He shifted lower and kissed her breasts around each areola, sending desire shooting right through her. Ducking his head, he softly bit the gentle curve of tender flesh beneath her nipple as she moaned. Patrick was simply devouring her, mind, body, and soul.
He sucked one nipple into his mouth, driving her wild with want and desire. He twisted onto his side, pulling Rebecca with him. Hitching one of her legs up over his hip, opening her once again to him, he thrust into her softly, slowly, his eyes never once leaving hers. His thumb swirled over her swollen clit, and she was gone, crying out in pleasure once more.
A moment later Patrick came again as well, kissing her passionately as he released deep inside her. “I don’t want to leave you,” he murmured, so softly that she wondered if he’d really spoken at all.
“Then stay,” she whispered, before drifting off to sleep in his arms.
Chapter 19
Rebecca awoke in surprise the next morning, tucked into a blanket on her couch. She stretched as she blinked, shielding her eyes from the brightness. The sunlight beamed in through the windows of her living room, and she heard Abby just beginning to stir in her bedroom down the hall. She must have fallen asleep with Patrick last night, she realized. He’d made love to her again and again, until she’d come so many times she could hardly remember her own name. Finally, she’d simply drifted off to sleep in his warm embrace.
He’d wrapped the blanket around her, she realized. And put her pajama bottoms back on, she thought with a blush. Why that embarrassed her, she didn’t know. The man had explored nearly every inch of her naked body. Taking care of her by righting her clothing and tucking a warm blanket around her shouldn’t be cause for unease.
She cared for him, she realized. More deeply than she thought that she could. He hadn’t told her again that he was falling in love with her, but they hadn’t had much time for words in the midst of their unbridled passion. They’d talk soon enough, she thought. She had so much on her mind with all of the strange incidents going on that she hadn’t had time to closely examine her feelings or what she wanted from him.
She wanted to be with Patrick. That part was simple and true enough. It was the falling in love part that scared her—the needing another person more than you needed your next breath. Could she live with that uncertainty again? Her husband had a perfectly safe job yet had been killed in a car accident. A horrific one. Patrick was a freaking Navy SEAL. It was hard to imagine a job more difficult or dangerous. Could she live with herself knowing that he left all the time on missions she could never know about, all the while knowing there was a chance he wouldn’t return? There really was no easy answer.
She padded into the kitchen, ready to put on a pot of coffee, and saw a simple note on the table:
Stay safe. –Patrick
It was the same thing he’d told her the first time they’d met, although now they both realized she might actually have someone she needed to stay safe from. She’d forgotten to ask him if he’d been able to run the plates of the SUV, although certainly Patrick would have mentioned if he’d had any updates.
She could hear Abby calling her now, and she hurried down the hallway toward her daughter. She slowed down a moment later, realizing that she was actually sore from the lovemaking session she and Patrick had last night. Sore and exhausted in the best possible way. She couldn’t believe he’d been able to make her come, to pleasure her, so many times. Rebecca had always enjoyed sex in the past, but nothing, no one, had ever made her feel like this. Patrick was a force to be reckoned with, and she absolutely loved being on the receiving end of all his attention and affection.
She realized with a sense of chagrin that last night she hadn’t gone over all of her notes for the hearing at the courthouse today like she’d planned. Patrick had blindsided her though, showing up on her doorstep unexpectedly. He’d made love to her so passionately, so thoroughly, it was no wonder she’d lost all sense of control and fallen asleep in his arms. She’d have time to quickly review the files while Abby ate breakfast, but Rebecca would have to grab a bite to eat for herself later on.
She opened the door to Abby’s room and smiled as her daughter sat up in bed, her hair tousled from a night of slumber, her eyes still heavily lidded. She had a big smile on her face as Rebecca walked in, saying good morning and giving her a hug.
“Mommy, is it a school day?”
“Yep, kiddo, it is. And mommy has a big day at the courthouse, so we need to get ready.”
The two walked into the kitchen, and Rebecca prepared Abby’s breakfast, listening to her chatter about a vivid dream she had the night before. She put on a pot of coffee and grabbed the files that she needed to review over breakfast. Her eyes once again fell on the scrawled message Patrick had left, and she felt a surge of warmth rush through her. It was nice to have someone care for her, she realized. She’d been on her own for so long, she’d almost forgotten what it was like to let someone have your back and watch out for you.
Only after she’d finished her first cup of coffee did she realize that he’d never said exactly why he’d come over. Having him show up out of the blue like that was a wonderful surprise, but she had a feeling that Patrick was the type of man who had a reason behind everything he did. He had mentioned that it had been hard to stay away, so perhaps he’d just wanted to spend more time together.
He’d been instantly on edge when she’d mentioned her fears to him about who was knocking on her front door, and for a moment, she wondered if he knew more than he was letting on. Patrick would certainly tell her if he had discovered something though. He’d want Rebecca and Abby to stay safe, and keeping her in the dark wouldn’t help anyone.
All she could do was hope that the strange calls to her office would stop and life could resume as normal. The last thing she needed was more trouble after the year that she’d had. The sooner she could put this entire episode behind her, the better she’d feel.
Patrick pulled onto base early that morning, eager to reconvene with his men. He’d need to get updates from Christopher and Mike, learning what they’d found out last night from pulling up Hale’s credit card records and keeping watch on Hale’s apartment. Then the men had training to do. His CO had been understanding the other day when he’d stressed the urgency of the situation, but since there had been no sign of Hale anywhere, his team had to get back to their own work. Their CO had warned they might be deployed again soon, and Patrick was desperate to end this before he and his men were sent on a mission.
He could call his cop buddy to keep an eye on Rebecca if they were forced to leave, but he knew the PD wouldn’t keep eyes on her 24/7 like he and his team were doing. A stranger talking to Rebecca’s daughter and an SUV parked in her neighborhood would not be cause enough of concern for the police. Not when actual crimes were being committed every day. There sure was nothing illegal about parking on a public street, but it made his blood boil to think of Hale parked in Rebecca’s neighborhood last week. With any luck, one of the guys would have some new information this morning, and they could track this guy down. Ending this for good.
Briefly, he allowed his mind to drift back to thoughts of Rebecca. Although she still hadn’t confessed if she shared the same feelings that he did, she’d certainly been enthusiastic to his advances last night. It had been hard to leave her there on the sofa yesterday. She was so soft and pliant, tucked against him so tightly, he never wanted to go. But he had to get back to Logan so his sister could go home. It was enough that he’d asked her to make the hour drive from Norfolk to babysit his son for the evening, but he’d tried to convey to her that it was extenuating circumstances. He knew she’d assumed it had something to do with his work as a SEAL, and he felt slightly guilty at letting her believe it was the U.S. Navy keeping him away.
He had to see Rebecca though, to hold her in his arms and make sure she was okay. The fact that she’d been scared to the point that she was shaking when she opened the front door only confirmed that he’d been right to
The only thing that enabled him to leave her at all last night was the knowledge that a man on his team would keep eyes on her house overnight. Between the six of them, they’d keep her safe. Thoughts that they may have to deploy again soon worried him. The orders could come at anytime, and he needed this resolved if he wanted to keep his mind one hundred percent on their upcoming mission.
“Any news?” he asked the others when they’d convened.
“Nothing at his apartment,” Mike said, much to Patrick’s dismay. “I sat out in the parking lot all night and there were no signs of Hale or anything suspicious.”
“I guess we’ll just have to rely on the bug you planted then,” Patrick said, his eyebrows creasing.
“Yeah. If he does return, we’ll know it. There’s nothing but a stack of newspapers at his front door now.”
“He hasn’t used any credit cards at all in the past two weeks,” Christopher said, frowning. “I hacked in and pulled up all of his records last night. There are a few spots he used to frequent that we could check out, but this guy is keeping a low profile.”
“Damn it,” Patrick muttered. Even if Hale was paying for his expenses strictly using cash, they could still determine some of the places that he usually spent time at. If they culled through the credit card records, they could pick out a few locations he’d been to the most and start there. People were creatures of habit, and he likely went to the same establishments around the same time each week. There might be a gym he belonged to, a grocery store that he shopped at, or a favorite restaurant that they could track him down at. Hell, even his kid’s school or ex-wife’s house might be places they should visit again. This guy was bound to show up somewhere.
“He used to hit up a bar down by Anchors every Thursday night,” Christopher noted. “We could try checking that place out.”
“That’s not until tomorrow though.”
“It’s a start,” Brent said. “Unfortunately, it’s as good a lead as any right now.
“Agreed,” Patrick said.
He glanced down at his watch, knowing the men had training to get to. As soon as this morning’s drills were over, Patrick fully intended to have one of his guys on Rebecca. He’d feel better if someone was outside of her office building, ensuring nothing suspicious was going on. In the meantime, maybe he would call in another favor with his cop buddy. He’d owe him big time after this, but for the moment, he’d ask him to keep an extra patrol car in the area or something. There was unlikely much that the police would be willing to do at this point, since Hale hadn’t actually threatened Rebecca. But if anything happened, he’d never forgive himself for not covering all of his bases.
He changed into his PT gear, only mildly relieved that they had a starting point in locating Hale tomorrow night. It was better than nothing, but they’d go over the other credit card records this afternoon and come up with a game plan for tracking him down. Divide and conquer and all that. The sooner this ended, the better. And if his team was going to be called up again soon, deploying to God knows where, he wanted to be able to leave with Rebecca completely, one hundred percent safe. Anything less would be unacceptable.
Chapter 20
Rebecca walked out of her office later that afternoon, a feeling of relief washing over her. The hearing at the courthouse had gone smoothly earlier, she’d gotten caught up on the mountain of paperwork piled high on her desk, and they hadn’t received one suspicious phone call. She hadn’t realized the weight of the past week until some of her burdens had been lifted. It was difficult keeping up with her clients and demanding schedule, worrying for the safety of Abby and herself, and navigating through the uncharted waters of starting a new relationship. Or whatever it was going on between Patrick and her.
At some point they’d have to sit down and talk, determine what really was happening between them. He’d said he was falling in love with her, but was it just the sparks of sexual chemistry between them that had him feeling that way? They’d practically burned up the sheets in their hotel room with their passionate night of lovemaking. Was he really just in lust with her?
She couldn’t imagine him spending time with her and her daughter, though, if he only wanted sex. There’d been plenty of women drooling over him every time they’d been together. A man as large and imposing as Patrick commanded the attention of any room that he entered. No, if he just wanted a good time, he’d certainly do better than setting his sights on a busy lawyer like herself with a young child to care for. He certainly wouldn’t have tucked her in the other night and held her so closely against him as she fell asleep if he didn’t care. And he never would have looked at her the way that he did, with warmth filling his cool blue gaze, if he only looked at her as a warm body in his bed.
She clicked the remote to her car, unlocking the doors, and glanced around as a feeling of unease washed over her. Her skin prickled with awareness as a chill snaked down her spine, and she knew someone was watching her. She whipped around, expecting to see someone approaching her, and then let her gaze sweep through the cars parked in the lot.
There, across the parking lot, was a man in a black sedan watching her. He spotted her and quickly glanced down at his smart phone, but something wasn’t sitting right with Rebecca. The man in the car looked completely out of place—his short, cropped hair and broad, muscular frame screamed military. The casual clothing he had on wasn’t the usual buttoned-up look of the lawyers and other business types in her office building. In fact, she could swear that his face looked familiar, too. Was that one of the guys she’d seen Patrick with when she and Alison had dinner at the seafood restaurant all those weeks ago?
It was, she realized. Without giving it a second thought, she marched over to the car. The man didn’t even try to pretend at this point that he hadn’t been watching her, and he stepped out of the vehicle, his brown eyes landing on her.
“You’re friends with Patrick.” It was more of an accusation than a question or comment.
“Yes, ma’am, I am,” he said politely, his voice low but soothing. “Christopher Walters,” he said, extending his hand.
She searched his face, feeling slightly unnerved at how calm he was. It was almost like he’d expected her to be upset at spotting him in the parking lot of her office building. She shook his hand and introduced herself, before asking what he was doing there.
Christopher cleared his throat, for the first time having the decency to look a little guilty. “Patrick asked us to watch out for you until we find Michael Hale.”
“Who’s Michael Hale?” she asked suspiciously.
Patrick hadn’t mentioned anything about knowing the name of the man who’d allegedly been stalking her. He’d offered to run the plates of the SUV outside her home but hadn’t brought it up again. He’d said he or one of his men would watch her home at night, but she’d assumed that had been more to ease her fears than out of strict necessity. Up until this moment, she’d assumed the license plates had been a dead end.
Patrick had been with her at dinner the night Abby disclosed a man had spoken to her, and he’d seen how shaken up Rebecca had been. He knew that she was still receiving anonymous calls at her office—aside from today, oddly enough. And somehow he’d figured out who the stalker was, been concerned enough to alert his SEAL team and order them to provide protection to her during the day, yet he hadn’t felt the need to mention any of it to her?
“I think you should discuss this with Patrick,” Christopher said quietly.
“He’s the stalker. Michael Hale.”
Christopher didn’t dispute it, confirming her suspicions. She wracked her brain, trying to figure out why the name sounded familiar, but her anger toward Patrick prevented her from thinking clearly.
“Damn it, why would Patrick keep me in the dark about this?”
“He wanted to protect you,” Christopher said calmly. He didn’t offer any other defenses for Patrick, either assuming his protection was enough of a justification for having the members of his SEAL team follow Rebecca around or realizing that he didn’t have any other reasons to offer her.
“Where is he?” Rebecca asked coldly.
She had to pick up Abby from after-school care, but she’d call the school to notify them that she would be late. She wasn’t going anywhere until she confronted Patrick. It wasn’t the fact that he’d asked his friends to look out for her that bothered her so much as the fact that he’d done so without her knowledge. He knew the name of her stalker and hadn’t told her. She could have banned him from her office building, notified the security officers down at the courthouse, contacted the man’s lawyer and demanded he keep his client in line.
“Probably on his way home from base,” Christopher admitted. “I’m, uh, pretty sure he was planning to stop by your house later on though.”
“I need an address,” she said firmly.
Christopher hesitated a moment as she pinned him with an icy glare, before reluctantly writing down Patrick’s home address. She glanced at the slip of paper and realized she could be there in twenty minutes, which would give her plenty of time to give Patrick a piece of her mind before driving over to get Abby.
It was ridiculous, really, that the first time she’d go to Patrick’s house would be to give him hell. She knew he’d never expect her to show up yelling at him, but who the hell did he think he was keeping information like that from her?
She snatched the piece of paper from Christopher and stomped back to her car. Realizing what was likely to happen next, she glanced back over her shoulder.
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