Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 91622 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 458(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91622 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 458(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
* * *
This was what her life had come to. Hiding under a blanket in a car as Cole drove her away from her house. Seriously? Where was the dignity?
She groaned.
“I’ll make it up to you,” Cole said from the driver’s seat.
She wanted to tell him to go to hell, but rationally, she knew this wasn’t his fault. At least, it had better not be his fault. Whoever this woman was, he better not have led her on. She bit the inside of her cheek and thought about what she knew of Cole. He’d never pretended with Erin. She knew exactly where she stood with him from day one. But he’d been undercover. Who knew what he’d had to do . . .
The car came to a stop.
Erin didn’t know where they were headed. Cole said it was a surprise, and since she’d had to pack what she could of her personal things and toiletries, she hadn’t been privy to his phone conversations to set up a place for them to go. Sam stayed behind at her house, supervising the forensics team that was dusting for prints and making sure everything was bagged and tagged. So to speak.
“Hang on,” Cole said.
She heard him opening the car door, getting out, then returning and shutting the door again. Soon the car moved another few feet. Not long after, he rescued her from her hiding place in the back seat.
She stepped out of the car and into a darkened garage. “Where are we?”
“Guess.” A dimple flashed in his cheek.
She loved it when he got playful. He didn’t do it that often, but when he did, it was downright adorable. Not that Mr. Tough Guy would want to hear that about himself, so she remained silent.
She let her eyes adjust, and he opened the unlocked door to the house. The minute she stepped inside, she knew. “We’re at Nick’s spec house!” she said excitedly. She’d fallen in love at first sight.
With their bags in hand, he gestured for her to go upstairs. “I called Nick and explained the situation. It’s ours as long as we need it.”
“Oh my God.” It would be even more like living her dream. A big house, the perfect man, Erin pregnant . . . but it wasn’t. Her balloon of excitement popped as she reminded herself she needed to keep reality firmly in mind. She was here because she was being stalked, and Cole was only with her for that same reason.
Suddenly, she didn’t want to think anymore. “I’m wiped out.”
Understanding lit his heavy-lidded gaze. “Go up to the main bedroom and lie down. Nick left the house open for me, so I want to walk through and make sure everything’s secure.” He hesitated before continuing. “I’ll meet you up there?”
She was surprised he’d phrased it as a question. After all the bossing around, suddenly he was hesitant?
“Sure.” Hadn’t she told him she wanted to be in his bed? Unless . . . “If you want to.”
“I just thought maybe you were pissed. You wouldn’t be in this mess if it weren’t for me.”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s not like you asked this crazy lady to stalk me. Assuming it’s her, anyway. But I do have a question,” she said before she lost her nerve.
“Shoot.”
“Maybe I don’t have the right to ask this, but . . . did you sleep with her? Is that why she got the wrong idea about the two of you?” she asked.
“No!” The word exploded from him, his expression horrified. “Is that what you think? That I led her on during the assignment and then dumped her as soon as it was over?”
She bit the inside of her cheek. “Not really.”
He folded his arms across his chest. “But the thought crossed your mind.”
“For a minute,” she admitted. “I mean, it’s pretty extreme for a woman to go psycho. Although I have prosecuted cases where it’s happened.” She raised her hands, then let them drop, knowing she was rambling, not making sense. “Just chalk it up to me being hormonal.”
And wanting to be special to this man and so very afraid she was just another body in his bed. Her pulse set a rapid beat in her throat.
He studied her for a long moment. She stared back, taking in his exhausted features, the tension in his taut cheekbones, his eyes dark, mouth pulled tight. This was getting to him every bit as much as it was her, and she felt bad getting into arguments with him over nothing.
“Go lock up. I’ll see you in a few minutes,” she told him. They were both tortured by their own thoughts, so maybe space would help.
She just wished she knew what his thoughts were.
Despite wanting to stay awake, Erin passed out the minute she lay down on the comfortable bed and slept straight through until sunlight streamed through the windows the next morning. She wasn’t usually such a heavy sleeper, but this pregnancy was totally changing so much about her normal habits.