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away from me like you can’t bear to watch my face. It’s humiliating and I won’t bear it. You can either believe me or pretend you believe me. Those are your only two options.”
    “And if I don’t do either of those things?” she asked before she could stop herself.
    “Then you can stay in your room in that same sweater and jeans and I’ll bring you a can of soup for every meal,” he said, and Leona noticed a hint of a smile lurking on his lips.
    The answer was not what she had expected and she couldn’t help but laugh out loud. He smiled and it had an insane effect on his handsome face. He looked boyish, young and carefree… definitely not a murderer.
    It had an even more devastating effect on her senses, and she inhaled sharply, her eyes gluing to his smiling lips. She couldn’t smile back because her stomach was clenching into knots of arousal. She wasn’t used to feeling that warming sensation, so she didn’t know how to hide it, and Jake’s smile froze on his face as he caught her watching his lips.
    They stayed silent and the only sound was the soft hum of the refrigerator. Jake’s lips parted as he breathed and it broke the spell. Leona lurched out of the stool and walked into the living room. Jake turned towards the stove and covered the leftover pieces of chicken in the skillet. But no matter what either of them pretended to do, their thoughts were on the same thing: the moment that had just passed between them.
    The sexual tension in the room was like a tangible object. Jake gritted his teeth, holding on to the sink, his knuckles turning white. His cock was hard and pulsing with need, and he didn’t want Leona to see it. He didn’t want to scare her away. He wanted to spend the next week in her company, pleasant company, not the angry presence he was trying to eradicate. Showing her how physically fucked-up and desperate he was, wasn’t going to help his cause in any way.
     
     
    Chapter Eleven
     
     
    Leona flicked on the TV and sat down, watching the only news channel that was unlocked. “Now that I know who you are, would you mind unlocking the news channels? I want to know what’s going on in the world.”
    Jake pasted a passive expression on his face and walked towards her, unlocking the channels in an instant. “Here you go,” he said magnanimously and fell onto the couch next to her. Luckily for Jake, there was no new update on his escape, save for a few seconds’ worth of air-time that his mug shot received.
    The newscaster’s voice was loud and clear through the living area, “If you see this man, do not approach him. He is believed to be armed and dangerous.”
    Leona listened and it was like a reality check. The man was sitting next to her, just two feet away, and although he wasn’t armed at the moment, he did have a gun. Having a gun didn’t make a man dangerous though. Her brothers had guns, her father had a whole cabinet full of them, and they weren’t even mildly dangerous.
    Jake moved to get off the couch and she jumped, then looked away guiltily as he watched her knowingly. Shaking his head, he was about to turn away when a breaking news alert flashed through the wide screen. Thinking it might be something about him, he waited and then his blood froze as the news-caster began speaking.
    “Justice Benson was shot by two unidentified men as he left his home for a hearing. The attack was made about ten minutes ago and the police have yet to comment on the situation, but sources indicate that both men are in custody. Justice Benson has been rushed to Mount Sinai Hospital and his condition is said to be critical.”
    “Oh my God! Oh my God!” Leona screamed and stood up. Jake placed his hand on her arm but she jerked away as if she had been burned. “Oh my God!” she screamed again, looking straight at Jake, and his heart flipped at the sight of pure terror on her face.
    “Leona,” he began, but she was past the point of any reasoning.
    She grabbed his arm