Free The Secret Kiss of Darkness by Christina Courtenay Page A

couldn’t face eating at the moment, and watching television or reading held no appeal either. She just wanted to close her eyes and shut out the pain. To forget the entire day and pretend it had never happened.
    She yawned and waited for oblivion.
    Late in the evening Kayla’s stomach decided it wanted sustenance after all, so she climbed down to make herself a cheese sandwich. She’d only just sat down on the sofa and taken the first bite when she heard the now familiar voice.
    ‘You don’t really believe it was my fault, do you?’
    Kayla raised her eyes to stare at a swarthy face that wasn’t smiling any more, but had compassion clearly written all over it. It was dark in the room, as she’d turned off the light in the kitchenette, but a streetlight outside her window illuminated everything and she could see him clearly. He seemed so real and Kayla felt that if she’d gone over to him and reached out a hand, she could have touched him and felt his warmth. She didn’t dare because she was sure it would shatter the hallucination and she desperately wanted to cling to it. In silence she waited for him to say something else.
    ‘He wasn’t the right man for you, my dear,’ he said gently. ‘You’ll do much better without him. He didn’t appreciate you as a man should appreciate the woman he marries. You were never soul mates. Believe me, I should know.’
    ‘You’re talking again.’ Kayla blinked several times, because he was moving again as well, almost fidgeting. This time she knew she was awake and had no temperature. She was stone cold sober and the sandwich in her hand surely proved that this was all real. She took a bite just to make sure and chewed slowly.
    She couldn’t stop looking at him. He smiled and her breath caught in her throat. It was the kind of smile that could win over even the staunchest opponent, the smile of a man who knew he could charm anyone if he wanted to, and she felt herself begin to relax. If only he would continue smiling at her this way, she’d be quite happy to just sit there and look at him, she decided. Why hadn’t the artist painted him like that instead of trying for the
Mona Lisa
approach?
    ‘Yes, I’m speaking to you. You don’t appear to want for sense and I thought you might be ready to listen at last. Are you?’
    ‘I-I don’t know. This isn’t real, is it? If I’m dreaming I have all the time in the world.’
    He sighed. ‘I told you, it doesn’t matter. Somehow we are communicating and you will remember my words either way. It is up to you to decide how it happened, if you must.’
    ‘Really?’
    ‘Yes. Trust me, please?’
    ‘Okay. I’m listening. What is it that’s so important?’ Kayla leaned forward so she could look him in the eyes. They were fringed with thick, black lashes and gleamed like dark sapphires in the faint glow from the streetlight. His gaze soothed her, made her feel protected and safe. She relaxed back against the sofa behind her.
    ‘I need your help,’ he said. ‘Fate seems to have chosen you to be my assistant in this matter and I have no idea why, so don’t ask. We have to accept it is so. Now I will tell you some facts about myself. You will memorise my words, and when you’re feeling better you can check the truth of what I say for yourself. Simple, isn’t it?’ He spread out his hands.
    ‘Sounds easy enough, but …’
    ‘But what?’
    ‘I, er, nothing.’ She still couldn’t take her eyes off him. He was magnificent in his dark red coat which shimmered in the dim light. He seemed awfully big, his six foot two or three frame powerful, but he didn’t scare her. On the contrary, she found it almost impossible to quash the impulse to go up to him and touch him. He smiled again, as if he could read her thoughts, and she felt her cheeks heat up. Looking down at her sandwich, she picked little bits of cheese off in order to keep her hands occupied. ‘Fire away.’
    ‘I beg your pardon?’
    ‘I mean, continue,