Part 20 (2/2)
It was the first time that she had called him by his first name. He shuffled away from her.
”What's the matter?”
The sheet fell away and Hicks could see the fullness of her body in the silvery light.
”No, Sarah. That's a really bad idea.”
”Why not?”
”I can't.”
”You don't like me?”
”I didn't say that.”
”You don't think I'm pretty?”
”You're very pretty.”
”What, then?”
”My wife. I told you-I'm married.”
”Why would she need to know?”
Hicks slid farther away and then stood. ”You're very beautiful,” he said, ”and you're very sweet. But I love my wife. I'm faithful to her. I'm not interested in anyone else.”
Sarah reached down for the sheet and wrapped it around herself. She stood, but then paused. ”Please?” she said. ”Can I stay with you? Just for tonight. I'm afraid.”
”No,” Hicks said. ”I can't.”
”What about John?”
”I can't speak for him.”
”Would he like me?”
”I don't know. But I think he would say the same thing: it's not a very good idea. It's the last thing you need. Work out what you want to do next. You don't need to hurry into a relations.h.i.+p with a man you don't know.”
”Who said I wanted a relations.h.i.+p?”
”No.” Hicks crossed to her, put his hand on her shoulder and gently impelled her toward the door. ”Get some sleep. You must be tired. We'll forget this happened in the morning.”
She didn't say another word, but left the room and made her way down the hallway to the bedroom. Hicks waited and watched until she was inside the room and the door had been closed behind her. He shut the door to the reception room, went back to the sofa, lay down again and covered himself with the blanket.
He tried to sleep, but he couldn't. He thought about what had happened. He had done the right thing. He would never have cheated on his wife, and certainly not with a girl who was as plainly vulnerable as Sarah. But that vulnerability worried him. What was it that she wanted? It wasn't about him. He was too old, he wasn't particularly good looking and, most of all, she hardly knew him.
It was the fact that Sarah was vulnerable. She was young, in a country that she didn't know, a country where she had no friends, and she was frightened. She wanted to feel protected, and she was prepared to give herself to a man she didn't know in order to forge a relations.h.i.+p and make that possible.
And Hicks had shunned her.
He got up and went to the front door. The key was still in the lock. He checked again that he had locked it and withdrew the key. He turned and looked down the hallway at the door to her room. It was shut and there was no sound from inside.
Hicks took the key back to the sofa, put it under the cus.h.i.+on next to his pistol, and closed his eyes again.
He could still see her standing naked in the doorway.
Vulnerable.
They would have to talk.
Chapter Thirty-Seven.
THE PREVIOUS NIGHT'S EVENTS were on Hicks's mind when he awoke the next morning. He got off the sofa and paused at the door, listening intently. He couldn't hear anything. He reached for the door, almost reluctant to open it, and, when he did, he stepped through with a sheepishness that he knew was ridiculous.
The door to the bedroom was closed. Hicks went to it and listened; he could hear the sound of her breathing.
That, at least, was good. She was still here.
He went into the bathroom, locked the door behind him, and stripped off for a shower.
SARAH WAS waiting for him in the sitting room when he came out.
Hicks looked at her: her eyes were rimmed with red. She had been crying.
”Look-”
She interrupted him. ”No,” she said.
”About last night-”
”There is no need to talk about it.”
”I just don't want you to feel uncomfortable.”
She stared at him scornfully. ”Why would I feel uncomfortable? I have been selling my body for weeks. Why would I care what you think?”
He felt awkward, unexpectedly put onto the back foot. He knew that he should probably take her invitation and let the matter drop, but he couldn't. ”I don't want there to be a bad atmosphere between us. I promised John that I would look after you until he gets back, and I will.”
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