Dangerous Memories Read Online Free Page B

up.”
    “Don’t rush it. You only drifted off a few minutes.” He stood, stretching his arms to the overhead compartment where he’d stowed his duffel bag.
    His muscles grew taut and he may have sucked in his gut. She wasn’tcertain, but it was nice to think he was showing off. Even endorphins couldn’t shake the eerie feeling from the dream. She needed to move more than the two feet available in the compartment. “When is the train going to leave?”
    “Any minute. We can talk about your dream.” Levi stretched a white undershirt over his head.
    “No talking. Not yet.”
    She tried to dart to the side, make itto the corner before he could move again, but bad timing chose that moment for the train to ease into motion. She fell against his body. His bare arms quickly wrapped her in a protective embrace, leaving the shirt stuck around his neck. Her hot cheek pressed against the smooth cool skin of his shoulder.
    “It’s okay, Jolene.”
    The way his hand skimmed her hair and the back of her neck,soothed her like a drug. She could become addicted very quickly to this level of comfort. Her hands found the natural curves of the muscles in his back. The same ones she’d wanted to explore earlier through his wet shirt.
    The vibration of the train made her toes tingle, at least that was the most logical explanation. If she didn’t have that reasoning, then she was tingly all over becausehe was holding her.
    Oh, no. Not again. He’d think she’d done it on purpose, to get close to him. There was no way to explain what had been happening in her head without talking.
    No talking. No explanations. Not yet.
    In her current state of exhaustion, she’d lose her concentration. Before she knew it, she’d be sitting back in a hypnotherapist’s chair or with a psychiatrist attemptingto “clear her mind.”
    She jumped away from him as quickly as she’d landed there. She just should have left before her hands had wandered around his strong sinewy back. One step and the couch was against her knees. Not far enough.
    “I’m sorry, I should have waited.” She pointed toward the bath door. “I just...you know, needed to use the sink.”
    “Jolene...”
    She couldn’t let himtalk or touch her. She sidestepped his body and shuffled to the sink to splash water on her face. Stay awake. Keep it together. Just ignore him until he shares answers. He moved toward the window, slipping the curtain open an inch with that long finger that had slid over the curve of her collarbone.
    It couldn’t be happening again. She refused to believe she still had a crush on the handsomeLevi Cooper. She’d been over him a long time.
    He was larger than anything in her dull life. Full of energy, fun, confidence.
    Hold on, that was all fake. He’d lied. She needed to get her head on straight and had a horrible feeling it wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.
    Fifteen hours on a train? In a room just with him?
    Quickly locking the door to the two-foot shower/toilet,she had every intention of never coming out or facing him again. Especially in Dallas.

Chapter Three
    TEXT MESSAGE: Blocked Sender 11:43 P.M.
    Received confirmation you have eyes on target. Disappointed at earlier miss. We caution against another annoyance. Retrieve evidence. Eliminate.

    L EVI STARED AT the door and absently polished his weapon with his T-shirt. It was the best he could do without a cleaning kit. Something to keep him awake, alert,prepared. They were on a train, had been for almost six hours.
    He didn’t like unknowns and there were a heck of a lot of them associated with Joseph, Elaine and Jolene Atkins. Protection duty was a lot different than investigative work.
    I hope I don’t let you down, Joseph.
    Jolene had come out of the shower an hour after he’d promised an extra large T-shirt. The steward didn’t havea problem collecting one from the souvenir shop or a couple of burgers from the dining car. After all, it was an emergency with their “lost” luggage.