie . . .”
    Following the length of one long tress, he trailed his fingers downward over her bare shoulder, her breast, almost to her nipple. Odd, the way his touch affected her. Her eyelids went heavy, her heartbeat quickened.
    And just like that, Jamie released her hair and