Hunter's Quest

Chapter Four

The evening sun blazed bright orange, sinking behind the trees, as Kristie returned to her room at the Economy Inn for the second time in just under an hour. She was alone this time and looked around carefully before getting out of the car and heading for her door. The headache was nearly gone, although apprehension about the man waiting in her room took its place in making her uncomfortable. She fumbled getting the key into the slot and turning it, while holding onto the three bags she carried.

She stepped inside and looked around. The room was quiet and still. No movement, no human presence. The indent of a body showed on one of the beds, where the pillows had been piled up to make a comfortable place to lounge. No occupant. The door to the bathroom stood open but no sound came from there.

Had he changed his mind and left? A thread of relief began to curl through her. She advanced into the room and flipped the light switch.

A hand grabbed her from behind.

"Yikes!" She shrieked and almost dropped the bags.

Jason tightened his grip on her arm to steady her. She spun around to meet his eyes, wondering what he was doing. Then she forgot to wonder anymore as she was snared by his gaze. That charisma thing was blazing at full blast again. He had extraordinary eyes. Dangerous, brilliant eyes. Viewed close up, they gleamed with flecks of ice blue and silver that might have looked forbidding except for the banked fire glinting in their depths. For a moment they stood still and stared at each other.

Kristie felt paralyzed, unable to move her head enough to tear her gaze away from his. His breath caught in a slight hitch. He reached toward her and ran a single fingertip along her bottom lip. The tingles from that contact sent a shiver along her spine all the way down to her toes. No, and no, and no. Not happening. She stepped back from him.

He let his hand drop. "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you. I wasn't sure... "

Kristie sagged "You scared me out of a year's growth." She collected breath and wits and turned to set the bags on the small round table beside the window. "What's the idea?"

"Just being careful." He tried to make it sound light and casual, but she wasn't fooled, even when he peered into the bag marked with the words Burger King and sniffed. "You're an angel. What did I do to deserve this?"

"Nothing yet." She emptied the contents of one of the other bags onto the table. Packages of bandages, tape, ointment, and disinfectant rolled out, along with a liquid soap the druggist told her hospitals used to clean out wounds and the tight-fitting rubber gloves he urged on her. "It's your reward for being good and sitting still while I clean up your arm."

"Is it a Whopper?"

"Three of them. With cheese."

"I won't make a sound," he promised. "But shouldn't we eat them while they're still warm?"

"I said they were for after."

His smile would have melted harder hearts than hers, though it did little to dispel her doubts about him. A hundred-Watt smile at least, and it lit his face with dangerous charm. "I'm hungry," he said. "Very hungry. My stomach is in much worse shape than my arm."

"I guess it does make sense to eat before the fries get limp and cold."

"A woman of intelligence." He began pulling cartons out of the bag and setting them on the table. "Drinks?"

"I'll be back in a minute." Jason didn't hide behind the door when she got back with ice and sodas, but he ducked to the side to be sure no one outside could see him. The curtains still fluttered, probably from his peeking out to check who'd put the key in the lock. He stopped next to the small, round table in front of the window, where he'd set out food, napkins, and plastic utensils in a neat arrangement. He waved her into a chair with a flourish that was almost a bow. The light-hearted expression didn't quite drive the tension from his face. She wondered what he was trying to accomplish with this show of courtesy and charm.