Soul Bonded Read Free Page A

around her stomach and tried not to let on how terrified she suddenly felt.
    He hesitated. “Yes.” For the first time since entering the room, he made brief eye contact. “But you’re safe here with me, Katie. I swear it.”
    When he looked at her, she nearly forgot to breathe. It wasn’t just the impact of those piercing eyes finally landing on her, but also the way they seemed to see her in a way that she wasn’t sure she’d ever really been seen before. She knew it was ridiculous to feel this way—not even a minute ago, she’d been worried that he was getting ready to attack her—but that didn’t change how his gaze made her feel inside. He looked at her as though he loved her. As though he would even die for her. She couldn’t fathom what would inspire that level of devotion from a man who didn’t know her at all. It frightened her. So did the sudden realization that he’d called her by name.
    “I looked at your driver’s license,” he said, answering her unspoken question. “Your purse is next to the nightstand, on the floor. And your clothes are drying now. I can bring them to you when they’re ready.” He tore his gaze away from hers. “They were soaking wet by the time I got you home. I tried not to look at…you…any more than necessary.”
    Katie blushed. “Given that you know so much about me already, maybe you can tell me your name?”
    “Rafe Whelan.” He walked to the doorway and paused with his back to her. “I’ll bring you lunch, then leave you alone. I’ve got books, if you like to read, or paper and pencils, if you wanted to write or draw. No television, I’m afraid. No computer, either.”
    She doubted she would be able to relax enough to do anything except sit and worry. Her life was literally in this man’s hands. His very strong, masculine, sexy hands—which could be serial killer hands, for all she knew, or those of a sadistic sexual predator. After her reaction to having those hands on her, she couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d not only undressed her, but also initiated some kind of intimate contact she only vaguely remembered. And now he reeked of guilt and shame. How could she read or draw or nap, especially, with that hanging over her? Afraid to alert him to her growing suspicion, she scooted back against the headboard and pulled her knees to her chest. “A book would be nice.”  
    He nodded and started out the door, but something made her call out to him. “Wait!”
    Rafe stopped and glanced back in her direction. “Yes?”
    “When do you think the roads will be open?”
    “I don’t know.” He turned and stared at her with an intensity that raised the fine hairs on her arms. “Soon, I hope. I want to get you back to your people just as badly as you want to go. Believe me.”
    Hearing the sincerity in his words, but unsure what to make of it, she gave him a reluctant nod. She didn’t want him to know that she distrusted him. Not while she was a prisoner in his home. “You saved my life. Thank you.”
    “You’re welcome.” Something that looked like regret passed across his face, but he covered it nicely with a smile that made Katie’s stomach flip-flop despite her best efforts to remain unaffected. “If you’re still cold, I can prepare a hot bath for you. And give you privacy, of course.”
    She couldn’t think of a worse idea. “That’s generous of you, but I’m okay. Thanks.”
    He left with a curt nod, the smile vanishing from his face before he’d even turned away. Katie shuddered as he closed the door. Alone with his dog—Shilah—she sank her fingers into the coarse fur that covered the back of his neck. “Are you here to keep me warm, or to guard me?”
    Shilah rolled onto his side and exposed his belly in a clear attempt to solicit a stomach rub. She complied, feeling a little silly about her fleeting paranoia. The dog was just an overgrown puppy. Perhaps his master had a similar soft nature.
    There was no real reason to assume