Spirits Shared Read Online Free Page B

the
fireplace. "I'll take his clothes."
    He reached for the dripping clothing. She
let go without meeting his eyes.
    Damn . The last thing he wanted was
for her to get spooked or think of him as some kind of predator.
Which was going to make what he needed to say next rate a
fifty-fifty chance of causing trouble.
    She'd removed her shoes and socks and
jacket. Her light blue shirt looked dry but her jeans were soaked
and muddy. "You need to get out of anything wet."
    Jessica nodded, her heart hammering away and
the pulse in her neck as good as a flashing neon sign broadcasting
her nervousness. He was right, but…
    Get over yourself. It's not like she
wasn't used to men looking.
    Her shirt was long enough to cover her
panties, barely. Besides, the shirt and panties combined weren't
any more revealing than wearing a bikini and a cover-up at the
beach.
    Tendrils of steam rose from her jeans. In a
little while the mud would become caked dirt.
    She stood and Tekoa turned his head and
closed his eyes, not that she needed the privacy but she
appreciated it. Not that he was the only one guilty of looking.
    He was probably thirty-five to Clay's
thirty-two and her twenty-seven, a little more rugged in appearance
than Clay, but every bit as beautiful, as masculine, as compelling.
His nose and chin and cheek bones begged to be traced with a
fingertip.
    His skin was smooth like dark wood, the
expanse of his shoulders like a tree that had stood for hundreds of
years. And the way his torso tapered down to become abs she'd bet
were an eight pack, not a six pack, were an invitation to kiss
downward.
    The fire popped and crackled and sparked,
catching the diamond in a flash of light and reminding her that she
had a man. A man who wants to be with another man.
    Her throat locked and her chest constricted.
Her eyes went to Clay and some of the tightness eased. He'd gained
color with the fire's warmth and he'd stopped shivering.
    It was going to be okay. He was going to be
okay. Somehow they'd find a way to stay together and be okay.
    She tugged and pushed and peeled the jeans
off, then grabbed her socks. "Here they are," she said, forcing
herself to meet Tekoa's gaze as she gave him the bundle of wet
things.
    He took them and heading toward the bedroom
area. She knelt next to Clay, placed her hand on his chest and he
mumbled something but didn't open his eyes. His heart beat steadily
beneath her palm as if to say I love you, I'll always love
you , and her heart matched that beat.
    She didn't want to lose him. Not to an
accident. Not to another man.
    Firelight caught in the diamond again, and
her eyes burned. She'd only worn it for three months.
    She hadn't guessed what he intended when he
suggested they go to the bookstore where they'd met. They'd gotten
there and he'd taken her hand, same as always, but he'd led her
into the children's section and to the exact spot where she'd been
sitting that day she'd looked up and seen him. He'd dropped to his
knees and said, Marry me, Jess. Make me the happiest man in the
world.
    Yes.
    His smile had given her heart wings. He'd
pulled a jewelry box from a jacket pocket and opened it. Like
it? If you—
    I love it. I love you. I don't need a
ring.
    Wrong. Other guys need to know you've got a
man in your life and you're totally, completely, forever off
limits.
    She'd laughed. Maybe I need to buy you a
new wardrobe and every item of clothing will say, Hands off. This
man is Jessica's Property.
    Do it, babe. Do it.
    The burn in her eyes became the hot wash of
tears against her cheeks. She wiped them off as Tekoa knelt on the
other side of Clay.
    "When one of my people is sick or injured we
perform a sing for them. I'd like to do one for Clay."
    Her gaze jerked upward to meet his. "A
healing ceremony? Like one of the ceremonies in the Tony Hillerman
stories?"
    He smiled. "Tony Hillerman, huh? I've got
some of his books. But no, I'm not like Chee and I'm not one of the
Dineh, the Navajo."
    "What are you