Page 23 of Stalked

She jumped down from the table. “Yep. Dr. Puglisi said I was done as soon as you were.”

“Good. It’s getting pretty late. I think we both could use some sleep. We’ll go back to my hotel like we’d originally planned.”

A uniformed officer had driven Rosalyn’s car over from the scene of the accident at Steve’s request. He opened the door for her to get in and made his way over to the driver’s side.

He eased slowly out of the parking lot and began to drive. He didn’t go directly to the hotel, instead took leisurely routes going nowhere near where they would be staying.

After an hour Steve was absolutely positive no one was following them. He’d actually been sure of it for twenty minutes before that, but Rosalyn had fallen asleep and waking her up seemed heartless. She’d had a hell of a day. First Steve pulling a gun on her, then someone trying to kill her. Not to mention dealing with her sister’s recent death.

She deserved a nap.

They had so much they needed to talk about. He needed to find out all the details she had about the Watcher. Needed to know where she’d been for the last six months.

Needed to tell her that he was the director of an elite law enforcement agency and was probably more uniquely situated to protect her than anyone else. Even though he’d almost been killed today.

Yes, it was possible it was a drunk driver who had nearly run them over, but Steve would still be on high guard until he knew exactly what it was they were up against.

He drove around a few more minutes before pulling the car up to his hotel on the beach. He got out and looked around for a few minutes, making sure no one had picked them up in the last few minutes. Unlikely but possible.

Nothing. It was completely quiet in the parking lot. The beach was deserted also. All to be expected at nearly midnight on a Wednesday.

Steve walked over and got Rosalyn’s duffel bag out of the trunk. She was still clutching her tote bag in her arms, just like she had been when he’d known her six months ago.

He opened her door and nudged her gently on the shoulder. “Hey, Sleeping Beauty, let’s get you inside so you can sleep properly.”

Her eyes barely opened but she got out of the car. He put an arm around her and led her through the lobby and up the elevator to their room on the seventh floor. He used his key card to get in.

This room was definitely less romantic than the setup six months ago. But from the look in Rosalyn’s tired eyes, she didn’t care about romance tonight.

“I’m just going to go straight to bed. Is that okay?” She lay down on the bed, on top of the covers, shoes still on. Evidently, having only one bed didn’t bother her. She was sound asleep again.

Steve set her duffel bag on the chair and walked over to her. He untied and slipped off her athletic shoes. He then lifted her body with one arm—it shouldn’t be that easy; if they hadn’t just been reassured by one of the best doctors in the area that Rosalyn was perfectly healthy, Steve would’ve worried much more about how little she weighed—so he could tuck her under the blankets.

She never even stirred.

Steve shook his head, smiling. She was like a child. He didn’t know if that was how she normally slept or if it was a product of exhaustion, pregnancy and stress.

It had been a long day. Steve took a shower, wincing at the sting of the water against his scrapes, and changed into fresh clothes.

Tomorrow he would have Rosalyn in Colorado. He realized she hadn’t actually agreed to that yet. He wasn’t trying to keep the information a secret, but neither was it up for negotiation. Steve needed to figure out what was going on. The Critical Response Division headquarters was the best place for him to do that.

The body of Rosalyn’s sister still needed to be taken care of, but Rosalyn’s mother would have to do that. He hoped Rosalyn wouldn’t fight him about going to Colorado.

Not because he wouldn’t take her if she did. He would still take her. It would just make it much more difficult.

But he’d fight that battle if he came to it. Right now she was sleeping peacefully and he should do the same.

He slid next to her into the king-size bed. His body wanted to grab her and pull her into his arms, but he knew that wasn’t wise. Too many unresolved issues between them. Until he knew exactly what was happening, how much he could trust her, he knew he needed to keep his distance.

He looked over at Rosalyn, who had turned onto her side in an attempt to get more comfortable. She looked innocent, lovely, fragile.

But in his line of work he’d learned how very easy it was for looks to deceive.

He would keep on his side of the bed. It was better for everyone that way.

* * *

STEVEWOKEUPand immediately sensed something was wrong.

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