Chapter Thirty-Nine
K eira sighed when a pair of arms pulled her against a hard chest. She wasn’t alarmed because she knew his scent instantly. She strained to hear the words he was saying against her head. He must have thought she was still asleep.
Her heart hurt at the fiery turmoil and sorrow in his voice as he apologized yet again. His words stopped, and he stiffened when she turned her head toward him.
“Where did you go earlier when we were in the kitchen?”
“I didn’t want you to see me upset, and I needed some solitude.” Daniel held her against his chest, silent, listening to her breathing. “Go back to sleep.”
“Will you be here when I wake up?”
“I’ll be right here, Baby. Don’t worry.”
Keira nodded and slid back to sleep.
****
D aniel held her as noon turned into afternoon, and the shadows in the room grew longer and darker as the sun slid down the other side of the house.
There was a soft knock on the door before it opened a bit. Daniel waved Conner in and then whispered, “What’s up?”
“She wanted me to wake her so she could put a pot roast in, and her sister’s been calling. What do you want to do?”
“I’ll wake her, and we’ll be down.”
“Got it.”
Daniel waited until Conner had left before he levered himself up and gently rolled Keira to her back. “Honey. Wake up.” He smiled when she grumbled and tried to turn back toward him. “Keira, Baby, Conner’s back with the roast you wanted, and your sister wants to talk to you.”
Keira took in a breath before she squinted her eyes open, then stretched her arms over her head and arched her back.
Daniel bit back a groan as her breasts were thrust up and her hard little nipples poked against the thin material of the shirt.
“Okay, I’m awake.” She started to roll away from him to get out of bed.
Daniel caught her arm to pull her back. “Wait.”
“What?” Her eyes roamed over his face as she waited.
Daniel’s eyes caught hers. “Keira, I’m trying really hard not to bend down and take your lips. Can you give me a good reason why I shouldn’t?”
Keira lay speechless.
His eyes followed as her tongue swept over her bottom lip. “Last chance.” Daniel tucked her gently under him, always aware she still had injuries from the attack. His head descended when she stayed silent. The first touch of his lips to hers was soft and quick. Daniel raised his head and waited a moment as his eyes appraised hers, then lowered it again, taking her mouth like he meant to eat her for a meal. His tongue thrust in several times, making them both moan.
Keira’s arms crept over his shoulders and then around his neck.
Daniel continued to kiss her until they were both breathless, then lifted his head before he lost all control. He ran his thumb over her cheek until she opened her eyes and stared in a daze at him. “If we don’t stop, Baby, it will get out of hand really quickly, and I don’t think you’re ready, and I don’t want to push you into anything.”
Keira nodded her head. “You’re right.”
Daniel lifted his arm, letting her free to roll off the bed, away from him.
****
K eira gave Daniel one more long look before going into the bathroom. She closed and leaned against the door and took a deep breath. She hadn’t wanted to stop kissing him. If he hadn’t stopped, she didn’t think she would have.
Her body still hummed with arousal. At the bathroom counter, she leaned forward with her hands on the surface. Her eyes slid over her features. Every day, she looked a little better, but she just wished her emotional state would improve. She had to remind herself it hadn’t been that long and to give herself a break.
She used the toilet, washed her hands, and brushed her teeth. She tried to tame her hair that was as wild as she’d ever seen it. It had been a while since she had time or the inclination to brush her hair, but she noticed some of the shine was coming back.
She opened the bathroom door, a little relieved that the bedroom was empty. Keira heard Daniel, Conner, and another man talking in the living room as she descended the stairs.
Everybody stopped and turned to her when she stepped into the doorway. Her wide eyes darted to each face. One man stood talking to Daniel and Conner, while two sat on the sofa, going over papers.
Her stomach tightened as one face was grimmer than the last. “What’s going on?”
Conner and Daniel looked at each other as the man standing spoke. “It’s nothing for you to worry about.”
Keira raised her chin and crossed her arms. “Does it have anything to do with me?”
The man turned to Daniel with his eyebrows raised.
Daniel nodded. “Yes, Baby, it does.”
Keira turned her eyes back to the man standing before her. “I see. So, what shouldn’t I worry about?”
Keira wanted to laugh at the men as they looked at each other in panic, but she was too angry at that moment. Now, she had men crawling out of the woodwork to protect her?
Conner pointed toward the sofa. “Come and sit down.”
Her scowl went darker, and her foot started to tap. Daniel hid his smile behind a hand.
“Conner, I’m fine standing. Now cut the crap.”
One of the men sitting cleared his throat and tried to whisper, but she heard every word. “Which one of you is with her because she’s going to be a handful, mark my words.”
The smile that crossed Keira’s face made them all nervous. “I’m no one’s—”
“She’s mine,” Daniel interrupted.
The two stared at each other in a struggle that captivated the whole room until Conner broke the tension.
“Keira, I’d like you to meet Blane, he works with me. The two on the sofa are Tom and Chris, Tom has the dark hair.”
Keira nodded at each before her gaze trapped Conner’s again. Her eyes narrowed when he stayed silent.
“We think we have something,” Daniel said as he took a step toward her. “You remember me talking about Tammy, my ex?”
Keira stiffened. “Yes.”
“I told you how dramatic she started to get at the end, and I thought she just wanted more of my attention? She had always complained that I worked too much.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Go on.”
“It’s possible she was actually being stalked, the same as you.” Daniel leapt for her when all the color in her face drained.
Keira swayed but held up a hand when a few of them headed toward her. “Stop.” She walked around them, ignored Daniel’s outstretched arm, and sat carefully on the edge of a chair that sat at an angle to the sofa. She took a few breaths. “What did she say?”
Blane stepped forward. “She told me it started with her things being moved, then taken. Notes in her house, feeling like she was being watched.”
Keira stayed silent for a moment. “And what was done to help her?”
Conner and Daniel looked at each other.
Daniel stepped forward. “I tried, we took the notes to the cops every time she received one. We made a list of everything taken or moved. But I feel like I let her down, too. This guy knows exactly what he’s doing.”
“How ... how, when, did it stop for her?”
“We broke up, and she moved away. She says she hasn’t had any trouble since.”
Keira stared at her hands in her lap. Her eyes came up and pierced Daniel’s. “So, why does this guy hate you?”
Daniel looked at her with pride. “We don’t know yet.”
“You have no inkling of who it might be?”
Daniel pointed with his hand to indicate all the papers on the table in front of the sofa. “That’s what we’re trying to figure out right now.”
“How is Tammy?”
“Leave it to you to care about someone you’ve never met.”
Keira’s eyes narrowed on Daniel. “Is that bad?”
“Hell, no. It’s just one of the reasons I love you.”
The room grew quiet, and the men shifted uncomfortably until Conner cleared his voice. “Let’s get back to work. Keira, you need to call your sister. She’s been calling all morning.”
Keira glanced at Conner, nodded, and stood. “Where’s a phone?”
“I left my cell phone in the kitchen. Go ahead and use that.”
“All right.”
Conner stopped her at the door. “Keira, are you still going to make that pot roast?”
Keira turned back. “I’m planning on it, why?”
“I was just looking forward to it.”
Keira nodded. “If you got a big enough roast, there will be plenty if the others want to join us,” she said, turned, and walked off. She heard them argue from the kitchen and rolled her eyes.
Blane’s face brightened. “I haven’t eaten pot roast since my grandmother made it, and I think I was like fifteen at the time. No one I know knows how to make it.”
“You’re welcome to stay,” Daniel said to the others. Conner scowled at Daniel. “What?”
“You’re giving away my roast, man,” Conner grumbled.
“I have to get home to my wife,” Tom said, disappointed.
Chris swore. “Shit, I have to work.”
Daniel thumped Conner on the back. “See, you only have to share with Keira, me, and Blane.”
“We’ll see how much you eat first before I feel better.”
The men chuckled and went back to the discussion they’d been having, going over everyone Daniel had contact with since he’d moved to town five years before.