Drake Sisters 06 - Turbulent Sea

clear that you can never be in the same room alone with me. You can't ride all the way to Red Rocks with me.' Joley wanted to weep with frustration.
    All she could think about was stripping and relieving the terrible ache, the emptiness that never went away, but she didn't dare take the chance, not after that kiss. She was too far gone when it came to Ilya.

    He studied her for a moment then settled into the chair opposite her, more than satisfied with the flush on her face, her swollen, very kissed mouth, the rise and fall of her breasts. He'd gotten to her. And he'd marked her neck, putting another brand on her. 'You're safe enough - for a while. Sit down, Joley, before you fall down.'
    'Why is it that everything you say sounds like an order? I was going to sit down…' Basically, she had to before her legs gave out. Just looking at Ilya made her weak, and kissing him was lethal. 'But now, because you gave a royal command, I feel like I have to defy you just to keep myself.'
    'Well you don't.'
    She had no idea she was within his range, but sprawled out lazily, with his legs outstretched, he simply hooked her ankle and spilled her backward into the chair. 'There. Decision made. No problem.'
    She threw a pillow at him, detesting his control when her heart was still racing and her body was on fire. Mostly she was upset with herself for not being able to handle him the way she handled everyone else. He was the only man who could shake her, and she didn't like feeling so exposed and vulnerable.
    He snagged the pillow out of the air and placed it behind his head. 'Thanks.' He watched her with cool blue eyes.
    'Have you always had problems with authority figures?'
    Joley regarded him with a kind of fury sweeping through her that gave way to sudden laughter. 'You're impossible.'
    How many times had she heard her father tell her she obviously had trouble with authority figures? She eyed him with suspicion. 'You haven't been talking to my dad, have you?'
    'I don't need to talk with your father to know this about you, Joley.'
    She shook her head. 'You're not an authority figure, at least not to me.'
    'I don't believe you. Why do you think you fight me all the time?'
    'Because you're reputed to be a hit man. I don't date men who kill for money.'
    'I'm a bodyguard.'
    'You're denying the rumors?'
    He sighed. 'Joley, you practically live in the tabloids. Is any of what they say true? Ever? Even with photographs as evidence, it seems they make things up about you. Why would you assume what you hear about me is the truth?'
    He had a point, and she was a little ashamed that she believed everything she heard about him. He was so dangerous looking. He carried death in his eyes.
    And when she touched his mind, he felt deadly. He looked it, sounded it, and even inside, where she could see, darkness swirled, but… He was right; she was guilty of believing things about him without having facts to back up the rumors.
    'I don't know. You're right. So I'm asking you, are you a hit man? Do you kill people for money?'
    'Do you think a sniper is a hit man?'
    She frowned at him. 'It's a simple enough question, Ilya.'
    'Not really. It's a complex question. But you're smart. You'll figure it out. Why haven't you been sleeping?'
    If she'd had another pillow handy, she would have thrown it at him. Ilya frustrated her no end. He never seemed to answer a direct question that mattered to her. She considered denying the truth, but what would be the point? 'I don't sleep. I'm an insomniac. I have been since I was a kid.'
    'So have I. You had a good childhood, Joley.'
    She heard the question, or maybe he was touching her mind and she felt his sudden stirring, as if something wasn't quite as right as it should have been, as if she'd better have had a good childhood or he would take it in his hands to do something about it. His expression hadn't changed, but something dark and disturbing moved in him and frightened her. 'I did. My parents were very loving. I had my sisters and Jonas and life was great, one adventure after another. I was always in trouble.'
    'I can imagine.'
    But he liked the idea of her as a child doing naughty, defiant things and having loving parents who shook their heads and loved her all the more for it. She pulled that thought right out of his head and it made her feel warm inside. Even intimate. As if they already had a close, very personal relationship and he loved her childhood stories. The uneasiness inside her lessened.
    She