Paula Graves - Forbidden Temptation

She looked down. “I was looking for Melissa.”

He tipped her chin up, forcing her to meet his gaze. “She told you to stay away from her. I don’t think she was kidding. She could get a restraining order if you push this.”

Her chin jutted forward, sliding deeper into his palm. “Bars are public places.”

“Why did you think she’d be here?”

“She’d told me she and Mark were going to celebrate their third anniversary of dating by going out tonight, and I remembered that she’d said they’d met at Sizzle. I just hoped-”

“You’d find them here?”

Rose nodded.

He dropped his hand away from her face before he heeded his body’s clamoring to pull her into his arms. “And then what?”

She didn’t answer right away, piquing his curiosity. But standing in the middle of the sidewalk as they were, they were beginning to attract attention, so he pressed his hand to the small of her back and nudged her toward the parking lot where he’d left his Jeep. “Let me drive you home, Rose, and we can talk about this some more.”

“I’m not stalking her,” Rose said, even as she let him move her toward the parking lot.

“Then, what would you call it?”

She paused at the parking-lot entrance. “Let’s say-just for kicks-I see what I say I do. And that the death veils mean what I think they do. That would mean Melissa’s life is in danger, and she’s on the killer’s target list, right?”

He nudged her toward the Jeep.

“Then, Orion could be out here, right now, where she is. Looking for her just like I am. And if I find her, I might be able to spot him.”

“And do what?”

“Call the police.”

He nodded. “And tell them what? That you’ve seen death veils on Melissa Bannerman and because some poor guy just happened to be watching her inappropriately, golly gee, he just has to be the killer?”

Her mouth tightened. “Those weren’t the words I’d planned to use, no.”

“It’ll sound the same to any cop on the street, Rose.”

“Fine. You don’t approve of what I’m doing.” She stopped at the rear of his Jeep. “I didn’t ask you to chaperone me.”

“And that was your first mistake. Since we’re still pretending you really do see death veils, what makes you think the killer won’t come after you?”

“I looked in the rearview mirror before I got out of the car,” she answered, her gaze steady.

The certainty in her voice unnerved him. Maybe he’d ruled out insanity too quickly.

She looked away. “I know this makes you uncomfortable-”

“I’ve interviewed men who’ve disemboweled their victims,” he said more harshly than he’d intended, making her flinch. “I can handle hearing about your visions.”

“I’m just saying, I’m not the one in danger.”

“Maybe not from Orion,” he conceded. “But there are other predators walking these streets.”

Her expression shifted, as if that thought hadn’t occurred to her. But she squared her shoulders. “I stay in crowded places. I buy nonalcoholic drinks and never let them out of my sight. And I know better than to trust a stranger.”

“What if Orion’s not a stranger? Could be anyone. Hell, I could be Orion for all you know.”

She angled a look at him. “And you want me to get into your car in a dark parking lot?”

Touché.

She held his gaze a moment, her expression serious. Then her lips curved slightly. “I don’t think you’re him.”

“You’re lucky I was the one who spotted you.”

“Because this is where Orion chooses his victims?”

“Or stalks them.” He opened the passenger door for her. “Several of his past victims were last seen at bars. He sees places like this as his hunting ground. He spots his prey, stalks her and catches her when she’s tipsy or tired, and somehow he convinces her to let her guard down with him.”

“How?” Sounding curious, Rose slid into the Jeep’s passenger seat and buckled herself in.

“If I knew that, I’d be a lot closer to finding him,” Daniel answered, sliding behind the wheel. As he reached for his seat belt, his cell phone vibrated against his hip.

He pulled the phone from his pocket and read the display panel. The number was local but unfamiliar. He shut the phone off, letting the call go to his message box.

“Need to get that?” she asked.

He shook his head. “I’ll check the voice mail later.” He backed the Jeep out of the parking lot.

She directed him across Twentieth Street to a shadowy side street. Her Impala was one of a half-dozen cars parked there, taking advantage of free weekend parking. He squelched a shudder at the thought of her walking down that darkened street for a couple of blocks before she got anywhere near bright lights and the safety of a crowd.

He let her out next to her car, catching her wrist as she reached for her seat-belt buckle. “Don’t ever park on a street like this at night, even if you’re not alone. It’s asking for trouble.”

Her sober gaze met his. “Okay.”

He let go of her wrist and watched until she was safely locked inside her car. Backing up, he gave her room to pull out of the parking place.

He stayed close, following her back to her house on Mountain Avenue. When she pulled into the alley and parked in a gravel drive behind her house, he pulled in behind her. Even if it was playing with fire, he wasn’t going to let her go into that empty house alone.

She waited for him at the top of the wooden steps leading down the sloping yard to her back door. “You sure you aren’t a frustrated bodyguard at heart?”

He laid his hand on her back. “Want me to leave?”

She shook her head. “But I promise I’ll look into getting an alarm system put in first thing tomorrow so you don’t have to worry so much about me.”

He doubted even an alarm system would make him stop worrying about her. Whatever had put her front and center in the Orion murder case, she wouldn’t be safe until he was caught or moved on to the next town. “I’ll take a look around to make sure everything’s okay.”

She nodded her approval but didn’t make a move to follow him. Squelching a pang of disappointment, he checked all the rooms and returned downstairs. He found Rose still in the kitchen, standing near the back door. She reached for the door handle. “Thanks for checking things out.”

He frowned. “You’re kicking me out?”

She gave him a look of surprise. “You thought we were making a date of this?”

Ouch. “Actually, I thought it might be a good idea if I stayed tonight.”

Her eyebrow darted higher.

“On the sofa,” he added. “Frustrated bodyguard, remember?”

A nervous chuckle escaped her throat. “I don’t think it’s necessary.”

“Humor me.”

Her half smile faded to a frown. “I’m more worried about Melissa than me.”

“She’s with her fiancé, isn’t she?”

Her frown only deepened, piquing his curiosity.

“There something about her fiancé I should know?”

She cleared her expression. “They’ve had…issues.” Her mouth tightened, making it clear she would say no more. But he could make an educated guess. Nothing like an impending wedding to make a groom-to-be start panicking about the whole “until death do us part” thing.

As he well knew.

She nodded toward the kitchen table. “Want something to drink? I don’t have anything alcoholic around here-”

“Whatever you have is fine.” He sat at the table and reached into his pocket for his cell phone to see if his mystery caller had left a message.

“Daniel? It’s Melissa Bannerman.” Her recorded voice sounded raspy. He heard a sniffling sound as she took a breath. “I know we’re mostly strangers, but I need a ride home.”