“Stick around a while and I’ll barbecue you a steak,” Sully said.
“I’d like that.”
They talked and ate and had another beer. Before Charley knew it, her phone said it was almost eight o’clock. Making Sully stay put, she insisted on being the one to clean up and stacked their plates in the dishwasher. Then they moseyed into the den, sunk into the comfortable leather sofa, and Sully found a movie that made them both laugh. Afterward, they watched a news update. Heather’s parents were asking for anyone with information about the murder of their daughter to please come forward. The newscaster pointed out that the killer of the other recent murder victim, Grace Lightner, was still at large. Then he reminded viewers of the murder of the Fleming Flowers shop owner in a nearby neighborhood. He signed off with a question to viewers:What was happening in Old Colorado City?
“Wanna sleep with me tonight?” Sully asked. Charley turned her head to look at him and slowly nodded. “C’mere, Charley,” he whispered and stretched out an arm to her.
Charley scooted across the sofa cushion to him, and his strong arms closed around her. She tilted her chin up to look at him, and his head lowered. When his mouth touched hers for the very first time, it was as electrifying as when her hand had touched his for the first time. He wrapped both arms aroundher and pulled her closer. When his lips parted, hers did too. His strong hand gently cupped her cheek and then he broke the kiss. His green eyes smoldered, and Charley wondered what she’d gotten herself into with this man. Instinct told her he was as experienced as she was naïve. She trembled and clutched the front of his tee shirt.
“I barely know you, Sully.”
“And nothing is going to happen tonight,” he told her. “Okay?”
“Okay.”
With a confusing mixture of regret and relief, she relaxed, and they finished watching the news. When Charley yawned, Sully clicked off the flatscreen and grasped her hand. Standing, he tugged her off the sofa and led her down the hall to his bedroom. Flipping back a thick comforter on the king-size bed, he left her standing near a nightstand and walked around to the other side of his bed.
“That’s your side and this is my side,” he said, crawling into bed.
“I’ll try to stay on my side.” Charley crawled in after him and drew the comforter and the sheet up to her chin. “And I’ll try not to scream.”
“I don’t know about staying on my side, but I won’t scream.”
When Sully chuckled, a giggle escaped Charley. She rolled onto her side, facing him. He had stretched out on his back with his hands stacked under his head. He winked at her and closed his eyes. She lay with her eyes open for several minutes until she heard his even breathing. When she closed her eyes, her mind plagued her with the murder of her mother. Then she saw the destruction to her car and her vandalized apartment and the flower shop. The body of her college classmate, under a tarp at the entrance to a cave, flashed like it had on the news. It grew darker, and from behind a copse of trees, a faceless killerstepped into the open, shocking Charley. As he stalked toward her, she tried to run but her feet wouldn’t move. When his hands snatched her throat, she jerked backward and cried out.
“Help!”
“Charley,” came the deep masculine voice beside her. “Wake up.”
It took her a few seconds. “Sully?”
“Yeah. You’re safe.”
Charley rolled into his arms and clung to him. Her heart pounded frantically, and she could hardly breathe. She’d had variations of this nightmare every night since the assault and murder. But only these last two nights had someone been there to catch her when she fell out of the terror and into reality. She took a deep, staccato breath trying to calm herself.
“Sorry,” she whispered against his shoulder, her arm around him.
“It’s okay,” he said, his hand flattening to her back as he held her to his muscular chest.
“What time is it?”
“About one, I think.”
“I should go and let you sleep.”
“Where would you go in the middle of the night with no vehicle?”
“I don’t know.” She detested bothering him and feeling scared. “Back to sleep?”
“Good answer.” With a gentle kiss to her forehead, Sully loosened his grip and patted her hip. “Roll over.”
When Charley rolled over, she felt Sully’s hard body come up solidly against her back. His strong arm looped around her waist, pulling her closer. This felt good. Safe and secure. It felt so good in fact, she closed her eyes. She’d never slept with a man. But now that she’d slept with this man, she could imagine doing so every night. Where would something like that lead?
“G’night,” she whispered.
“Night.”
CHAPTER TEN
