Page 30 of Risk Assessment
He’d already left the room.
Disappointment rocked her. Stupid. She took a deep breath. What was wrong with her? Well, that was an easy question to answer. Spending the night in the same bed with the hottest manshe’d ever seen was enough to give her heart palpitations. Too bad she couldn’t touch him. Sighing, she walked over to the bed and stood there staring at it.
How could she be so lustful considering everything she’d been through in the last twenty-four hours? Humans were amazingly resilient creatures with powerful libidos. Or maybe it was because of all the stress, maybe that was why she was so intensely attracted to Dylan. After all, he was coming to her rescue.
“Oh, God,” she groaned aloud. Now she had a Prince Charming complex. But was he really Prince Charming? He’d left the room twice to make phone calls. Was he hiding something?Get a life.He wanted privacy. She was a stranger to him. Why would he want to talk on the phone in front of her. “Good grief.” She rolled her shoulders as a tidal wave of fatigue hit her. Her limbs felt incredibly heavy.
She pulled back the covers and climbed in bed. She made sure she was on the left side, leaving plenty of room for Dylan. She yawned once more and then closed her eyes before drifting into the warm cocoon of sleep.
CHAPTER TWELVE
When Dylan returned to the bedroom twenty minutes later, he wasn’t surprised to find Raleigh already asleep. He stood near the bed, simply gazing at her. She was beautiful. Her long dark hair was curling across the white pillow and her brow which was normally furrowed with stress was smooth in sleep. She was finally relaxed. She deserved it. God, she’d been through so much. Her strength and drive to just keep going impressed him. He’d never met a more determined person and it was sexy as hell. He’d almost kissed her earlier, but he’d stopped himself in the nick of time. He knew where it would’ve led, and she was in a vulnerable place.
He wasn’t the kind of man to take advantage of that, or so he told himself, but it had been damn close. She was off limits, and she would stay that way.
But damn, standing over her, watching her sleep, was creepy as fuck. He shook himself into action and gave himself another stern lecture as he slipped into the bathroom. He emerged again in less than two minutes, stripped down to his boxer briefs. Sliding between the covers, he couldn’t resist and reached over to smooth out Raleigh’s hair. He rolled slightly to kissed hergently on the forehead before reaching out and turning off the light.
His brain had no problem bringing up an image of Raleigh coming out of the bathroom in his favorite Yankees shirt. She’d looked so vulnerable and so hot all at the same time. His hands had ached to explore her curves, and he’d gotten hard almost instantly. If her look had been any indication, she’d felt just as turned on.
He thought of her breasts crushed into his chest when she hugged him and was instantly hard again. It was almost unbearable to lay here next to her, her scent wafting around him. He wanted to reach out and touch her.
Hell, he wanted to do a lot more than touch her.
He took a deep breath and rolled over, putting his back to her. It didn’t help, but he was desperate.Think.How would he find Raleigh’s stalker?
How did the stalker choose her in the first place?
Where did he see her the first time?
What made him choose her?
That one was easy for him at least. She was a smart, ambitious woman who was also warm and approachable. She had a kind smile and eyes that he was sure twinkled with mischief under normal circumstances. Is that what the stalker saw when he looked at Raleigh, or was there something else? Something he thought only she could give him?
He fell asleep a while later with the questions still rattling around his brain.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
He was getting excited watching Raleigh her move around in her little white tennis dress on the court. It was a stroke of luck that Jenn had invited her to play this morning. Truly the best start to his day that could imagine. Well not the best. He adjusted his pants. He just knew that her skin would be smooth and silky to the touch. He watched her strong thighs and imagined them wrapped around him. He glanced down at the bulge in his pants. Good thing he was hidden in a copse of trees. He was tempted to take care of business, but he restrained himself. He’d given in last night. But today he needed to stay in control. It was just so damn hard with Raleigh’s breasts outlined as they strained against her dress.
She was teasing him on purpose.Minx.
He smiled and took a sip of his coffee. Soon, he and Raleigh would start their days together. He would show her exactly what he wanted her to be like, and she would do it. To the letter. Excitement built in his chest but something nagged at the back of his mind. That blue-collar policeman. Anger stirred in his stomach again, just like it had when he’d first caught sight of the prick.
He took a breath and reminded himself of the truth. She was only pretending she had a boyfriend to disguise the fact they were together. He wasn’t ready to announce their engagement yet. She must have been getting pressure from her parents about having a boyfriend so she’d created a fake one.
Still, she could’ve let him know sooner she was bringing that Neanderthal with her. He did not like that she’d surprised him. And they would need to have a talk about that. He intended to show her his displeasure. He needed to be very clear so she would learn to never displease him again.
Despite his anger, he’d still visited her room last night. He’d used his charm to get one of the passing cleaning staff to let him in. Child’s play really. Women always fell for his charm. It was one of his greatest skills.
He’d no doubt surprised Raleigh with his thoroughness. He’d brought a rose and the linen spray, wanting her to feel right at home. It was just the kind of loving touch his fiancée could expect from him.
He did feel badly about the scarf. She’d left it on the back of her chair last night, and his will had failed him. He’d wanted it for himself. He’d been wearing it around his neck while he moved about her room but when housekeeping had come in, he’d hopped up off the bed and the scarf must have fallen to the floor. He hadn’t noticed it was missing until he was already outside again.
He’d been careless, and that couldn’t happen again. Raleigh would expect more from him and she would be right. He needed to be smart and that little lapse in judgement had almost cost him. He did not need attention.
Not now.
Not yet.
