Page 41 of Dark Obsession

Frustration ate at him.He couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t let him help.He was going to do whatever he could to protect her, even if she didn’t want it.Didn’t she realize what he did for a living, or that he used to be a cop?

He walked into the hallway bathroom to brush his teeth.In the bedroom, he undressed and moved onto the mattress in just his boxers and waited for her.His gaze jerked to the bathroom door as it opened.Keira walked out in a thin t-shirt and shorts, rubbing lotion onto her arms.He didn’t like how she wouldn’t meet his gaze.“Come here, Baby.”

He was confused when Keira took a step toward the bed before walking abruptly out of the room, coming back less than a minute later with her purse.She looked into it and relaxed before she set it on the floor on her side of the bed.She crawled in under the covers, made sure her alarm clock was on, and relaxed into Daniel’s arms.She released a deep sigh and wrapped an arm around Daniel’s waist and placed her head on his shoulder.

A yawn overtook her as Daniel slid his hand up and down her back while the other played with her hair.So many thoughts slammed around in his head.Where had she been, because he knew by the way she acted, she was lying.But why?The fact that she had lost weight and was exhausted worried him.The stress of this stalker was affecting her health.What got to him the most was that he could tell she was trying very hard to hide her feelings and act like everything was okay.Daniel hated that she hid anything from him.He had come to love this woman.

“Honey, what would you think about staying at my place for a while?It’s a lot farther away, but I think the drive is worth it if you feel safer.”He glanced down to see she had already fallen asleep.

He sighed.He was determined to figure this out.He just needed more time with her.They couldn’t talk right now, she’d already fallen asleep on his chest between one breath and another.A feeling of contentment settled in him.Just having her safe and in his arms was enough at the moment.

He was going to make sure she got some much-needed sleep tonight, so the dark circles under her eyes faded a bit.Tonight, the circles were more pronounced, and she was unable to hide them anymore beneath the makeup she’d been using to hide the proof.

Hopefully, he would get some answers tomorrow.His hand roamed up and down her back and pressed her tighter against him.No, he was determined to get answers.

Daniel had counted six times Keira had jerked awake during the night.Sometimes she’d go into the bathroom for a minute, other times she’d lie stiff next to him.Every time he asked questions, she would just push off or ignore him altogether.He bit back his frustration because starting a fight would only keep her awake longer.He did his darndest to soothe her and ease some of the tension that plagued her last night by holding her close and rubbing his hand up and down her back.

There was no way she had more than two hours of restful sleep at a time last night.He decided he would damn well get some answers in the morning.He would also bring up moving her to his house again.It would be much safer because he had a state-of-the-art security system and more weapons than the nine-millimeter he always carried with him.Keira had never asked about it, so he assumed she didn’t know he had a weapon on him at all times.

Sleep pulled him down again as the pre-dawn hazing light slipped through her bedroom curtains.

It didn’t work out.The morning was rushed, so they only had a chance for a quick kiss out in the driveway before they both headed their own ways.

****

Like all the others, the day slipped by without a quiet moment to think.It seemed he’d only gotten to work when Daniel noticed it was already noon.

“Sir, Conner is on the phone for you.”

“Thank you, Susan.”Daniel smiled and relaxed back in his chair.“Hey, what’s up?”

“There’s a problem.”

Daniel sat up, immediately on alert.“What?”

“Your girlfriend is trying to get a gun permit.She already bought the gun a few towns over, but of course, the gun shop couldn’t give it to her until her permit was approved.”

Total shock ran through Daniel.He never thought she’d think about getting a gun.He didn’t know if she’d ever even held one.“How did you find out?”

“The sheriff in that town called us as part of the background check.The report I put in showed up, so Sheriff Riggen asked me about it.I told him about the suspected stalker.I asked him to hold off until I checked something out.”

“Jesus Christ.What is she thinking?”

“I’m not sure.I know it’s not yours or my decision, but the thought of anyone who’s not familiar with firearms is more of a danger to themselves.”

“I agree.I have seen results of that when I was on the force.”

“I talked to the shop owner who helped her.She told him about someone stalking her and asked the owner for a person who could teach her how to use it.He was setting her up with their own instructor the day she came to get the gun.After what the guy said, I doubt she knew the process of getting a gun.Hell, the owner said the same thing.He’d also said she looked terrified, incredibly sad, and somehow defeated.He gave her a bottle of pepper spray, and that seemed to help.There had been a spark of relief in her eyes, and she smiled a bit, he said.”

Dread and grief hit Daniel hard.She didn’t ask him to teach her.In fact, she wasn’t coming to him for anything, and all the smiles were forced.He wanted to slam his fist into a wall.He didn’t understand.Did she not trust him to take care of her?He knew it was early, but he thought their relationship was growing deeper.

“I have to ask her questions before my boss will approve it.I thought I’d go to her shop at the end of the day.”

“Dammit.Maybe I should talk to her?The thought of her handling a gun, especially in the shape she’s in now, terrifies me.”

“You can’t, it has to be official, so if she asks any questions, I can answer them.As a cop, I have to advise her that getting a gun would not be a good choice, and I want to give her the statistics on how many victims have had their guns taken and used against them.That it takes months and sometimes years to get comfortable enough with a firearm to be able to use it for defense.Man, I gotta tell you, I’m not looking forward to this at all.The last time I talked to her, I felt I let her down.Hell, I know I gave the impression nothing was going to be done about her situation.”

“I’ll try to make sure I’m with her shortly after.”

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