He stepped toward her. “I want to. Trust me, there’s nothing I want more. But...I just don’t want to take a chance on waking you up if I get called back in to Risk Peak early.” That was at least a partial truth.
The haunted look fell away from her eyes, and a shy smile broke on her face. “I don’t mind. I’ll take a shorter amount of sleep if it means I get to sleep next to you.”
He would have given her anything in the world to keep that sweet smile on her face. He took her hand, and they walked into the bedroom together.
They took turns changing into sleep clothes in the bathroom, then got into the bed together. The act was so innocent and yet so intimate.
Tanner rolled over onto his side and pulled Bree’s back against his front. He breathed in the sweet scent of her hair as her head rested in the crook of his elbow. His other arm wrapped loosely around her waist.
She was out within minutes, her smaller body relaxingagainst him, trusting him to shelter and protect her while she slept. Tanner wouldn’t betray that trust, even if that meant protecting her against himself.
Besides, sleeping was overrated when he could be awake and feel every curve that had been haunting his dreams for months pressed against him.
Definitely worth it.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“Coffee?”
The fact that Ronnie was already at Tanner’s desk with a cup of the steaming brew right under his nose before Tanner even realized he was in the room was testament to Tanner’s exhaustion.
It had been a hell of a week. He’d spent all day every day working the Newkirk murder case. Running into dead end after dead end.
And then night after night near Bree, loving being around her but trying not to let her get too close. It was a fine line he was walking with her. They needed to have a long conversation about his PTSD as soon as this case was done.
Because there was no way he was going to be able to keep his hands off her for much longer.
Tanner took the cup from Ronnie and nearly scalded himself as he swallowed a gulp. “I was looking over the suspect list again, hoping something might jump out at me this time.”
Ronnie grabbed the tennis ball that rested on Tanner’s desk and began bouncing it. Bounce the ball as they bounced around ideas. They’d been doing it for as long as they’d been working in this building together. “Maybe Whitaker will have some insight after talking to Newkirk’s family again.”
Tanner nodded. At least the other cop was out of their hair. He’d finally left yesterday after being in Risk Peak for three days.
The few details they had about the murder were set out in the case file on Tanner’s desk. Joshua Newkirk had been stabbed in the back six times. He’d definitely been wrapped and transported into Bree’s yard. The crime lab team had not found any traces of blood anywhere around the body. So there was no way he could’ve stumbled into her yard of his own accord.
Whitaker had not taken Tanner’s insistence that Bree was innocent at face value. Only after thoroughly investigating any possible ties between her and Newkirk and coming up empty had Whitaker deemed her cleared. He’d even brought her in for questioning, which Tanner chalked up to just wanting to piss him off.
He set down his coffee cup and held up his hand so Ronnie could toss him the ball. “Why Bree’s place? That’s the only thing about this that doesn’t sit right with me. Why dump the body in Bree’s yard?”
Ronnie nodded. “It’s not like there’s any shortage of people who might want to kill Newkirk. Guy has enemies all over the state. But nothing to do with her.”
Tanner bounced the ball back to him. “And he had no real ties to Risk Peak. I was part of the group who arrested him, but I was helping to work the case up north. I didn’t even have a major role in any of it.”
Ronnie flipped the ball back and forth between his hands. “Yeah, I don’t get it, either. I’m hoping Whitaker comes up with something after today.”
Tanner sighed. “As long as it doesn’t mean he has to come spend three more days here.”
“Maybe we could start a pool to guess how many times in a day Whitaker will say the wordsDallasorbig city.” Ronnie tossed the ball back to him.
He chuckled. “I’d be down for a piece of that action.”
“Is Bree doing okay? I can’t blame her for not wanting to move back into her apartment. Hell, Cindy would make us move to an entirely new place altogether if a body showed up in our yard.”
“Bree’s doing good. I don’t think she’ll have any problem moving back into her apartment. I just want to give her however much time she needs.” Tanner set the ball back on his desk.
He’d brought up the topic of moving back into Risk Peak very casually with her yesterday. He didn’t want her to feel like he was forcing her away from the ranch.
It would probably be best for her to move back to town. That way she wouldn’t have to drive so far to get to work every day, and he could get a good night’s sleep in his own bed without having to worry about hurting her.
