“What?” There was a husky note to his voice.
“Let me see your wrists.”
Never looking away, he unfolded his arms and held his hands above my
palms, so close the heat from his skin curled against mine. Ignoring my
clamoring emotions, I checked his wrists once more. Besides a very masculine,
heavy watch and old scars, they remained unmarred. I dropped my hands and met his stare head on, refusing to blink first.
He made me nervous on a level it was unsafe to acknowledge. I needed to
get some space between us, but that would require touching him. Again.
Probably not a good idea.
Since I didn’t want to touch him—much—I poked a finger against his chest,
ignoring the unexpected zap of awareness. “I don’t know how you found me or
why, but right now I have other, more important things to do. So, why don’t—”
My tirade was interrupted by a phone ringing. Not my cell, but the landline. I
shot a look at the phone sitting on the counter to our left, and then narrowed my
gaze at Kayden.
He quirked an eyebrow. The phone rang again.
“You going to answer it?” he drawled.
Stepping back, I plucked the receiver off the cradle. “Hello?”
“Cyn?”
What do you know, it was Thomas Anderson Gunderson, AKA Tag. I stared at
the man standing across from me. “Yeah.”
“Where have you been? And why the hell won’t you answer my calls?”
Despite his questions, there was a thread of relief in my friend’s voice.
Ex-friend, remember? “Why would I?” I answered absently, watching
Kayden move to the other side of the counter and take a seat on a bar stool.
In my ear, Tag cursed. “Dammit, Cyn. I don’t have time to explain shit now
—”
“Why are you calling me?” I cut him off, ice coating every word.
“Why are you in Sedona?” he shot back, his voice hard.
“I’m more concerned with how you got this number, and why everyone
seems determined to turn my cabin in to Grand Central Station.”
Momentary silence filled the line. “Shaw’s there?”
“Got it in one.”
“Thank God,” Tag muttered. “Be as bitchy as you want, Cyn, but tell me
you’re okay. You ran away—”
“I didn’t run from shit, Tag,” I snapped. “I was kicked to the fucking curb as
soon as you and everyone else got what you wanted.”
“That’s not what happened.”
My chin lifted, even though he couldn’t see it. “Really? Because from where
I stood, it sure as hell looked like it.”
Silence answered.
Turning away from Kayden’s too-avid gaze, I tried to regain control so I could shove both men back out of my life. “I’m fine, but I’m little busy dealing
with my own situation.”
“What kind of situation?” His voice sounded sincerely concerned.
Closing my eyes, I fought the urge to bang my head against a wall at the single-minded intensity of the male gender. “My sister is AWOL. Now, can we
just focus on why you’re bothering me, and Kayden has decided to pursue a career in B and E?”
Tag didn’t budge from his conversational target. “How long has Kelsey been
missing?”
The urgent note underlying his question fanned the flame of my earlier
unease. Was there something bigger at play here? Worry for Kelsey trumped hurt feelings, so I answered. “Not sure, a couple of hours maybe. Her car is here.”
