“I gotta go, baby.”

“You’re leaving?” She sits up suddenly, almost plowing into me in her haste to turn on the lamp. When her worried eyes meet mine, my stomach knots. “Is… is everything okay?”

“I’ve been working a case for a few weeks, and tonight a suspect was apprehended. I need to go in and interview him.”

“Oh.” She swallows then nods. “Okay.”

“You want me to come back when I’m done?”

Her body freezes along with her breath. I can tell she doesn’t want to admit she wants that, but I know instinctively that she wants me here with her. “You don’t have to do that. I’ll be okay.”

“I’ll be back.” I force her back an inch as I lean in closer. “I’ll take a key. That way, if you’re sleeping, I can just let myself in.”

“You….” She shakes her head and takes a shuddered breath. “Really, that isn’t necessary.” Her beautiful eyes meet mine, but I don’t miss as she grips the bedding between her fingers. “I appreciate it, but I’m sure you have a home and a bed of your own you probably miss. I’ll be okay tonight if you go home after you’re done.”

“I’m coming back.” I don’t tell her I have an empty house and an even lonelier bed, that even Maxim—my hundred pound bullmastiff—isn’t home, because he’s been staying with my parents, since I have been working so much and don’t like leaving him alone for long. “I don’t know how late I will be, but I’ll be back at some point tonight.”

“Cobi—” She licks her lips.

“Where do you have a key?” I cut her off before she can attempt to sway me again.

She studies me for a long moment then lets out a deep breath. “I have a spare key in the drawer next to the fridge. It has a Disney key ring attached to it.”

“Right.” I smile, and her gaze drops to my mouth briefly.

“Um... will you come in here and let me know when you get back, so I don’t freak out if I hear you out there in the living room walking around?”

“I can do that.” I stand then lean over her, planting a fist in the bed on each side of her hips. “Try to get some sleep. I’ll leave all the lights on in the living room, so you don’t have to worry.”

“Thanks, Cobi.”

“No problem, baby. Rest. I’ll see you soon.” I kiss her forehead then tip her head back with my knuckles under her chin and touch my mouth to hers before leaving her room, then shutting the door without another look at her in her bed.

I grab her spare key from the drawer next to the fridge then keep all the lights on like I said I would before I leave, locking the door. I scan the street and feel some of the tension leave when I don’t see the media parked anywhere on her block. I haven’t heard Hadley’s name mentioned the last few times I’ve caught the news. The story of what happened to Harmony has turned mostly toward what happened at the hospital with Dr. Hofstadter, something I’m thankful for, since I’m not sure how Hadley would deal if the press was hounding her like they’ve done to my cousin. Where Harmony has her fiancé and our family to protect her, Hadley as far as I can see has no one but her best friend and now me.

I rub my hand over my chest at that realization, then hit the unlock button for my truck. When I get in behind the wheel, I stare at Hadley’s house for a long moment before starting the engine. As I back out of her driveway, I have to remind myself I’m leaving her alone for just for a little while, not forever.

Chapter 6

Hadley

FEAR GRIPS MY CHEST as I listen to Cobi leave and the front door close. I sit in the middle of my bed, with my heart beating wildly, and I fight the urge to get up and run after him, to beg him to stay or to take me with him. I have never been weak. I have never needed someone to tell me everything will be okay, until now. I close my eyes and silently remind myself there is no one after me, that I’m safe at home in my bed, behind solid walls, a locked door, and closed windows. When my eyes open, I feel a little better and start to lie back, but I realize I’m still dressed.

That’s when it happens. That’s when I remember what Cobi and I did on my couch. That’s when I remember the most spectacular orgasm of my life brought on by him, his fingers, and his dirty words.

Obviously with the fear that took over on the thought of him leaving, I didn’t think about what we did or what I wanted to do before I apparently fell asleep and he tucked me in. My eyes close and heat creeps up my cheeks. I thought before that it was difficult being around him, but now I have no idea how the hell I will ever face him again.

“With the way you acted, he probably thinks you’re a floozy, that you do that kind of thing all the time—just let random men touch you and bring you to orgasm.” I groan, lying back and pulling my pillow over my face. No man has ever given me what he did; no man has ever turned me on to the point I lost rational thought. No man has brought me to orgasm with a few words and a couple of strokes from their fingers. Then again, none of the men I have been with even came close to being a guy like Cobi. A man who vocalizes what he wants, what he needs, and demands compliance with a simple look. Just thinking about the things he said and did to me makes my body tingle and core tighten. “This is not good, Hadley, so totally not good,” I say while pulling my pillow from my face.

Still feeling the aftermath of my orgasm between my legs, I get up and take a quick shower then change into one of my nightgowns. Knowing Cobi will be back, I put on my robe, tying it tightly around my waist before I get back into bed. I lie there forever, waiting to hear him return. I try to think of what I will say to him when I see him, but before I can come up with some kind of explanation for my sudden sluttiness, I fall asleep.

My feet feel like they’re sinking into concrete as I try to run.

I open my mouth to scream, but no sound escapes.

I fight for breath, listening to the falls of his feet on the forest floor bringing him closer to my hiding spot.

“I can hear you breathing.”

I hold my breath when his voice echoes through the darkness surrounding me.

“I’ll find you, bitch. I will fucking find you and end you.”

An ear-shattering gunshot goes off, echoing through the quiet, and debris from one of the trees surrounding me scrapes against my skin, burning into my flesh.

I gasp for air as I sit up, holding my hand against my chest.

I fumble for the light next to the bed, knocking my lamp over in my haste and hear the delicate glass shatter against the floor as my lungs beg for oxygen. I toss the blankets away from my overheated body then throw my legs over the side of the bed and stand. I don’t acknowledge the shards of glass cutting into my bare feet as I stumble to the bathroom. I flip on the light and turn on the cold water, cupping my hands and tossing it toward my face, wanting to wash away the memories of my dream. When my breathing has evened out and I’ve rid myself of my nightmare, I fall to my knees then lie down and curl into a ball on the floor in my bathroom. As a shiver slides down my spine and cold seeps into my skin from the floor, I pull one of my towels over me like a blanket and hug it to my chest.

“Hadley?” My name is called as tears skim down my cheeks, and I stare at the white tiled shower wall across the room, unblinking. “Hadley?” The bathroom door presses against my back. Then, before I even take my next breath, I’m up off the ground and cocooned in strong arms and settled against Cobi’s hard chest. “Fuck, I’m so fucking sorry,” he whispers against the side of my head, and I close my eyes tightly, feeling safety and warmth slide through every cell in my body. When he settles into my bed with his back against my headboard, my eyes open. I see the room around us cast in blue and hear the soft sound of the ocean coming from my sound machine, making this feel like a dream.

“He was chasing me,” I whisper, tipping my head back to look into a set of worried eyes. “I couldn’t get away or scream.” My eyes slide closed and I bury my face against his chest. “I heard his gun go off and felt it, felt the bark from the trees around me cutting into my skin.”