Gift of Fire

a damn thing for us. If you want to sleep with a genuine psychic, you sleep with me, you little bitch.”
    Verity looked at Jonas, her gaze uneasy. “He sounds furious. What if he hurts her? I’m going to knock on the door. I’ll pretend I wanted to talk to Elyssa and didn’t realize there was anyone else in the room with her.” She raised her hand to knock.
    Jonas grabbed her wrist. “No, you are not going to knock on the door. You are going to leave the whole situation well enough alone.” Jonas pulled her firmly along the corridor. He got her as far as their room and was thrusting her safely inside when the door down the hall opened with a crash. “Move it, Verity.”
    Verity had no choice. She moved.
    Jonas got the bedroom door shut behind them and sighed in relief. He leaned back against it and arched his brows at Verity. “I guess Yarwood found out that Little Miss Sunshine is out scouting for new sperm donors.”

 
    Chapter Twelve
     
    One storm had passed during the night, but another was on the way. Verity stood beneath dripping pine boughs and gazed out over the cold gray waters of the Sound. In the distance she could see a Washington State ferry gliding gracefully past the scattered islands.
    She had felt a compelling need to get out of the chilly villa this morning. There had been obvious tension in the air. Some of it had been generated by Elyssa and Preston Yarwood, who were apparently still at odds with each other. Oliver Crump had seemed more preoccupied than usual and Slade Spencer had retired to the salon after breakfast. He had not expressed any interest in further exploration of the villa. Verity had the feeling he was bored with the game.
    Doug Warwick had taken the launch over to the small town on the other island, saying he had to make a call to the broker who was handling the deal on the villa. Maggie Frampton, as usual, was involved in the endless housecleaning that the villa demanded. Maggie’s whole life seemed to revolve around the villa.
    Verity had thought about joining Jonas as he worked his way through the lower level of the villa but she’d changed her mind at the last minute. She wanted to be alone for a while. She wanted time to think.
    When the ferry glided out of sight, Verity turned and continued her hike along the perimeter of Hazelhurst’s island. Her thoughts were filled with Jonas. She couldn’t get rid of the feeling that she had failed to give him something he badly needed.
    That something was reassurance.
    The realization that he might need that just as much as she did was hitting her hard. She had been worrying so much about her future with him that she hadn’t realized he might be harboring a few fears and concerns, too.
    He had apparently been well aware of her emotional withdrawal these past few weeks; he’d tried often enough to get her to tell him what was wrong. And he had been genuinely upset that she hadn’t told him about the baby as soon as she suspected she was pregnant. Then, when she hadn’t immediately accepted his marriage proposal, he had been hurt and angry.
    Jonas had a right to harbor a few uncertainties. They had surfaced yesterday afternoon when Verity had failed to show any real jealousy over Elyssa’s outrageous request.
    He was a man who had lived a restless, rootless life for the past few years, a man plagued by ghosts from the past and the constant threat of being overwhelmed by a talent he couldn’t control. Such a man needed as much reassurance as he could get from the woman he loved. There were too many other factors in his life that were not the least bit certain or reliable.
    Verity had done a great deal of thinking during the night.
    She had awakened this morning overcome with remorse, and with a new perspective on Jonas Quarrel. She scolded herself for having been so wrapped up in her own problems lately. She hadn’t paid nearly enough attention to Jonas’s feelings.
    Verity walked around a curving bluff and paused to glance down into a tiny cove. She was about to move on when she saw a small boat that had been drawn halfway out of the water and tethered to a pine bough. It was a sleek, fast-looking little craft. She glanced around, searching for whoever had arrived in it. There was no sign of anyone. The cove’s pebbly shore was impervious to footprints.
    Verity made a mental note to tell Doug Warwick that there might be visitors on the island.
    She turned and walked a little farther before deciding that the brisk