Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
When Dylan returned to the bedroom twenty minutes later, he wasn’t surprised to find Raleigh already asleep.
He stood near the bed, simply gazing at her.
She was beautiful. Her long dark hair was curling across the white pillow and her brow which was normally furrowed with stress was smooth in sleep.
She was finally relaxed. She deserved it.
God, she’d been through so much. Her strength and drive to just keep going impressed him.
He’d never met a more determined person and it was sexy as hell.
He’d almost kissed her earlier, but he’d stopped himself in the nick of time.
He knew where it would’ve led, and she was in a vulnerable place.
He wasn’t the kind of man to take advantage of that, or so he told himself, but it had been damn close. She was off limits, and she would stay that way.
But damn, standing over her, watching her sleep, was creepy as fuck.
He shook himself into action and gave himself another stern lecture as he slipped into the bathroom.
He emerged again in less than two minutes, stripped down to his boxer briefs.
Sliding between the covers, he couldn’t resist and reached over to smooth out Raleigh’s hair.
He rolled slightly to kissed her gently on the forehead before reaching out and turning off the light.
His brain had no problem bringing up an image of Raleigh coming out of the bathroom in his favorite Yankees shirt.
She’d looked so vulnerable and so hot all at the same time.
His hands had ached to explore her curves, and he’d gotten hard almost instantly.
If her look had been any indication, she’d felt just as turned on.
He thought of her breasts crushed into his chest when she hugged him and was instantly hard again. It was almost unbearable to lay here next to her, her scent wafting around him. He wanted to reach out and touch her.
Hell, he wanted to do a lot more than touch her.
He took a deep breath and rolled over, putting his back to her. It didn’t help, but he was desperate. Think. How would he find Raleigh’s stalker?
How did the stalker choose her in the first place?
Where did he see her the first time?
What made him choose her?
That one was easy for him at least. She was a smart, ambitious woman who was also warm and approachable.
She had a kind smile and eyes that he was sure twinkled with mischief under normal circumstances.
Is that what the stalker saw when he looked at Raleigh, or was there something else?
Something he thought only she could give him?
He fell asleep a while later with the questions still rattling around his brain.