by Lily Black
It turned out that Stuart was right on one count—the girl did clear them of being suspects. Neither of them was even booked. The fact that Drew had a stamped ticket from the dinner theater he and Alexa had attended—and that the show was an hour’s drive away—probably helped. Drew didn’t even need to call Alexa to confirm that he’d been with her.
But when he and Stuart had walked out of the police station, he’d barely been able to hold back from punching Stuart when the jerk walked up to his girlfriend and kissed her roughly. Her lips were swollen from her ordeal, and she was obviously still in a state of shock, but that didn’t seem to matter to Stuart. He just grabbed her by the hand and started dragging her off to a party.
Drew stepped in and offered the girl a ride home. It seemed like the least he could do. But that frightened her, and she pulled back, shaking her head and crying. Stuart grinned in triumph and reached for the girl again, but she started screaming and shoved him away then ran off. Stuart would have gone after her, but Drew stepped in his path.
They were standing just outside the police station, so although Stuart looked mad enough to kill, nothing came of it. Still, Drew never forgot the murderous look in Stuart’s eyes. His girlfriend had been gang raped, and he didn’t see the problem. But Drew had witnessed her humiliate Stuart, and he knew that would never be forgiven. Stuart told Drew he would be watching for a chance to “give Drew a taste of his own medicine,” whatever that was supposed to mean.
As for Drew, he was moody and preoccupied when Alexa called later, and he was rude when she asked about his night, cutting her off. He was such a twit. He didn’t even tell her a proper good-bye. But at the time, he had just shut down and closed her out. The next morning, he’d shipped out for his first mission, and he’d thrown himself into the work, completely blocking out all memory of the disastrous end to his leave.
Now that creep Stuart was stalking Alexa, and he must know that she was in Drew’s protection. As if it weren’t bad enough that he was dangerously obsessed with Alexa, what would he do once he knew he could get back at Drew through her?
Setting his laptop aside, Drew rose and walked quietly to the bedroom door and out into the hall. Swinging the door almost shut behind him, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed the number for Detective Rawlings. As he waited for her to pick up, he couldn’t help pacing in the hall beside the stairs, but he tried to do it quietly. No need to wake Alexa if he didn’t have to. Hopefully, Detective Rawlings could send some officers to pick up Stuart Odel, and this would all be over by morning.
“Hey, Drew, what’s up?” Detective Rawlings didn’t sound sleepy, so she must have been on duty.
Drew stopped at the end of the hall, where he could look across a spare room to a dark window. “I think I’ve ID’d our guy. Name is Stuart Odel. He’s a brown belt at Crouching Tiger and a local to Willowdale. He recently changed his hair in a big way, but I made the connection when I saw the photo.”
“Those photos don’t show much of his face. How sure are you?” Detective Rawlings asked. “Besides, he was on the list of men Alexa had dated, so we checked him out. He came up clean.”
“I recognize his eyes. I have reason to remember them. Just dig deeper, would you?” Drew walked across the spare room to look out the window but couldn’t see anything. The night was too dark. Not a star was shining. “I have a hard time believing he’s kept his hands completely clean. And I think he was trained as a locksmith. He has an uncle in the business who used to help his dad on campus.”
“All right,” Detective Rawlings said. “You sound sure. Jason Stone’s parole officer finally got back to me. Jason is sitting quiet, just where he’s supposed to be, and hasn’t met anyone suspicious or made any phone calls that might have allowed him to arrange this. So that lead is dead, anyway. We’ll see what we can find out about Stuart. With one guy to focus on, we can put a little more into the search and hopefully turn something up.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it.” Drew hung up and walked back into the bedroom.
Alexa was sitting up in the bed, looking more alert than she had the last few times Drew had woken her. The clock on the table beside her read five thirty a.m., so it was later than Drew had realized.
“I heard voices,” Alexa said.
He nodded and sat in the chair beside the bed. “I called Detective Rawlings.” He hesitated, unsure exactly how to go on. “How well do you know Stuart Odel?”
“Not really well.” Alexa’s eyes roamed around the room, making her seem restless. “He’s pretty good in point sparring but has a hard time taking correction. He and Master Hays had a falling out about a month ago, but he seems to have gotten over it. Why?”
When Drew didn’t immediately answer, her eyes came back to his face, and she gasped. “Are you serious? You think Stuart is my stalker?”
Drew nodded. “He’s changed his hair recently and added that mustache, but when I saw him in the ski-mask photo, he looked familiar. I’m sure.”
Alexa shook her head, but more in puzzlement than denial. “We had a soft date set up, but I had to cancel it. I didn’t think he liked me that much or cared that we didn’t go out. He could be funny sometimes, but I didn’t really like him. Why would he do this?”
Drew shook his head. “Who knows? Maybe he thought you insulted him by cutting off your date this summer. You canceled at the last minute?”
“Yeah, but that was as much him as me,” Alexa said. “Ragbag was just a little thing then and had come down with a cough. I took her to the vet, but things ran late, so I called Stuart and told him we’d have to go to a later movie if he still wanted to do that, and when he pressed for a time, I told him I didn’t know how soon I’d be ready. He seemed a little annoyed and said to forget it, that we’d just try again another time.”
“Did he ever ask you out again?” Drew asked.
Alexa shook her head, then her eyes flew wide. “Yes, he did, but I’d forgotten. It didn’t seem like a date, you know. He just asked me if we could get coffee after sparring one day, but I was attending a book festival with Keri and Brian, so we let him tag along. And honestly, I didn’t pay him much attention. You think he did all this because of that?”
Drew shrugged. “Maybe. A stalker’s reasons wouldn’t make sense to us, ’cause what drives him is sick and obsessive, by definition. But I’m pretty sure it was him. You remember the day at the library, when the pot fell? I saw him buying a used book from the sale table. If he paid cash, there wouldn’t be any paper trail placing him on-site. He’s clever, I’ll give him that. Who knows how many other times he’s been near you at the time of an attack?”
Alexa nodded, her face troubled. “The day you helped me with my tire, he pulled up and offered to help. At the time, I didn’t think about it, but now it seems odd he didn’t stick around once he saw you.”
“You’re probably lucky he didn’t realize then that we were together,” Drew said. “He doesn’t like me. We had a run-in several years ago. Things might get a lot worse now that he knows you’re with me.” As soon as the words “you’re with me” were out of his mouth, he realized that might not have been the best way to put it.
Alexa said nothing but simply raised her eyebrows in a questioning look.
“With me, as in, you’re under my protection,” Drew clarified. He didn’t want to presume anything and scare her off by his presumption.
Alexa’s eyes narrowed. “What are you not telling me? Why would my being near you be any worse than my being close to anyone else in Stuart’s book?”
Drew rose and paced the floor. It was time he came clean with Alexa about that night. Given how Stuart was behaving, he couldn’t rule out that the sicko’s original interest in her was piqued as a result of her and Drew’s history. “I know you’ve been angry with me about how we parted.” He glanced at Alexa and saw surprise mixed with… pain? Distrust? He had to look away. “I was i
nvolved in an incident with Stuart and his then-girlfriend, just at the end of my leave.”
Alexa sat quietly on the bed, listening, while Drew roamed around the room and told her about that night. If he thought thinking about it had been embarrassing, relating it all—out loud—to Alexa was much worse. He could see what an idiot he’d been. He should have tried harder to get help for Stuart’s girlfriend. He should have better understood the dynamics of what he was dealing with. And he definitely shouldn’t have been cold and rude to Alexa when she called later that night just because he was a mess inside.
He stood at one of the windows, looking down at the yard, as he finished up the sordid tale. He paused before continuing. The next bit was even more difficult, and it came out in a low voice. “I’m sorry I lacked the maturity to tell you what was going on. I think my coping tools at the time were to push something aside if it was pushable or, lacking that, bottle it up. But that’s no excuse, and I know I acted like a jerk.”
He waited for Alexa to say something, but there was only silence. He turned just in time to have her slip into his arms.
“I think that is the sweetest story I’ve ever heard.” Her face was turned up to him, and her arms went up around his neck. It felt so right, but the back of his brain wondered if she should be doing this. What about her pain? He tried to mentally calculate when Alexa’s last pain meds had hit her system, and he was pretty sure she wasn’t due any.
Then her mouth was on his, and Drew’s thoughts scattered as she kissed him with a passion that washed away every memory of any other kiss. Her full lips pressed against his, and their tongues twined. The heady taste of her scent filled his senses and rolled across him like a fine wine.
Molding her body to his, Alexa wrapped one leg around him. Given that she apparently only slept in the top half of her pajamas, her legs and sexy tush were right on level with his hands and felt like heaven in a woman-shaped bottle.
With their mouths still locked together, Drew picked her up and settled her hips against his own. His hands cupped her buttocks, kneading her, and their pelvic areas ground together in a dance of their own.
Alexa arched her back, pressing her breasts into his chest. It felt so good to hold her, savor her. Years of pent-up need surged through him, threatening to overwhelm the shreds of control he retained.
He moved his mouth down her throat, his kisses hungry. Alexa gasped and tipped her head back. His lips devoured the newly exposed skin she offered him, but it wasn’t enough. He wanted more. He pulled back for a second, intending to undo a few more of those buttons, but the look on Alexa’s face arrested him.
Her beautiful face was flushed with desire, a girlish pink on her cheeks. Her eyes were closed, and her mouth was open just a breath. The effect was lovely and seductive, but there was something else—something terribly sad, almost heartbreaking, in the determination of her passion and the closed lids behind which she hid her eyes.
Drew blinked, trying to clear his brain. His fingers slid up from her bottom to wrap around her waist. His thoughts were sex-blurred, but he knew there was something he wasn’t getting. Something was off about this. Why had Alexa come onto him so strongly? Why now?
Softly, ever so softly, he drew Alexa back to him and kissed her gently on the mouth. She opened her beautiful hazel eyes wide, staring straight into his. She looked so vulnerable, so afraid.
Drew eased her down until her feet were back on the floor. He didn’t want to make love to her because she was frightened. He wanted her to be swept away by more than passion. Real and abiding love was what he wanted—love that they would build on until it would last forever. This wasn’t going to be just another tumble in the sack.
His voice was husky when he spoke and rougher than he intended. “This isn’t the time, Alexa.”
Confusion and embarrassment flashed across her face, followed quickly by anger. She pushed away from him, stumbling a little in her haste. Her fingers went to the neck of her pajama top, pulling it closed. She looked like a startled rabbit, ready to run.
“Alexa.” Drew reached out and captured her wrist with his hand. “Stop. There’s nothing to—”
She twisted her arm up then flung her hand down across his fingers, breaking his grip. She snatched Fieldgar from his snoozing spot on the bed and rushed out of the room. As she passed the door, she hooked it with her foot and slammed it shut behind her.
Chapter Seventeen
When the door banged shut behind her, Fieldgar started in Alexa’s arms then twisted to get down. At first, Alexa clung tighter, not wanting to be rejected by him, too, but when she faced the stairs and realized how off her balance was, she let him go. The last thing she needed was to take a tumble down the stairs while carrying her cat.
Okay, so maybe that wasn’t the last thing she needed. Several worse scenarios came to mind pretty easily, and half of them mimicked the scene that had just played out in Drew’s bedroom. The other half involved her stalker. Life was full of fun options.
She probably shouldn’t have run. But how could she have stayed? She’d literally thrown herself at him, and he’d put on the brakes just when things were getting going… just like last time.
Ugh. Stalker or no stalker, this was something she couldn’t work out on her own.
Alexa started down the stairs with a hand on the rail. It was her subconscious’s fault. She’d woken from one of her steamy dreams, filled with Drew and images of them twined together. Then he’d identified Stuart as her stalker, which was a shock but also a relief. Especially given that they no longer suspected Jason Stone. Stuart didn’t scare her much, not like Jason had. She just couldn’t take him seriously. Now that Detective Rawlings had a name and a face, it wouldn’t take her long to catch him. And besides, it was such a relief to finally know who was after her. She’d hated the feeling of a shadowy figure prowling in the background, watching for a vulnerable moment. It had felt as though she were fighting an invisible opponent.
What really undid her was Drew coming clean about why he’d dropped her five years ago and what a gentleman he’d been even then to that poor girl. All Alexa’s reservations about him hadn’t been enough to keep the surge of hormones in check. She was just so tired of wanting him, needing him, and not having him. She needed relief from the pressure and thought he would welcome it too. Instead, he’d waited until she was fully committed and had really thrown herself at him then slapped her offer right back in her face.
She was just—beyond confused, her mind not so much going in circles as it was ping-ponging off the insides of her skull.
She reached the guest bedroom and locked the door behind her. Then she went straight to the bed and climbed beneath the covers. She snuggled down in the deep down comforter and swiped her cell screen to call Keri.
“Hello—Alexa? Are you okay?” Keri’s voice was sleepy and concerned.
Alexa winced. She’d somehow forgotten it was the middle of the night. “Yeah, I’m fine! I’m so sorry to wake you. I just wanted to talk.”
“Babe, you are always welcome to call.” Keri laughed a little, sounding more awake. “What’s up?”
Alexa paused for half a breath then took the plunge. “I think I’m in love with Drew.”
“Well, of course you are,” Keri said. “He’s hunky, a great cook, a devoted protector, and good to you. But what made you realize it?”
Alexa had to laugh at Keri’s total lack of reaction to her big news, and she found herself spilling everything. She told Keri about the stalker’s suspected identity, Drew’s confession about what had happened before, and then an abbreviated version of the interrupted scene that had just happened. It was only when she got to how Drew had stopped her that Keri reacted.
“Whoa, what a minute,” Keri said. “You’re telling me he stopped you? No wonder you’re freaking out. That’s when a girl’s most vulnerable.”
“I know!” Alex
a beat her hand against the bedspread then winced and scrunched it up instead. “And what’s worse, even though he’s gorgeous and can cook and I’m so grateful for his protection, he’s only ever discussed martial arts and our schools’ rivalry when he knew I was turned on and not thinking straight. Maybe it’s just this stalker situation getting to me, but would I be super paranoid to think it was possible that Drew was using me and this situation to manipulate a better business arrangement?”
Keri was silent for a long breath. “Yes. And no. It seems super unlikely, but stranger things have happened. Stranger things are happening.”
“Exactly,” Alexa said. “I just can’t tell what’s going on or what he’s in this for.”
“So don’t decide now,” Keri said. “I know it’ll be hard, but maybe you can put the brakes on things. Drew already tried to. Just keep your distance—emotionally, at least.”
“Yeah.” Alexa’s heart warned her that would be difficult.
Keri continued. “The bottom line? You’re telling me you don’t trust him. And that’s a big deal, since you need trust if you’re going to go forward in a relationship.”
Alexa was silent, thinking on that. Keri was so right—again. She simply could not enter a relationship with someone if she was suspicious of him and wary of being manipulated. That was the height of folly. And it was most likely how so many of the second chances she’d seen implode went bad.
“You okay?” Keri asked.
“I’m better than okay,” Alexa said. “I know what to do. Thanks, Keri. You’re the best—with double-fudge and a cherry on top!”
Keri laughed. “Hey, always. But if you’re good, I’ve got another call coming in. The world must sense I’m already awake.”
Alexa signed off with Keri then lay back for a minute and closed her eyes. Trust—that was what she’d been missing. Drew had always been able to get beneath her skin, but that only meant he was more dangerous—her own particular brand of kryptonite. She would slow down, step back, and keep him at arm’s length until her life returned to normal.
