She was acutely aware of the looks she was receiving. Sneaking eyescaressing her body, pausing on her breasts and lingering on her legs. Shedidn't return the stares.

In the smoky club a comedian stood onstage, desperately trying to attractthe attention of the patrons with failing jokes, jokes he was the onlyone laughing at. Miss Parker ignored him, accepting the drink a waitressoffered. From the gentleman across the room, she explained. Parker didn'tlook, simply drained the glass in one gulp and passed it back. The waitressleft, and Miss Parker kept smoking. Such a bad habit, she knew, yet thismorning she'd taken it up again.

The comedian left the stage and a band replaced him, and they provedto be much more popular with the audience, some couples danced. A few menapproached, yet veered away again at her expression. Another drink fromthe man across the room, this one she nursed, still not looking. She wasn'tin the mood for the whole flirt and seduce thing, if she did take anyonehome with her tonight it would be because she had grabbed him on her wayout the door. Maybe she'd just flash her panties and see who followed.

"You know, it's very hard to try and pick you up when you won't evenlook at me." A accented voice said, male and amused. Parker looked up slowly,running her eyes over the man who towered above her. Tall, dark and handsomewas an apt description, his skin golden and his hair soft, black and slightlycurled. The accent was Italian, matching the looks.

"Fuck off." Parker replied simply, and lowered her head to stare backinto her drink. The man sat in the chair opposite, and Miss Parker feltthe first stirring of annoyance.

"No, I don't believe I will." He told her, causing Parker to glanceup at him sharply. Another shadow fell across the table, and Miss Parkerbegan to shake inside. Not now, please, not now, she couldn't bear it.

"The lady told you to leave." Jarod stated, his dark eyes glinting dangerously.The man sneered, twisting his handsome face into something cruel. "I don'tthink that's any of your business!" he hissed. Then to Parker's amazement,Jarod pushed aside his jacket, revealing the butt of a gun poking out ofa holster. The man left quickly, while Miss Parker's head swam. Since whendid Jarod carry a gun?

They sat opposite each other in silence, each wary of the other's intentions.Parker felt bereft, suppressing the urge to touch where her own gun shouldhave been. Jarod watched her, his face closed to her like never before.It was like he wore a mask, his face so blank and cold.

"Come." He said suddenly, standing and holding a hand out to her. Theyleft without paying the bill, Miss Parker feeling dizzy and confused ashe led her to a car, not hers. He pressed her against it, impersonallyrunning his hands across her, searching for a weapon. She gasped in protestwhen his hands slid under her shirt, but he ignored it, running his handsunder her bra and across her breasts. Miss Parker felt a cold, clammy sortof arousal grow inside her, heightened when he roughly pushed up her skirt.She moaned when his hand slid inside her panties, knowing he must feelthe dampness there, yet he said nothing. Like it had been all their lives,nothing said.

He turned her around, searching her back and butt and legs and boots.Nothing, and she didn't know weather to be glad or disappointed she wasn'twearing the flick blade she sometimes kept in her bra. Only then did Jarodstep back, opening the passenger door of the car and pushing her inside.Parker shivered, wondering why she wasn't asking questions, wasn't thrustinghim away from her, wasn't attempting to imprison him.

"You're cold." Jarod said, noticing her shiver as he slid into the car,wrapping his jacket around her and turning on the heater. Parker inhaleddeeply, smelling his scent on her skin, rain and musk. She felt oddly comforted,pulling the jacket tighter around herself as Jarod began to drive.

She didn't know how he had found her, alone in Boston, despairing overthe death of an old friend. It was silly to have gone to the funeral, itwould just heighten the suspicion of betrayal the Centre had been feelinglately. Not telling anyone where she was going, sneaking out in the nightlike that, not even talking to Sydney or Broots about it. But concern andtears had taken over, tears over the loss and concern over...well, the deathhad not been of natural causes to say the least.

Darkness crept into the interior of the car, city lights fading awayas Jarod drove and drove. Miss Parker was aching with a guilty kind ofhunger, trying not to think about Jarod's thoughtless hands on her body,shifting uncomfortably in her seat. She thought about turning the radioon, but decided she liked the silence too much. Just her and Jarod, nottalking, not teasing, not fighting. It felt strange, but good, like a longlost friend and warm hugs. She smelled the jacket again, and tried notto smile. She knew he liked rain, and not because he told her. She knewbecause she did too, raindrops on the face meant you were still alive andfree.

Snow began to fall, and Miss Parker lit a cigarette, opening the windowa crack and watching a snowflake drift down to her leg. To her surpriseJarod lit a cigarette of his own, dragging back like he'd been a smokerall his life. She stared, but didn't say anything. It was probably somethingto do with the way he was behaving now, probably a Pretend he couldn'tquite shake off.

He took her to a cabin, resting high in some hills. Trees tried to clawat her as they walked inside, Jarod didn't seem to notice, his long strideleaving her hurrying to catch up. Inside smelled smoky, a fire burninglow in the hearth and a lamp flickering on the pine table. Jarod threwwood on the fire, a great kettle hung over it. Parker wrinkled her nosein distaste, but didn't say anything.

Jarod took her hand, leading her up a short hall to a modern bathroom,a shower looming invitingly. He turned on the water, adjusting its heatfor several moments, before turning back to Miss Parker. The coldness inhis eyes excited her, making her tremble as he undid her shirt, carelesslytossing it aside. She tried not to blush as he removed the rest of herclothes, watching his large hands dealing with tiny buttons or delicatelace.

When she stood naked before him he examined her, turning her this wayand that under his scrutinising gaze. Jarod said nothing, no flash of approvalor desire showing in his eyes, but the bulge in his pants spoke for him.At last it seemed he had looked his fill, and he set about removing hisown clothes. She examined his body as he had her own, feeling her guiltyexcitement clamour for attention, her body flushing with arousal. She hadnot seen or heard from him in two months, but she knew, tonight they wouldmake love. No, not make love, a voice in her head whispered, tonight we'llfuck.

Jarod pushed Parker under the warm water and put his hands on her ina way designed to arouse. With clinical detachment he excited her to feverpitch, while all the time she wondered about his coldness, gasping hisname as he pleasured her. And when she thought she would break he pushedher legs apart and surged into her, lifting her against the wall with herlegs around his waist as she cried out again and again. And when his ownrelease came, it was a muffled gasp against her neck, the slackening ofhis body as he eased her feet to the ground that told her.

She held him tightly against her, stroking his hair with one hand andhis shuddering back with the other. Jarod's composure returned slowly,and he raised his head just as the mask closed over again, giving her afleeting glimpse into the agony underneath. She puzzled over it as theytowelled each other dry and walked next door to the bedroom, before Jarodlay her on the bed next to him and she forgot everything.
 

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Part 2