Cassidy just smiled. “You’re right. We need to get at least a few hours of sleep before we go home.”
He loved that she enjoyed sex as much as he did, was smart and practical, yet in every way was a soft, sexy woman. He loved a lot of things about Cassidy Jones.
The thought made him frown. He slid into bed and pulled her close, but sex was off the table, at least for now.
Instead, as he stared up at the ceiling, he remembered the moment gunfire had erupted, the instant he had spotted Cassidy behind him in the hall and known she was putting her life on the line.
She was an investigator. Even if she weren’t, Cassidy would never be willing to stay safely on the sidelines. She would live her life to the fullest, grab hold by the balls and hang on for the utter challenge of it.
He thought about Sarah, a homebody who had wanted nothing more than to have his babies, take care of him and the family they planned to raise together. Sarah shouldn’t have died, but she had.
The odds were stacked even greater against a woman like Cassidy, a woman out in a tough world, not protected and sheltered at home. She could have been killed tonight,could have died so easily. Dread washed through him, terrible memories of death and loss.
Beau turned on his side, determined to block them, finally succeeded. Eventually exhaustion swept over him and he fell asleep. He didn’t know how long he slept before he started to dream.
Footsteps echoed in the hall, a dark shape moved toward him. Someone was in the house! He turned, saw Cassidy in the passageway behind him, a pistol in her hand. Gunfire erupted. When Cassidy turned, he saw a neat black hole dead center in her forehead. A trickle of blood turned into a river of crimson, washing over her beautiful face.
A strangled cry locked in his throat and his chest clamped down. The image changed and the face no longer belonged to Cassidy. It was Sarah. His beloved Sarah, and she was dead. “Sarah!” he cried out. “Sarah!”
Then the woman was Cassidy again, and the agony of losing her was more painful than he ever could have imagined.
“Beau!” Someone shook his shoulder. “Wake up, Beau, you’re dreaming!”
Jolted awake, he shot upright in bed.
“It’s only a dream, Beau. Just a dream.” Cassidy rested her palm against his cheek. “Everything’s okay.”
Perspiration covered his chest. He raked a hand through his sweat-damp black hair. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“It’s all right. Go back to sleep.”
Beau nodded, still thinking of Cassidy and the dream. His breathing was still a little ragged. He wasn’t sure he could fall asleep, but as soon as his head hit the pillow, his tired body had other ideas and he drifted back into slumber. This time he didn’t dream.
* **
Cassidy lay awake. Her eyes burned. Her throat felt tight. Her chest ached as if she had been running for miles. She fought not to cry, but tears leaked from beneath her lashes and slipped down her cheeks.
She had no one to blame but herself. She’d known the way Beau felt about Sarah, known he would always be in love with her. Known he had no room left in his heart for her. But hearing him call out Sarah’s name in his sleep had brought it all home.
If she could, she would get dressed and leave the suite, get as far from Beau as she possibly could. She was in love with him. She had known it for some time. He was everything a woman could want in a man. Strong, brave, smart, capable, sexy as hell. He was everything Cassidy had ever wanted.
But he belonged to someone else, and that would never change. She closed her eyes and finally managed to block thoughts of him. She couldn’t leave until this case was completely over and she knew for sure Beau was safe.
If you loved someone you didn’t abandon them, no matter the reason. You stayed. You protected them. You put their life before your own.
Eventually, she fell asleep. But when Beau awoke and began to kiss the side of her neck, cup and caress her breasts, she pretended to be deeply asleep. Eventually, he gave up and padded in to the shower.
Cassidy started crying, turning into the pillow to muffle the sound of her tears. She couldn’t have Beau. It didn’t matter that her heart was broken. She had to accept things the way they were and move on.
When the shower went off, she took a shuddering breath and steeled herself. She thought of Beau, climbed out of bed, and silently began making plans to move back home.
* **
Beau paced the floor of the living room in the suite, waiting for the call that would tell them the CSIs were done and they could go home. He glanced over at Cassidy, who sat at the walnut dining room table, sipping a cup of coffee, quiet, as she had been all morning.
Beau was worried about her. Clearly she was more upset about last night’s shooting than she had first appeared. A tray loaded with pastries sat mostly untouched. Instead, the first stainless pot of coffee was empty and they were halfway through the second.
Beau poured more of the dark brew into his cup and sat down at the table just as his phone rang.
