Drake Sisters 07 - Hidden Currents

mean enough and tough enough to guard me, to guide me through this.â€
    He knew what she meant. She was basical y cal ing him a cross between a bastard and a saint. He was a bastard, but the saint—he’d have to see. He touched her hair and she jerked her head away.
    El e shook her head, upset that she couldn’t control herself. “I’m sorry. He did that. He liked my hair. I can’t stand to look at it.â€
    â€œSo you want to cut it off? I can do it for you, honey, but it won’t look so good.â€
    She pul ed the blanket tighter around herself, grateful that he wasn’t arguing. “I stil don’t know if I could take looking at it.†She shuddered trying not to feel Stavros trailing his fingers over her scalp.
    â€œYou could always do dreads.†Jackson flashed her a grin as he lifted the mass of red tangles. “You’d look pretty damn cute in dreads.â€
    She lifted her head, her eyes going very green. “Dreads? I never thought of dreads. I wouldn’t have to cut my hair and nobody could run their fingers through it.â€
    Jackson went very stil . It was the first time in three days El e had shown a glimmer of interest in anything at al . “Think about it, baby. I could do them for you.â€
    She studied his face. “You hate the idea.â€
    â€œI’m in your head, El e. You’d know if I hated it. I don’t give a damn what you do to your hair. If you shaved your head it wouldn’t make me feel any different about you. You want dreads, we’l dread your hair.â€
    â€œMy sisters might be horrified.â€
    He grinned at her, a slow, deliberate conspirator’s smile. “I think they’re already pretty horrified that you’re here with me.†He indicated the way to the bathroom with his chin. “I have to feed Bomber. It takes hours to do dreads, especial y with your hair, so think about it tonight and if you real y want to do it, I’l get the supplies we’l need and we can start tomorrow.â€
    El e nodded and watched him saunter away to what presumably was his kitchen. Her heart instantly began to pound too hard. She wanted to scream after him— don’t leave me alone, don’t leave me alone —but she pressed her fingers against her mouth and listened to her heart hammering out a protest.
    Jackson stuck his head back around the corner, his eyes dark and shadowed. “Can’t you feel me, El e? I’m with you every moment. You don’t have to use telepathy, I can feel you. I’m not going anywhere.â€
    She let her breath out, not realizing she’d been holding it. This was like walking through a minefield, every moment pure terror. She had to find a way to live again, figure out who she was, live with what had happened. She could taste Jackson in her mouth, his strength, his determination, and his ferociousness. Her gaze assessed him as he stepped ful y back into the room. He wasn’t as tal as Stavros, but he was built stronger, with wide shoulders and defined muscles. With his scarred face and his strong jaw, he wasn’t handsome like the Greek, but there was something very compel ing about Jackson. Where Stavros smiled at every opportunity, Jackson rarely did. Stavros rarely swore and Jackson, with his rough background, often slipped up, using crude terms that sometimes made her flinch.
    Jackson crossed the distance separating them, rubbing the side of his face. “Do the scars bother you?â€
    His voice was flat, expressionless, and his eyes gave nothing away. El e reached up with her fingers and traced the smal jagged white lines. He didn’t flinch under her touch. “Of course they don’t bother me. I’ve always thought they were badges of courage.â€
    He caught her hand and nipped at her fingers, giving a smal derisive snort. “I wasn’t feeling very courageous when I got them.â€
    El e took a deep breath and dropped the blanket. “Neither was I.â€
    She was wearing his shirt stil , the one he’d given her on the ship, along with a pair of soft sweatpants borrowed from one of her sisters and nothing beneath it. He could tel the material hurt her skin when she moved and there were traces of weeping blood crisscrossing the shirt and pants. She was trembling, her body stil in shock.
    He drew in his breath sharply. He’d seen a