Free Ghostwalker 06 - Predatory Game by authors_sort

was at her side, his hand tangling in the riot of curls. “Baby.” He groaned it softly in a kind of anguish. “Don’t, don’t do this.”
    “Go away.” Her voice was muffled.
    “You know I’m not going to do that,” he replied, keeping his voice low. “You’re sick, Saber, I’m not just leaving you up here to fend for yourself.” His hand stroked her hair. “Come on, love, you’ve got to stop crying. You’ll get a headache.”
    “I already have a headache,” she sniffed. “Go away, Jesse, I don’t want you to see me like this.”
    “Who can see? It’s dark in here,” he teased, hands sliding to her shoulders in a calming rhythm.
    “Where’d your little friend go?” Saber couldn’t stop the words from tumbling out, could have bitten her tongue off for doing so. As if she cared. He could have fifty women, a whole harem over every night while she worked at the station.
    Jess found himself smiling in spite of everything, and had to hastily control his voice. “You’re running a fever, little one, let me get you a cold cloth. Have you taken any aspirin?”
    “So perceptive of you to notice.” Saber sat up, rubbing her eyes with her fist, furious with herself for crying. She swept a hand through the mass of raven-colored curls in a vain effort to smooth the disheveled mess. “And I can take an aspirin all by myself.”
    He was already halfway to her bathroom. “True, but would you?” he queried as he pushed open the door.
    Jess had designed the remodel of his house, making certain that every door was comfortably wide, everything was low enough for him. Now, he was particularly grateful that he’d made certain he had ease Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
    of movement upstairs as well as down. Ignoring the lacy scraps of female underwear hanging to dry on the towel rack, Jess scooped up a washcloth.
    Saber made an effort to pull herself together. So she wasn’t feeling good. Big deal. So her best friend in the entire world had scared the hell out of her. Big deal. Jess was sneaking around with some woman he didn’t want her to know about. Rotten, stinking, no-good bum. Saber smoldered with resentment, frustration, and something that was far too close to jealousy.
    Just what was he doing with all the lights out? How often did Jezebel visit while she was gone? It wasn’t like Saber didn’t tell him about every single disgusting date she went on. They had endless discussions about them. She didn’t sneak behind his back.
    Jess stifled a small grin. It took tremendous effort for him to keep his expression blank. Her violet-blue eyes spit fire at him. Jealousy meant she cared, whether she wanted to care or not. Something stirred in him deep down, something gentle and tender and long forgotten.
    “Baby,” he said gently, “if you continue to look at me like that I’m bound to fall dead on the floor.” The cool washcloth moved over her burning face, stroked down her neck.
    “Good idea, great idea, in fact,” Saber snapped, but she didn’t pull away from his ministrations.
    “Shall I call Eric?” He pushed back her hair.
    Eric Lambert was the surgeon who had saved Jesse’s life, Saber knew, a really big deal, apparently famous among doctors, and he still made house calls—at least to Jess. Sometimes he came with another doctor, a woman, although Saber had never met her. But she knew Jess had been violently ill after the last time they’d both come; she didn’t want any part of that.
    “I’ve got the flu, Jesse,” she reassured him in spite of the fact that he deserved the death penalty. “No big deal, I don’t need a doctor.”
    “You need to get out of these clothes.” His voice dropped a husky octave.
    “Don’t hold your breath.” Having an affair without saying a single word when he wanted to know every detail of her dates? How dare he?
    “Who did you think I was?” He slipped the question in with all the precision of a skilled