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“That’s why I’m here. We’ll figure this thing out and you can get back to your normal life.”
“I don’t think my life will ever be normal.” She sniffed and leaned back, tears staining her cheeks. “How can it be when you’re the wife of a serial killer?”
Paul didn’t have an answer for her, not when all he wanted to do was kiss the tears from her cheeks. Now wasn’t the time to take advantage of Elise. She was vulnerable, scared and likely to cling to anyone. But those eyes, the full, trembling lips...
Before he could think through another thought, Paul’s head tipped forward.
Elise’s eyes widened briefly, then she stretched upward on her toes, her eyelids sinking to half-mast, her lips rising to meet his.
He might have pulled back at the last minute if she hadn’t met him halfway. Like kinetic energy unleashed, he couldn’t stop himself once he’d committed to kissing Elise Johnson. The scent of strawberries wafted around him, lured him into a deeper embrace, his hands resting on her lower back, pulled her against him. If she didn’tknow she’d aroused him before, she’d surely guess it now.
Instead of backing away, Elise’s hands climbed up to his shoulders, lacing into the hair at his nape.
His lips slanted over hers, his tongue pushing past her teeth to taste the sweet depths of her mouth. Mint toothpaste tingled against his tongue, dragging him deeper. His hand slid up her back, the silk of her robe like a promise of the smoothness of the skin beneath, her damp hair evoking images of her naked in the shower.
He wanted more. He wanted to swing her up into his arms and carry her to her bed where he’d make sweet love to her, pushing aside all her worries, if only for a moment.
Elise gasped against his mouth, planted her hands against his chest and pushed him away.
All too soon, the fantasy ended.
He let go, shocked at his own loss of control.
Elise staggered backward, her knuckles skimming across swollen lips. The front of her robe hung open, giving Paul a peek of one fully rounded, naked breast.
He groaned, battling the urge to pursue her and take more of what he’d just tasted. Clenching his hands into fists to keep from reaching out to her, he nodded. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.” He kept his voice low so as not to disturb the boys.
Her eyes, round and blue, stared at him for a longmoment, like a deer caught in the path of a predator. Then she turned away, gathering the lapels of her robe close around her. “No, I’m sorry. It wouldn’t have happened if I’d been stronger. I’m such a wimp.” She laughed softly with no hint of mirth reflected in the sound.
His arms rose to pull her back against him, but dropped to his side before he could follow through. “You’re not a wimp. You’re a worried mother. And rightly so.”
“Rightly so?” She spun to face him. “Tell me something new. Did you find out who’s doing this? Is it Stan?”
The hopeful look on her face made him want to tell her they’d nailed the bad guy. “We don’t know much more than before.”
“Stan killed five women before you caught up with him in North Dakota. Please tell me he won’t kill five more before they find him this time.”
“We can only do the best we can. We haven’t got much to go on. It’s not even in the FBI's jurisdiction, yet. Look, I’ll check on this George kid and his parents for you. And I’m meeting with the sheriff tomorrow to offer our assistance in the case.”
“He has to let you help. You and Mel are the only ones who understand what Stan is capable of.”
“Elise, we don’t know that it’s Stan. The killer could be a copycat.”
“But he wrote the note tome!” she beseeched in a hushed whisper. “How do you explain that?”
He couldn’t. “Honestly, that’s what has me worried.”
She snorted. “You and me both. Only a few people were supposed to know of my whereabouts and name change. How does someone get that information?”
“I have your brother-in-law working on that.” It wasn’t much, but between Mel’s hospital search and Nick’s check on her file, those were the only leads they had to go on. Tomorrow, he’d meet with the sheriff and get on the inside of the case. “Look, Elise, it’s getting late. You might as well turn in and get some rest.”
Her answering chuckle ended in a choked sob. For a moment, she stared at the ground, her fingers clenching and unclenching. Then she straightened and looked him square in the eye. “I’m tired of being scared.”
“I know.”
How could he know? She’d been the one targeted with the note. Someone had walked right into the school and stuck it in her cubby. She couldn’t have the police checking at the school or her cover would be blown.
Paul stared across at her, his brows dipping low. “You’re not planning on doing something crazy, are you?”