Free THE CRADLE CONSPIRACY by Robin Perini Page A

Gold, Au.
    Her head ached, but an almost desperate excitement rose within her. She knew this information. The knowledge was second nature. She could identify the elements clearly, easily. Was she a chemistry teacher? A scientist?
    She glanced at the cantina across the road. Drinking alcohol, ethyl alcohol or ethyl hydroxide. EtOH. Flash point: pure EtOH caught fire at just under seventeen degrees centigrade.
    She grabbed Trouble’s fur. “I remember something from before.”
    Daniel opened her door. “We’re in room number six,” he said.
    She barely heard him, digging her fingers into his arm. “I know the periodic table of the elements. I know chemicals. Benzene. C6H6. An organic chemical compound. A natural constituent of crude oil. It has a sweet smell.” Her body shook. “It’s like breathing air. I know it the same way I know Trouble is a dog, and you’re a man, and that knob turns on the radio.”
    She smiled up at him. “My head hurts like the devil, but I know my chemistry.”
    “Chemistry,” Daniel muttered. “It’s a good start.” He slid his hands under her and swept her into his arms, then glanced around. “You can tell me all about it once we’re inside.”
    “I’m too heavy,” she protested.
    “I carried you a couple miles down that highway,” he said, tightening his grip. “I’m getting used to the feel of you in my arms.”
    Daniel balanced her against his chest, and she couldn’t help feeling small against his broad shoulders. He was a bit lean for his build, as if he hadn’t eaten right, but every sinew of muscle oozed strength.
    With a quick turn of an old key, he pushed into the motel room. Trouble bounded in ahead of them, checking out the place, his nose against the carpet.
    Daniel’s arms tightened around her as if he didn’t want to let her go. His gaze dropped to her mouth, and suddenly the sheer joy of knowledge transformed into something else. His eyes grew dark, a flicker of green sparking in the hazel depths. Her breath caught. She was hurt, dusty and so not-sexy, but she couldn’t help but lean into him. In the uncertainty of her current existence, he had become a constant.
    Her hands flattened on his strong shoulders. His fingers moved along her back, and a flash of awareness tingled through her. Her lungs tightened, and her mouth went dry. She wet her lower lip, and his chest rumbled against hers.
    Sparks she recognized ignited between them, and she squirmed.
    In two steps Daniel laid her on the regular-sized bed taking over the room. His movements gentle, he placed a pillow behind her back.
    She looked to the other side of the mattress, clutching the simple quilt with her fingertips. Not much room. If he wanted to sleep in the bed with her, they couldn’t help touching each other. Her gaze lifted to his, and she bit her lip.
    The heat in Daniel’s gaze dimmed, and he took in a shuddering breath, as if fighting for control. He doused the fire burning between them and took a step back. “Sorry. They didn’t have a room with two beds available.” Daniel placed his hand on her arm, his touch reigniting that shiver of awareness she couldn’t deny. She may not know her name, but she knew the electricity sparking between them didn’t happen often.
    He snatched his hand back from her arm. “We need to lay down some ground rules. You don’t answer the phone or the door. You don’t stand by the windows. You let me enter first wherever we go. Got it?”
    “But—”
    “It’s not negotiable, darlin’. You sleep here, as far away from the door as possible while I’m keeping watch by the window. You don’t have to be afraid.” His face took on a somber expression, and he trailed his finger down her cheek. “Not of anything or anyone.”
    Including me. He left the unspoken words in the air around them. She shouldn’t be afraid of him, and she wasn’t, but she couldn’t help but be terrified of what she already felt building between them. “I can’t let you