Page 19 of Night Moves
Drake.Had to be Drake.
A rush of heat flooded her face. Something about him touching her while she slept seemed so personal when she was trying her best to ignore the attraction to him. She got out of bed and padded over the cold wood floor to the door and peeked out.
Heat from the fireplace rose up to greet her at the landing, and she could see him standing by the front door, gazing out the window.
She stepped out.
He spun, his hand going to his sidearm until he caught sight of her and locked his focus on her.
She suddenly felt self-conscious. Why hadn’t she thought to take a look at herself in the mirror? She ran her fingers through her tangled hair. No help. It needed a brush. She gave up and started down the smooth wooden stairs, her feet already getting cold on the hardwood, but she didn’t want to put heels on her aching feet. The smoky scent of a burning fireplace rose up to greet her, and the air was toasty warm.
She could imagine Drake here on a hunting weekend. Dressed in camo, looking all tough and masculine. Mr. Outdoors. She might not like the outdoors herself, but she was all for a rugged-looking guy.
He smiled at her, a crooked number that got her heart rate going, but she tried to ignore it.
“Everyone still asleep?” His attention remained riveted to her.
This must be how his prey felt on the other end of his rifle. She nodded and tried to smooth her hair again to no avail. It was naturally curly, and she straightened it most days, but the curls sprang back to life while she slept. “Sorry I dropped off.”
He crossed the room, his stride slow and almost stealthy.
Why did she feel like she was being hunted?
He stopped at the fireplace and draped an arm on the mantle, emphasizing the width of his biceps. “Aftereffects of adrenaline can do that to you.”
“You should’ve woken me.” She tried her best not to look embarrassed at the personal contact, but heat started at the base of her neck and rushed up. She resisted looking away and held his gaze. “At least I figured it was you who covered me and took my shoes off.”
He looked down at her feet, and the heat of her blush deepened. She must be quite a sight. Curly hair in tangles. Maybe mascara under her eyes. Could even have creases from sleeping. Her clothes too. They had to be a rumpled mess. She tugged down her jacket and tucked in her blouse.
“I made some coffee,” he said. “Would you like some?”
She nodded. “I can get it.”
The nutty scent of coffee drew her across the room to the small kitchen. She could only hope her red face dissipated as she retrieved her coffee. How silly to be embarrassed over the guy taking off her shoes. But she couldn’t help it. She didn’t have a lot of experience with men, and she’d never had a guy remove her shoes before.
“Mugs are in the cupboard above the pot. Sugar on the counter and almond milk in the fridge.”
“I like it black.” She grabbed one of the many handmade mugs lined up on crisp white shelf paper. Had he taken the time to line his shelves? Didn’t seem like something he might do, but then she’d known him less than a day and virtually knew nothing about him. Except that the desire to hurl herself into his arms for comfort remained strong.
She filled a vivid blue mug with steaming coffee. “Do you want some?”
“Had plenty already.”
She turned to find him squatting by the fireplace, poking the logs with a wrought iron poker.
She nodded at the fire. “Looks like you know what you’re doing there.”
He held up three fingers. “You’re looking at an Eagle Scout here, ma’am. Be prepared. That’s my motto. All the time.”
He chuckled, and she laughed with him, enjoying this lighter side to his personality. Not that he’d been super serious so far. But when it came to Kirk? Yeah, Drake’s intensity had been through the roof.
The wood in the hearth caught hold and blazed brightly, and she moved closer to chase out the cold she was feeling. She didn’t know if it was a real chill from the cold or a feeling from finding the nail polish. From learning Kirk was a serial killer. An image of the bottles all lined up with so many more colors waiting to be used played out in her head, and she shivered.
“You okay?” Drake asked.
She didn’t know how to answer. Not when she didn’t know if she would ever be fine again.
6
