Ghostwalker 05 - Deadly Game

know what to think. None of the men paired with any of the women appear to feel emotional about them, other than possessive.
    They could care less whether or not we derive any pleasure from them touching us. What happened between us seemed more than something Whitney did, or was I reading more into it than there was?
    She waited for his answer, her mouth suddenly dry. She barely felt the doctor's probing fingers as he poked at her. It seemed he spent more time examining the bruises and red marks on her skin than the gun wound or wrist break, but Ken's answer was more important than her modesty. She held her breath – waiting.
    You know damn well it was much more. I'm not hiding anything from you, as much as I want to. Screw Whitney. He doesn't have anything to do with us anymore . Ken rubbed his hand over his face and sighed again. Maybe he did at first. Maybe his manipulation allowed you to accept me sexually when you might have been afraid of me .
    Mari turned it over in her mind. Was that the truth? She'd wanted him – yes – but there was so much more to her feelings than that. The decision had definitely been hers and it hadn't been all about sex. So what was it that drew her emotionally to him? How had they connected so fast and so strong? I don't think so, Ken. I really don't. You're right. Whatever is between us isn't about Whitney .
    He ached to hold her in his arms. I'm not a good man – I'm never going to be. You have to know that going into this. I wouldn't give you up once you belonged to me .
    What does that mean, Ken? You don't know if you would be happy with me. Neither of us has any idea what the future would be like. I can't conceive of being out of this place. The idea is frightening. I wouldn't know the first thing about living in the real world. How can you possibly know what you would or wouldn't do if we were together .
    Because you represent hope, Mari. I gave up my life a long time ago and everything that entailed, including sex. You handed it all back to me and I'm just not man enough to walk away from temptation .
    Hope. Mari liked the word. And she liked the idea of being someone's hope. Maybe that's what their strange relationship was all about. Mari had never had hope – not even when she went out with her team to talk to the senator. Peter Whitney seemed so invincible. No one could ever defeat him, especially not Senator Freeman. He'd never bested Whitney in an argument. But Ken had somehow made her feel different. He'd given her a taste of freedom.
    Ken swore in her ear. I'd never give you freedom. Mari, think about this, think about what I am. I'd be possessive and jealous and want you in my sight every minute of every day. I'd be terrified of losing you. And I'd want to touch you, eat you alive, kiss you endlessly, and take you whenever I wanted, which, by the way, would be all the time .
    I told you not to talk that way. You'll get me hot . She tried not to flinch as the doctor touched her breast, supposedly to get a better angle with the camera, but his fingers lingered.
    Ken froze, anger bursting through him like a volcano spilling lava. He could make it inside past all the security. He could make it inside and slit the doctor's throat and then go after Whitney. He was a GhostWalker and few could detect them, let alone stop them.
    No. Calm down. Seriously, Ken, it's no big deal . Mari was lying. She hated this humiliation, but she tried to breathe through it and concentrate solely on him. As long as she was talking to him, she wasn't thinking about what they were doing to her. And if she didn't think about it, neither would he. Keep talking to me. I don't want you cutting throats.
    You're so violent .
    He was a violent man. Didn't she understand that? He almost groaned in frustration. He couldn't change what or who he was – not even for her. He barely hung on to his sanity at times. His ugly childhood had shaped him, and his father had given him a dark legacy of jealousy coupled with a strong sex drive. Ekabela had added layers to the darkness and rage, so that it grew until it threatened to consume him. He had hidden it well, even from Jack, but it was there, crouching like a beast, waiting to destroy him and anyone who dared to love him.
    And how could she really love him? He could tie her to him with sex, he knew he could, but how could she look at his face every day of her life and love him? How could she know what he was and still feel anything but fear and contempt