Free Timeless Mist by Terisa Wilcox Page B

took a deep breath, and told herself that her headache, rapid ly becom ing a migraine, would be
well worth it when e very one
stopped play ing games
with her.
    And after she showed Iain that she knew what was go ing on, he could stop act ing and get her some aspirin
and a cup of coffee with which to take them. She braced herself more secure ly , closed her eyes, and
pushed again with e very ounce of anger, frustration, and will power she had .
    It moved!
    Her eyes flew open and she looked
up in triumph then gasped when she realized Iain stood over her, his arms on
either side of her head. Her concentration had been so intense on mov ing the wardrobe she hadn't heard him approach.
    He stood close enough for her to
feel the heat from his body and smell the musky male scent of him. He smelled
of outdoors, of sweat and fresh air and all male. The sensations overwhelmed
her for a moment and she froze as her senses leapt to life. A sensuous light
passed between them as she met his blue eyes. Eyes that darkened with desire.
    His gaze traveled over her face
and searched her eyes. A t ing le
started in the pit of her stomach and someth ing intense flared through his apparent interest. His nearness made her senses spin
and her heart race.
    Kris saw his head lower ever so
slight ly , uncertain ly . Her lips parted in
silent invitation, though she did not give them permission to do so.
    When his lips final ly touched hers, the heat of
his mouth sent a wave of pleasure through her entire body. It was a kiss meant to tempt, not seize, to woo and
seduce, not overcome
and conquer, but to give in to. She leaned into that kiss, accept ing it and silent ly ask ing for more.
    The shock of her response jolted
her back to reality. Her eyes flew open and she broke the kiss. She cleared her
throat, pretend ing not to be affected. With a
deep, unsteady breath, she moved away from him before she did someth ing complete ly stupid, like throw herself back in
his arms and kiss him this time.
    Iain's brows flickered a little
and he offered her a sort of half smile. Her knees tremble a bit. His smile,
though not quite a smile, was almost as intimate as his kiss. She looked
away, then back up when she heard him move.
    He shrugged in indifference
before he proceeded to move the heavy piece of furniture out from the wall as
easi ly as he would
move a goblet from one place to a not her.
Or so it seemed to her. She stood and watched, silent ly wait ing to see what was behind
door number one, as it were .
    When the wardrobe was far enough away from the
wall, Kris crossed the room to peer behind it, half in anticipation, half in
dread. What she saw, or rather did n't see, made her blink several times in rapid succession. A scream of fear and
frustration built in the back of her throat.
    She froze, mind and body benumbed
with the reality of what she saw. She stood motionless and shook her head in
dismay, too stunned to cry or give voice to her panic. She was so confused that for a moment she could n't speak. When she final ly found her voice, a faint
thread of hysteria crept into it.
    "I-I do n't understand." She
looked at Iain, "I was so certain." Her anger evaporated, leav ing on ly uncertainty and
agony of loss. Her mind refused to register the significance of what she looked
at behind the wardrobe.
    Not h ing .
    Not h ing but a blank wall. No
hidden door lead ing to
a closet, no knob, not even the s had ow of an
outline for a door. Just an empty wall. In desperation, she examined the wall
hop ing to find
evidence of a concealed door. The spark of hope that flickered in her spirit was ext ing uished in a
heartbeat. Her heart squeezed in anguish as she realized she was stuck here. Wherever
here really was .
    *          *          *
    "Are ye ill, lass?" Iain
watched the various emotions cross her face. She gazed at him in anguish, her
expression one of utter desolation and hopelessness. He'd not seen such a look of loss
and desolation since his