Repressed (Deadly Secrets) Read Online Free PDF Page A

to her and rested her arms on her knees, watching him carefully for the slightest movement, just in case.
    “I’m gonna flip the light off to conserve my battery,” he said.
    Sam didn’t answer. The room fell dark. Her pulse picked up again as she waited for her eyes to adjust. But even when they did, she couldn’t see more than the sliver of light coming from beneath the door. And in the dark, she was hyperaware of the cramped closet, of McClane’s closeness, of the room’s rising temperature.
    McClane sighed. “So since we’re stuck in here together for God only knows how long, why don’t you fill the time by telling me who’s got a grudge against you?”
    Considering the trouble Sam had experienced lately, that could be a hell of a list. One she wasn’t about to share with a shrink. “I don’t know.”
    “You don’t have any idea?”
    “No, Dr. McClane, I have no idea who hates me so much they’d resort to this.”
    “Ethan.”
    “What?”
    “My first name is Ethan.”
    Sam clenched her jaw. She didn’t want to know his first name. She didn’t want to know anything about him. And why was it so hot in here? She unbuttoned her jacket and fanned the tank sticking against her chest.
    Silence settled between them. A silence that was both intimate and unnerving. She tried to shift farther away but whacked her shoulder against a shelf. “Dammit.”
    “Are you okay?”
    “Fine.” Sam definitely didn’t like the concern she heard in his voice. Or the heat rushing over her skin that said he was closer than she’d thought. “Just stay over there on your side of the closet.”
    “I sense some animosity, Ms. Parker. I’m just trying to help.”
    There was that word again, “help.” Why did everyone think she needed help? “That’s what all shrinks say,” she mumbled, rubbing her shoulder.
    “Mind expanding on that?”
    Sam stopped rubbing, thankful it was too dark for him to see her frustrated expression. “Look, it’s not personal, it’s just been my experience that most shrinks—”
    “Therapists,” he cut in.
    “Fine, therapist. Most therapists end up causing more trouble than they set out to cure. I have issues with shrinks . . . therapists,” she corrected before he could, “doling out advice when they don’t have a clue what repercussions their words may have down the line.”
    “Ouch.”
    “And what does that mean?” she snapped before she could stop herself.
    “Just means it sounds very personal.”
    Yeah, it sounded personal to Sam too. She cursed her short temper and quick tongue, especially when she was locked in here with a total stranger.
    Paper tore again, and the sweet scent of cherry filled the room. Sam’s stomach grumbled. She hadn’t eaten breakfast because she’d been too stressed about the vandalism at her house last night. Had skipped lunch to help a couple of students redo a lab. And the handful of crackers she’d munched on after school wasn’t cutting it.
    “Okay, fine,” she said after several moments of listening to him suck on his candy. “Give me one of those.”
    He chuckled. Seconds later, his fingers bumped hers in the dark, and heat spread across her skin just before the small, circular candy fell into her palm.
    She pulled her hand back quickly, popped the candy into her mouth, and forced herself not to moan at the sweet cherry taste. That was all she needed to do. Moan in front of a hot shrink who obviously already thought she had issues.
    “How long have you been teaching here?” he asked.
    “Six weeks.” Sam cringed at her quick answer.
    “Only six weeks? Wow. How long have you been teaching in general?”
    Couldn’t they just not talk? Would that be too much to ask? Sam rubbed her throbbing forehead again, wishing for silence, but in the darkness she knew she was stuck. She had two choices: either keep quiet and tick this guy off by being rude, or try to ease the tension by attempting to be nice. He hadn’t made any aggressive