He was too tired to think. It was late, she was so near, and there was the bed, just waiting.
He reached up and gently stroked her face. She seemed to sense immediately what was about to happen. Even though her whole body remained stiff, she didnt fight him. The instant their lips met, he felt a shock leap through her, through him, as though theyd both been hit by some glorious bolt of lightning. My God, he thought in surprise. You wanted this as much as I did
He heard her murmur, No, against his mouth, but he knew she didnt mean it, so he went on kissing her until he knew that if he didnt stop right then and there, hed do something he really didnt want to do.
Oh, yes I do, he thought with sudden abandon. I want her more than Ive wanted any other woman.
She put her hand against his chest and murmured another No, this one fainter. He would have ignored it, too, had it not been for the look in her eyes. They were wide and confused, the eyes of a woman pushed to the brink by fear and exhaustion. This wasnt the way he wanted her. Maddening as she could be, he wanted the living, breathing, real Willy Maitland in his arms.
He released her. They sat on the bed, not speaking for a while, just looking at each other with a shared sense of quiet astonishment.
Whywhy did you do that? she asked weakly.
You looked like you needed a kiss.
Not from you.
From someone, then. Its been a while since youve been kissed. Hasnt it?
She didnt answer, and he knew hed guessed the truth. Hell, what a waste, he thought, his gaze dropping briefly to that perfect little mouth. He managed a disinterested laugh. Thats what I thought.
Willy stared at his grinning face and wondered, Is it so obvious? Not only hadnt she been kissed in a long time, she hadnt ever been kissed like that. He knew exactly how to do it; hed probably had years of practice with other women.
For some insane reason, she found herself wondering how she compared, found herself hating every woman hed ever kissed before her, hating even more every woman hed kiss after her.
She flung herself down on the bed and turned her back on him. Oh, leave me alone! she cried. I cant deal with this! I cant deal with you. Im tired. I just want to sleep.
He didnt say anything. She felt him smooth her hair. It was nothing more than a brush of his fingers, but somehow, that one touch told her that he wouldnt leave, that hed be there all night, watching over her. He rose from the bed and switched off the lamp. She lay very still in the darkness, listening to him move around the room. She heard him check the windows, then the door, testing how firmly the chair was wedged against it. Then, apparently satisfied, he went into the bathroom, and she heard water running in the sink.
She was still awake when he came back to bed and stretched out beside her. She lay there, worrying that hed kiss her again and hoping desperately that he would.
Guy? she whispered.
Yes?
Im scared.
He reached for her through the darkness. Willingly, she let him pull her against his bare chest. He smelled of soap and safety. Yes, thats what it was. Safety.
Its okay to be scared, he whispered. Even if you are Wild Bill Maitlands kid.
As if she had a choice, she thought as she lay in his arms. The sad part was, shed never wanted to be the daughter of a legend. What shed wanted from Wild Bill wasnt valor or daring or the reflected glory of a hero.
What shed wanted most of all was a father.
SIANG CROUCHED MOTIONLESS in a stinking mud puddle and stared up the road at Chantals building. Two hours had passed and the man was still there by the curb. Siang could see his vague form huddled in the darkness. A police agent, no doubt, and not a very good one. Was that a snore rumbling in the night? Yes, Siang thought, definitely a snore. How fortunate that surveillance was always relegated to those least able to withstand its monotony.
Siang decided to make his move.
He withdrew his knife. Noiselessly he edged out of the alley and circled around, slipping from shadow to shadow along the row of hootches. Barely five yards from his goal, he froze as the mans snores shuddered and stopped. The shadows head lifted, shaking off sleep.
Siang closed in, yanked the mans head up by the hair and slit the throat.
There was no cry, only a gurgle, and then the hiss of a last breath escaping the dead mans lungs. Siang dragged the body around to the back of the building and rolled it into a drainage ditch. Then he slipped through an open window into Chantals flat.
He found her asleep. She awakened instantly as he clapped his hand over her mouth.
You! she ground out through his fingers. Damn you, you got me in trouble!
What did you tell the police?
Get away from me!
What did you tell them?
She batted away his hand. I didnt tell them anything!
Youre lying.
You think Im stupid? You think Id tell them I have friends in the CIA?
He released her. As she sat up, the silky heat of her breast brushed against his arm. So the old whore still slept naked, he thought with an automatic stirring of desire.