Page 95 of I'm Watching You

‘Where, dare I ask?’

‘I want to go to Lindsay O’Neil’s town house.’

Mike lowered the camera, giving her a ‘you’re a diva’ look. ‘And why is that?’

God, he could be so shortsighted. ‘Because,’ she said, lowering her voice, ‘Lindsay O’Neil’s husband just left the crime scene and he’d only do that if it were really important. He’s worried about his wife.’

Mike shrugged. ‘Okay. Whatever.’

‘Let’s shoot those scenes and get over to Lindsay’s.’

*

Lindsay lingered in the shower longer than she should have. But the hot water felt good against her skin. And she hoped if she stayed under the cleansing spray long enough she’d erase the memory of this morning from her mind. She had soaped up her entire body and washed and applied conditioner to her hair. Now, as she rinsed the conditioner from her hair, the hot water started to cool. She’d drained the hot water heater.

After shutting off the water spray, she toweled off. Through the fog on the bathroom mirror she stared at herself. ‘What insanity possessed you today?’

She turned away, then dressed in a simple black skirt and a white collared shirt. Normally, she didn’t wear a skirt to work, but normally she didn’t have to cancel morning appointments to make time for a meeting with Dana. She dried her hair and put on lipstick and mascara before sweeping her hair into a ponytail, then headed downstairs.

Lindsay made a fresh pot of coffee. As the machine spit and hissed, she stared out the back window into her garden. Normally, just staring at the lush plants calmed her. But not today. Today she was filled with a restlessness that made her feel as if she could jump out of her skin.

Sex with Zack.It was the dumbest thing she could have done.

Lindsay had sworn she’d never be like her mother. In college she’d been labeled ‘ice queen’ by the men she’d dated on campus. She’d refused to get close to anyone, because no man was going to ruin her life. Or make her repeat her mother’s mistakes.

But the moment she’d met Zack, all her vows to keep men at arm’s distance had vanished. When she’d met him, he’d had long hair and worn a small gold hoop in his left ear. He’d had a two-day growth of beard on his chin and he’d reminded her of a pirate.

From the very beginning, she’d been drawn to him. She hated the termssoul matesandWe were meant to be,but both described how she’d felt about Zack in the early days. The ice had melted, and for the first time life was filled with brilliant color and hope.

He was dedicated to his work. He loved catching the bad guys, as he liked to say. In her mind, he was the warrior-protector. With him, she felt safe.

Their third date had been a charity fund-raiser for the yet to be opened Sanctuary. It was a pancake breakfast and she’d vowed to make and sell a thousand hotcakes to raise money for the shelter. She’d had five volunteers on board to help, and when two hadn’t shown up, she’d panicked. Zack had chosen that moment to stop by, and when she’d told him of her dilemma, he’d rolled up his sleeves and started making pancakes. He’d dazzled the crowds and was a better cook than she was.

They’d made love for the first time that night. And Zack had been touched and humbled when she’d shyly confessed that she was a virgin.

After that their courtship had been quick, hot, and intense. They’d met in March and by mid-April they were on a plane bound for Las Vegas. They’d driven straight from the airport in a rented Jeep with the top down. The sky had been a brilliant blue and the air warm.

Lindsay had been nervous but Zack had been steady as a rock. They’d bypassed the hotel and gone to the Little White Chapel, ending up in the Chapel of Promises in front of a justice of the peace. They’d both worn jeans and she’d carried a bouquet of white roses that Zack had purchased at the chapel. They’d exchanged traditional vows and in that moment Lindsay had believed in happy endings.

But once they had returned home the tide had quickly turned against them. Lindsay had thrown herself into the creation of Sanctuary and Zack had returned to undercover work almost immediately. His case, which had involved child trafficking, had required that he be gone for days at a time. When he had been home, he had drank more than she had thought was good for him. When she’d mentioned his drinking to him, he’d told her to back off. His anger had felt like a betrayal and she’d fallen into her old habit – she’d retreated into herself.

Zack had apologized. She’d accepted his apology. He’d confessed that the case wasn’t going well – that he’d seen things that could never be erased from his mind. She’d tried to understand. They’d made love and she’d thought that was the end of it. But within days he had been drinking again and they had been fighting again.

As quickly as they’d fallen in love, they’d seemed to have fallen out of love. The wall that had risen between them felt unbreakable.

And then this morning Zack had touched her, and her vows to guard her heart had evaporated. In thoseexplosive moments, there’d only been the heat of his touch and the pulse of desire in her body.

‘Stupid, stupid, stupid.’

Yesterday, she’d spoken to Nicole about options regarding pregnancy. She’d sounded so reasonable and so calm. But now that she faced the same problem, black and white faded to gray. Her hands slid protectively to her stomach. What if she was pregnant?

Lindsay halted her dangerous train of thought. ‘Don’t borrow trouble.’

After clicking off the coffee machine, she got her purse. She had no time to spare if she was going to get downtown for her nine o’clock meeting with Dana.

She headed outside, closed the door behind her, and clicked the dead bolt into place. This time she pocketed the key, instead of putting it under the flower pot.

Dashing down the walk, she spotted the morning paper. ‘Finally.’ She reached down and scooped it up.

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