The sheriff’s expression softened. “Mariana. I understand your anger, but please take a moment and think just of yourself. This man is a danger to you, and I can have him off the street long enough for you to figure out what’s happening. At the very least, let me do some investigation into his background and find the trail back to Dallas. I really believe he’s your stalker. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
Johnny leaned forward, his hair cut in a new buzz. “You should listen to my pop. He’s a great cop.”
Raine could thank the kid for the assist. He should’ve kept his mouth shut.
“No,” Mariana said, eyeing Johnny. “You were arrested several times for beating up your young wife, and then in our group, you were rude and suggestive. It shows poor judgment on your father’s behalf that he hired you and gave you a gun.” She stiffened. “We’re leaving now. Please keep my report on file for the next sheriff.” With that zinger, she turned and pushed her way between the deputies and out of the office.
Raine watched her as a very unwelcome heat flashed through his system. One of want and need—and intrigue. The woman was magnificent, even while muddy and still wet. “Sheriff?” He turned to the man glaring at him. “Kiss my ass.” With less class than his woman had shown, he shoved the deputies out of his way and strode after her.
Now all he had to do was convince her that he had to protect her.
Yeah. What could go wrong with that conversation? He sighed and followed her into the early morning outside the station. “Mariana? Wait up.”
“No,” she snapped, jumping into the one taxi in town. A second later, it sped off.
He watched it go. Fine. There was something she didn’t know about him, and he’d easily beat her home. Let’s see how she liked that since there was definitely something about him she could never know.
Who, or rather what, he truly was.
Vampire.
Chapter 4
Mariana dressed in yoga pants and an over-large sweatshirt before tugging thick comfy socks over her chilled feet. She’d remained in the shower until the water had turned lukewarm, and now she was clean of mud. Her hair was drying around her face, and she needed breakfast. Did she have eggs? Humming, she strode from her bedroom into the living room and stopped cold.
Raine Maxwell sat on her floor, legs extended, head back on the wall and his eyes closed. A duffel bag sat next to him. Mud covered his motorcycle boots and the bottom of his jeans, which had dried nicely to show the muscles in his thighs.
She caught her breath. “What are you doing here?”
He slowly opened his eyes but didn’t move otherwise. “I figured we should talk.”
Seriously? She looked at her locked front door. “How did you get inside?” Her gun was still in the kitchen. Why hadn’t she taken it into the bathroom with her?
“It’s a talent.” He watched her like she was something curious and slightly yummy. As if he wanted to play and then eat.
Her shiver wasn’t all about fear. Maybe not much about fear. “Tell me once and for all,” she murmured.
“I’m not your damn stalker.” He rolled his eyes. “Give me a break, Doc. You know I’m not.”
Every instinct in her body told her he wasn’t the stalker from Dallas. “You might not be the main stalker, but here you are, breaking and entering.” Thank goodness she’d gotten dressed after her shower. She’d lived alone for so long that walking around in a towel wasn’t a big deal.
“I didn’t break, but I did enter.” He rolled his neck, finally moving. “The window lock is flimsy in your guest room, and it didn’t take much to jimmy it open. I’ll fix that for you later today.”
She put her hands on her hips. “That lock was fine, and I had a wedge in the sill.”
His eyebrows rose. “No wedge. Interesting. I thought you said the guy came in from the garage.”
“He did.” The memory of the kidnapping would haunt her until they caught this guy or his team. “The wedge is really gone?”
“Yeah,” Raine said softly. “Somebody removed that wedge from the sill—and the only reason would be so they could return and get inside easily. Look around the house and make sure nothing else is missing.”
This wasn’t making any sense. The kidnapper had thrown her in a trunk and driven away. Had his partner gone through her house? Bile spiraled through her stomach. “The stalker went through my home,” she whispered. After his buddy had taken her, he’d spent time in her house? She rubbed her arms, suddenly chilled. Definitely violated.
“It’s okay.” Raine stretched to his feet, looking formidable and dangerous. “I meant what I said. We’re going to figure out who this guy is, I’m going to take care of him, and you’re going to be fine.”
Her mouth went dry. Bone dry. “Take care of him? You mean you’re going to turn him in to the police, right?” Hopefully Evan O’Connell would be sheriff by then.
“Right,” Raine said, a veil over his eyes again. “Here’s the plan. I’m going to take a quick shower and change clothes. While I’m doing that, you search your house and see if he took anything. If you need me, yell and I’ll be right by your side. Then we’ll make breakfast and come up with a plan.”
A naked Raine Maxwell in her shower? Yeah, those chills dissipated quickly. “Why don’t you go home to shower?”
“I don’t have a place in Indiana,” he admitted. “I gave up my lease on the condo when I left town.”
Her chin lifted. This was all too much—and so was he. He was sexy and dangerous and unfathomable. She didn’t know him, and she shouldn’t trust him. Not yet, anyway. “Then go to a hotel.”
“No.” He turned and prowled into her guest room, walking right to the small adjoining bathroom, where he shut the door.
She gaped at the empty doorway. No? He couldn’t just say ‘no.’ Oh, she should call the sheriff and have him arrested for trespassing, but the sheriff was a dolt. Kind of. He’d impressed her with some of his questions and reasoning, but right now, she was on her own.
Well, on her own with Raine Maxwell. She’d never admit it to him, but she felt much safer with him around. Of course, right now he was naked in her guest bathroom.
Her body did a whole tremble top to bottom at the thought.
Oh, this was a disaster.
* * * *
After a long shower where he figured Mariana could come to the conclusion that she wanted him around for now, Raine pulled on a fresh pair of faded jeans and a black sweater he’d stolen from his brother a year ago. It fit him better, anyway. Finger combing his hair, he padded barefoot out of the room and into the living room, where he caught sight of a small gathering in the kitchen. “What the heck?”
Evan McConnell looked up from the table, his cop eyes appraising. “Heard you got darted.”
His mate and fiancée, Tabi Rusko, snorted in delicate laughter. “That’s hilarious.” Tabi was a full demoness who’d mated Evan just a couple of months before, and so far, Evan seemed to be doing okay with going from human to immortal. The situation was incredibly rare when the human was male, and often they were too volatile or dangerous.