Page 66 of Obsession

Emma considered his question. She definitely wanted to spend more time with him after that kiss and wished she hadn’t asked Brooke to swing by and pick her up. “Okay, but let me text Brooke and tell her you’re taking me.” Once that was done, she asked, “Have you said anything to her about the ring and that maybe the grave belonged to Ryan?”

He shook his head. “I haven’t seen her, and that’s something I don’t want to talk about over the phone.”

“If I see her first, is it okay for us to discuss it?”

“I don’t see why not. She’ll be helping with the investigation anyway.”

Brooke texted back a thumbs-up and that she would stop by Mount Locust sometime during the day. Emma poured coffee into her insulated cup and grabbed a breakfast bar.

“Have you eaten?” she asked, and when he said no, she tossedhim a breakfast bar as well. “That should hold you until lunch. Coffee?”

“Yes, ma’am, if you have a Styrofoam cup with a lid,” he said.

“I have another insulated tumbler.”

“That’ll work.”

She poured what was left of the coffee into another tumbler. “I’m ready.”

Emma handed him the coffee, and his fingers brushed hers, bringing back the memory of their embrace. What if he regretted it?

“You okay?”

“Yeah. How about you?” Hesitantly, Emma lifted her head and sought his eyes. She had to know how he felt. Her heart soared when his smile made it all the way to his brown eyes. “I mean, do you regret kissing me?”

“I was a little surprised, but I would never regret it.”

“What do we do now?”

Sam laughed out loud. “We go to Mount Locust and finish the work there, and we come back to your house and have dinner with your dad.”

Just like a man to put it all into perspective.

“We need to take whatever this is slowly,” he added and took her arm as they walked down the stairs.

Part of her disagreed and wanted to go full steam ahead. But he was right. She definitely didn’t want to rush things and have a repeat of ten years ago.

He stopped at the front door of the house. “Let me check out the street.”

Sam did make her feel protected. When he returned, he said, “It’s all clear and one of Nate’s deputies just made a pass by so we ought to be good to go.”

He’d pulled into the drive and hurried her to the waiting SUV. She almost stopped as she felt someone watching her. It had to be her imagination. Sam had scoped the area out andwould surely have seen if someone were hiding. Emma scanned the street. Two vehicles were waiting to turn left on her street, a dark sedan and a light-colored pickup.

The driver in the dark sedan blew his horn and the pickup lurched forward, the sun glinting off the windshield. The sedan driver gunned his motor as he made the turn and blew past the pickup. She shook her head. People were so impatient.

34

He glanced up at Emma’s window, hoping to see her, but the blinds were pulled. His mind drifted to the cabin he had for her. He couldn’t wait to take her there. It was the perfect place where they could be happy, and no one would bother them. Soon. He would take her there very soon.

His attention jerked back to the apartment as Ryker stepped out on the front porch. The ranger was leaving. He watched him as he scoped out the neighborhood.

Suddenly a patrol car in his rearview mirror caught his attention, and he froze. He’d hung around too long. With his heart in his throat he ducked down in the seat, and as soon as the sound of the car’s motor faded, he raised up. Time for him to leave in case the patrol car made another loop. Except he wanted a glimpse of Emma. No. He needed to leave and quickly started his truck and pulled out of the parking space.

At the stop sign, he was about to turn when Emma emerged from the two-story house with Ryker on her heels. Fire exploded in his chest as the ranger placed his arm around her waist. Ryker shouldn’t be touching her that way. He gripped the steering wheel, and his jaw clenched so tight it hurt. He was almost as angry as he’d been last night.

A horn blew behind him, and he jumped. Both Emma and Ryker glanced toward the street, and he hastily made a left turn,away from town. It took a mile for his heart to calm down again. That had been close. At least they didn’t appear to recognize him, but what if Ryker made note of his pickup? Stupid driver behind him. He’d almost flipped him off when the idiot sped around him, but with drivers being the way they were nowadays, it might have caused an altercation. And that would have drawn Ryker’s attention.

His chest tightened at how Ryker just couldn’t keep his hands off Emma. She’d tried to move away from him, he’d seen her, but Ryker maintained a firm hand on her. He narrowed his eyes. The ranger had to go.

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