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When he finally spoke, his voice was hollow, detached "I life, one is evading death" Carefully, he lifted the exposed ball of soil that held the rose and settled it into its new pot "This rose you see here is our most successful endeavor"

Miranda blinked at the silver rose tre delicately as Archer filled soil around its roots "You expect me to believe these murders are about a rose?"

"No" A wry s you will er, do you expect me to tell you whom I think responsible?"

A breath of frustration left her "Thus you force me to seek answers elsewhere"

Archer tensed but would not face her "You already have, though, haven’t you?" A clump of soil flew into the pot with a thud "I hope your tiained The question is, what did you exchange for his stories?" The trowel scraped over the counter, hacking through the pile of soil "I know that dog well enough to understand he would not give away anything for free"

"It appears you know both of us quite well," she said without thinking

The trowel clattered to the slate floor Archer took a bracing breath, then clenched the sides of the counter "I’ve work to do, Miranda Please go"

Slowly she went to hi of her heart He did not h to feel the tense energy that surrounded him "You’ve no reason to be jealous"

His head remained bent over the pot "Is that what I am?"

Her breath hitched, but she could not move away She knew the feel of his body now The hardness and the power it held when he’d pressed up against her in the alleyway And she craved it Her head fell forward, co the space between his shoulder blades She stared at the black suitcoat before her and the gentle rise and fall of his back

"His endeavor failed" Her pulse tattooed against her throat in a painful staccato

He stirred, a tiny shift of "

"No" She took a breath "But as a woloved hand upon the table curled into a tight fist, and she spoke firrunted with indifference Her hand hovered at his shoulder, the need to touch hi off her touch, and her hand fell to her side She closed her eyes and shifted forward so that they were closer still Just to be near hi the saled with hers, the space between the took hold of her liain

The soft wool of his coat brushed her lips when he turned Gray eyes gleamed likein sudden disjointed draws

"Archer…"

The look in his eyes vanished at the sound of her voice, and he dipped his head as though suddenly unable to keep it up "It is as you said," he answered quietly "There is no reason for htened

A rush of feeling akin to anger, yet softer, ignited in her breast His jutting upper lip was set hard, the fan of his dark lashes hiding his eyes

"Don’t you?" she whispered, scarcely able to speak "For even if you don’t, I certainly do"

They radiated through him slowly, her words His eyes lifted to her, the line of his brows tilting slightly Their gazes locked as they stood quietly studying one another, the things they’d left unsaid hanging in the air

He took a quick breath, and his voice dropped thick and unsteady "Miri…" His hand lifted as though heto the far end of the counter totools

"You misunderstand me," he said with false casualness "I siht to object to your choice of callers"

Blood rushed in her ears as she stared at him Every line of his body betrayed the lie in his words "Why do you turn away from me?"

The corner of his mouth lifted, but there was little humor in his eyes as he blinked down at the desk "I rather thought we’ve been avoiding each other"

"Yes" She took a step closer "It’s been a sh broke from his lips, but he did not reply His fists rested on the marble as he stared off "I only wanted to be near you," he whispered, so low she wondered if he was even speaking to her "To live in the shadow of your light That you would want--" His lips pulled in as he bit down on the ahen she needed hiht He had killed Did it haunt hier? Questions pounded like a pulse in her throat

"Do you ever find yourself tired of all this secrecy?" she whispered in the thick silence

Archer sucked in a deep breath and turned his head It seeht reach out to her The illusion faded with the hardening of his long body "Always," he whispered back

He fell silent, staring at her as though he longed to saythat first step as she, and he went back to his potting The lines around his mouth deepened, and her resentment melted Perhaps trust did not work that way She couldn’t know; she had never fully trusted another soul in her life

Her heels clicked on the slate as she drew close He inhaled sharply and turned to face her Archer’s lids lowered as ifHis chest heaved like a bellows as she slowly leaned forward and let the warrain of stubble tickled her lips as she pressed a gentle kiss upon his cheek, lingering over the subtle scent of him, and his eyes closed almost as if he were pained He sed audibly, his broad chest hitching as they regarded each other from across the small distance that separated therazed his chin "Deny yourself?"

He blinked back at her, frozen to the spot Slowly, his gaze traveled over her before resting upon her lips, and the frozen expression on his facethat burned hotly in his eyes