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“I love you,” Allison shouted seconds before the stalker plunged the blade into her neck. Blood flowed down her skin and she crumpled to the ground before he reached her. At the same time, the man who’d held her captive vanished, his terrible laugh ringing in the air.
Rock dropped to his knees and pulled her close. Warm blood covered his hands as he tried to stop the bleeding.
“Ally,” he shouted out as his eyes popped open. The soft hair and warm breath against his chest reassured him Allison remained safe. It’d only been a nightmare. One similar to the dream he’d had the previous night. In that one though, the stalker hadn’t killed her. Instead, he’d disappeared with her.
Just a dream, idiot. Nothing’s going to happen to her. He repeated the mantra to himself again. Slowly, his breathing returned to normal, but the fear clawing at his heart remained.
Reaching over, Rock grabbed his phone on the nightstand and checked the time. Not even two o’clock yet. Great, he had another two hours to lay here and stare into the darkness. He shifted in bed and folded an arm behind his head. He’d suffered from the same problem for the past three nights, and each night it got worse. Unless the cops caught Allison’s stalker soon, he’d not be sleeping at all. His lack of sleep wasn’t the only reason they needed
to catch the bastard soon. Each day that passed brought him closer to June fifth, the date of his deployment. The idea of leaving her was difficult enough, but he didn’t know how he’d manage to do it if she remained in danger.
Allison’s soft hair brushed against his chest as she snuggled closer. Even though she moved, he knew she remained asleep. He envied her. She sleeps like the dead.
He cursed himself. The last two words he wanted together were Allison and dead. She’s a sound sleeper. Each morning this week, he’d managed to get up, shower and dress, and still not disturb her. Only when her own phone alarm went off did she wake up, and even then she took her sweet time getting out of bed. It was a good thing she didn’t live far from work. If she had a long commute everyday, she’d never get there on time.
Bits and pieces of his dream pushed their way into his thoughts. ‘I love you’ she’d shouted at him. It’d only been a dream, but the words still filled him with hope. She cared about him. He didn’t doubt it, but she’d never actual mentioned love. Did she love him? She wanted him to meet her dad and stepmother. That meant something. But would she be willing to wait for him to come back? A woman like her could have anyone with the snap of her fingers whenever she wanted.
I could make this my last deployment. With everything else, he’d not considered the offer from Elite Force Security, and they wanted an answer. Eric Coleman had called him Tuesday looking for a yes or no. He’d been disappointed when Rock told him he didn’t have one yet. However, after he’d explained the situation, the director agreed to give him until the end of the month.
He’d worry about the job offer later. No matter how their relationship turned out, right now he had a job to do. He needed to keep the woman he loved safe.
Rock kissed her forehead and tried to push away the unease inside him. Everyday it grew more and more. Soon something would happen. His gut said the stalker would make his next move within a few days. This time the SOB wouldn’t just send a teddy bear or sneak into her house either. What if he wasn’t around when the bastard struck? Both her bodyguards knew what they were doing, and he’d trust Connor with his own life. But this wasn’t his life in jeopardy. Allison needed him. Unfortunately, he couldn’t stick by her side twenty-four seven. They both had responsibilities.
Allison bolted upright next to him, and he switched on the bedside light, all thoughts of the stalker put on hold.
“Ally?”
She looked at him. Her face matched the bright white bed sheets. “You’re safe.” Even without an answer, he knew she’d had a nightmare.
“Sorry for waking you up.”
“You didn’t.” He pulled her back down and held her. She shivered against him and he mentally cursed the SOB who stalked her. “I’ve been awake for a while.”
“Sorry.”
“Not your fault. Just got stuff on my mind.”
“I don’t ever have nightmares.” She moved closer and slipped her leg between his. “I’ve never been so scared before.”
Anger toward the unknown bastard had Rock grinding his teeth together. “Don’t be. I promised you’d stay safe, remember? I don’t make promises unless I intended to keep ‘em.” Allison didn’t need to know about the fear he’d woken up feeling.
“It’s not only that I’m afraid of getting hurt. What if this crazy person tries to hurt you?” Allison sat up and faced him, her worry written on her face.
Her expression stole all words from his mind. Once he regrouped his thoughts, he pushed up into a sitting position. “You’ve got nothing to worry about.”
“You’re not Superman.”
“I’m a Marine. It’s better.”
“Stop joking around, will you.” She punched the bed before poking him in the chest. “I’m serious, Rock. I love you. Nothing can happen to you.”
He grabbed her wrist and pulled. “Stop worrying.” Unable to resist, he gave her a quick kiss. “You trust me, right?” He gave her enough time to nod before he continued on. “I’m not gonna let some sicko hurt you. And nothing’s going to happen to me. Got it. I love you too damn much.” He kissed her again. When he tried to pull away and speak, she pushed her body against him.
“Instead of just saying it, show me.” She whispered the words against his ear. Leaning back, she pulled off her T-shirt.
He didn’t need any further orders.
***
