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“What? I can’t stay at your place.” With a danger that had nothing to do with the killings.
“Why not?” His grin was almost real. “It’s a great place, and it’s even clean. How many single men can say that?”
She hiccupped a laugh. She ought to go to a motel, but she didn’t seem to have the strength to make a decision for herself. She was falling apart like melting ice cream.
“I’d take you to stay with my aunt and uncle,” he added, “but you don’t know them, so you might feel uncomfortable."
That was certainly true. “I can’t believe I’m such a mess,” she told him in a weak voice. “This isn’t me at all.”
“You’ve been through a lot in a very short time. Stress will do that, you know.”
“But I can usually handle—”
“This isn’t usual.” He released her from his arms and took her hand. “Come on. Let’s go get your stuff.”
In a fog, she let him lead her inside, vaguely aware that one of the deputies came in and talked to him while she gathered some things together and tossed them into her travel bag. She found her laptop, sleepwalked her way out to Cole’s SUV, and let him help her into it.
She could barely concentrate during the drive to his place. He spoke on his cell phone and the radio, but nothing he said penetrated. When he pulled into his driveway, she had only a hazy impression of a neat ranch house with a barn behind it. Somewhere, she heard a horse whinny.
Cole unlocked the door and guided her inside, through a large great room and down a short hallway into a bedroom.
“I even have clean sheets on the bed,” he joked.
She turned to him, frowning. “Is this your room?”
“Uh, no, this would be the guest room.” He set her computer and suitcase down and gathered her to him. She wanted to curl up next to him and never move. “If I get you in my bedroom, Dana, I’ll have a lot more on my mind than just keeping you safe.”
She leaned her head against him, trying to draw strength. He held her like that for two or three minutes before she finally drew in a deep breath, let it out, and somehow managed to draw in her frayed edges. “I think if I could have a cup of coffee, even instant, I could pull myself together and not be quite such a mess.”
“One cup of coffee coming right up.”
She sat at the table in the kitchen while Cole heated water and fixed the hot drink for her. But then he opened a cupboard and took down a bottle of whiskey, pouring some into the coffee.
“You need something to counteract shock,” he told her. “Drink up.”
Curling her hands around the mug, she took a sip, careful not to burn her tongue. The blend of hot coffee and whiskey flowed into her, and almost at once, she felt her edges smoothing out. After two more sips, she set the mug down and looked at Cole leaning against the counter, arms folded, watching her carefully.
“I’m better,” she assured him. “And completely embarrassed.”
“Don’t be. Like I said, you’ve had more than your share of stress in a very short time.” He studied her with those dark brown eyes. “But that’s not all that’s turned you upside down, is it, Dana? Something else has you by the throat. Something that’s had hold of you for a very long time.”
She lowered her gaze and picked up the coffee again, taking another swallow. "I don’t know what you mean.”
“Yes. You do.” He pulled out the chair next to her and sat. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to beat it out of you. But I have a gut feeling it’s tied up with everything that’s happening. I’d like you to tell me before you turn up as one of the victims.”
She set the mug down again and wet her lips. “Cole, listen. I—”
“No. Not now. After you finish your coffee, I’m going to bundle you into a blanket and wrap you up on the couch. And I think another shot of whiskey would be good. Maybe you can nap a little.”
“I think I’m afraid to close my eyes,” she told him in a shaky voice.
“Hence the whiskey,” he explained. “Come on.”
When he urged her up from the chair, he stared at her for a long time, his eyes darker than melted chocolate. Then his mouth came down on hers.
Dana sighed.
All the coffee and whiskey and anything else couldn’t compare with the effect of that kiss. Something tight inside her uncoiled, and some of the tension seeped from her. She opened her mouth, and his tongue swept inside, dancing over every surface. Licking. Tasting. His hands were warm on her back, up and down her spine. She could have kissed him forever.
