“—we’ll talk.”
And this time, she would watch what she said, Lilith thought, hopeful for their future. “I want to hug you, but I’m afraid to touch you.”
Hannah slid her hand to Lilith’s and clasped it tight.
Lilith took a deep, remorseful breath and hoped that Hannah would be able to start over with her help. While she’d always felt compassion for women who lived on the edge, she hadn’t been able to understand why they couldn’t change their lives. After all, she’d gotten away from an abusive household. What she’d gone through this last week had taught her a painful lesson she hadn’t expected — that extraordinary circumstances could make even her feel weak and unable to help herself. It took determination and belief in one’s self to survive. Not everyone had that. She’d done it. And so had Hannah.
Hannah’s eyes closed, and her hand relaxed. Lilith realized she was asleep. The nurse had said two minutes. Reluctantly, she rose. The moment she left Hannah’s room, Lilith spotted Michael waiting for her in the corridor.
“You’re still here.”
“Where else would I be?”
“Michael… I—I didn’t expect you to wait with me all this time.”
“I figured if I didn’t, I might never see you again.”
Lilith’s stomach fluttered. He wanted to see her after she’d believed the worst of him. She had believed in his innocence until she’d seen the recording. Gabe had done a good job of planting doubt in her head. She so regretted that.
Realizing Michael was waiting for her response, she said, “Well, I certainly won’t be at the club.”
“So you do want to see me? Where, then?”
“Neutral ground? No cameras.”
“Deal, but I’m counting on your having a change of heart. You said you don’t do relationships. A lot has happened in the last few days. I thought that maybe now you might give it a chance.”
He was grinning at her, and Lilith’s pulse picked up a beat. She didn’t know what the future held for them, but she wanted to find out.
Smiling, she said, “I’m willing to give it a try.”
About the Author
With 90 novels and more than seven million books in print, Patricia Rosemoor is fascinated with “dangerous love” — combining romance with danger. She has written various forms of romantic and paranormal romantic thrillers, even romantic horror, bringing a different mix of thrills and chills to her readers. Patricia has won a Golden Heart from Romance Writers of America and two Reviewers Choice and two Career Achievement Awards from RT BOOKreviews, and in her other life, she teaches Popular Fiction and Suspense-Thriller Writing, credit courses at Columbia College Chicago. SKIN is her first original indie thriller.
Copyright
Copyright © 2012 Patricia Rosemoor
Cover Copyright © 2012 Patricia Rosemoor