Page 108 of Blood Stone

Iona studied the column. “This Kathrine. It is the director of this movie you are working on, is it not?”

“Yes.”

“The report seems to imply that she is in a relationship with two men at the same time.”

“Yes, that is what it is implying.” Winter sighed.

Iona looked at her. “Is it true?”

Winter closed the tablet down. “It doesn’t matter. Millions of people will read this article and will make up their own minds. For the readers, what they decide will be the truth, so it doesn’t matter if Kate is sleeping with two men or ten.”

Iona stared down at the blank face of the tablet. “The media will tell them what to think,” she said.

“Now you understand,” Winter said.

Iona looked up. “I could make him forget her. That would resolve the dilemma, would it not?”

Winter swivelled to look behind her. Roman was crossing from the security bay, heading for Kate’s trailer, a take-out bag in his hand. Winter turned back to face Iona. “No, that’s not a solution at all!”

Iona was smiling.

Winter took a breath. “You were joking?”

“I was,” Iona agreed.

“I didn’t think you even knew how,” Winter muttered.

Iona picked up Winter’s hand and spread her fingers against her own. “Then the lesson today should be about relaxation.”

“Is that your way of saying ‘taking a pill’?”

“After we are done, you will not need one.”

* * * * *

Kate stretched, feeling every tendon and muscle grow taut and strained. She felt used and depleted in averygood way.

Then Garrett’s long fingers slid from her hip to her breast and she snapped out of the stretch with a hiss, as he closed his hand around her breast. “No fair,” she murmured.

“Of course it isn’t,” he agreed. He pulled her across the bed and tucked her back against him, his hand still on her breast. He brushed her hair out of the way and kissed her neck in a series of little kisses that trailed from her ear to her nape and made her shiver.

“Micheil…” she murmured in protest.

“Micheil?” he repeated, leaning over her to look at her eyes.

She turned her head to look at him properly. In the dim light of his bedroom, his eyes were a dark blue and hard to read. “We’re beyond Garrett, now, aren’t we? And you’re not a dove. And what you did last week, with Billy.” She hesitated. “You were an angel for me.”

He pushed a hand through his tousled, thick red locks.

“Do you…mind?” she asked.

His mouth turned up in a smile. “No.” He kissed her. “It surprised me. But I like it, coming from you.” He picked up his watch from the side table. “You should go. It’s late.”

“How late?”

“Nearly nine.”

She slid to the side of the bed. “Damn, thatislate. Adrian will be wondering—” She bit the rest off. “Sorry,” she told Garrett.