Blank Slate by Tiffany Snow Read Free Book Online Page B

gone. She nodded wordlessly.
     “You’ll
probably want to put a new bandage on that,” Erik continued. No way was he
doing it again. She could just learn to stand the sight of blood without
passing out. “I’m going to get your stuff out of the car.” It had occurred to
him, albeit belatedly, that her bags might have clothes that fit her.
    “I
have stuff?” she asked, perking up.
    She
looked so hopeful, it almost cracked his shitty mood. Instead, he snorted, going
to collect the gun from dead guy number two before heading outside. A few
minutes later, he was back.
    “Here,”
he said, depositing her two duffels on the floor. He’d searched them and
removed two guns and a knife. No sense handing her another weapon to use on him.
“Don’t bother looking for your guns. I took them.”
    O’Connell
glanced up from where she was crouched next to the bags. “Whatever,” she said
before resuming her examination of the bags’ contents. Erik watched for a
moment. She pulled out clothes and other items, electronics and a laptop,
looking at each as though she’d never encountered it before. Frowning, she
turned a gadget over in her hand, seeming unsure of what it was.
    “I’ll
check the garage for snow gear,” Erik said, interrupting her perusal. “Just in
case.”
    She
didn’t reply, so he left her sitting on the floor surrounded by her stuff.
    As
he’d hoped, the cabin’s owner was well prepared for the climate. In short
order, Erik found a high-altitude tent, two down sleeping bags, snowshoes, and
other assorted items necessary for survival outdoors in a Colorado winter. While
he didn’t plan on having to use them, it was best to be prepared.
    When
he came back into the house, O’Connell was gone. For a moment, he panicked,
then he heard the shower running in the bathroom.
    Ten
minutes later, she emerged, dripping wet and wearing only a towel.
    “Where
the hell are your clothes?” he snapped, watching as she crossed to her duffel
and began rummaging. The towel pulled up the backs of her thighs as she bent, stretching
tightly over her—
    Erik
jerked his gaze away, hurriedly turning his back to her.
    “I
didn’t like what I picked,” O’Connell said, matter-of-factly.
    “So
you’re just going to prance around here half-naked?”
    When
she didn’t reply, Erik chanced turning around, then wished he hadn’t. She was
facing him now, and his eyes were drawn to the little bit of towel tucked
between her breasts. One tug and the whole thing would fall. He swallowed.
    “Prancing?
Really?” The dry sarcasm in her voice made his gaze jerk up to hers in time to
see her roll her eyes.
    “Just,
hurry it up,” he barked, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “We
don’t have all day.”
    “Geez,
you’re a grouch,” she muttered.
    Erik
breathed a sigh of relief when she disappeared back into the bathroom. It was
bad enough that he couldn’t seem to get the image of her out of his mind. He
didn’t need to add wet skin and a barely there towel to the gallery.
    Jerking
on his coat, Erik loaded the back of his SUV with the supplies he’d found,
along with nonperishable food from the kitchen. By the time he was done,
O’Connell had reemerged from the bedroom, this time respectably clad in jeans
and a black, oversize sweater. She looked vaguely irritated as she pulled on boots
and a coat.
    “What?”
he finally asked.
    She
shrugged. “The mirror was disappointing. I have red hair and freckles.”
    Erik
paused while holstering his gun, looking askance at her. Her deeply scarlet locks
and ivory skin contrasted markedly with the dark sweater, making her appear
striking. The freckles dotting her complexion softened the sharp bone structure
of her face.
    “We
all have our crosses to bear,” he mocked. If she was searching for compliments,
she could damn well search someplace else.
    She
shot him an irritated look, her lips curling in a smirk. “And yours is being a
complete jackass?”
    Her
insult