Chapter 31

Thirty-One

WHAT WAS THAT DELICIOUS AROMA?

Stomach rumbling, Lindsey blinked her eyes open and inhaled long and slow.

When had she last eaten? Lunch yesterday?

Yes.

A lifetime ago, in light of all that had happened since then.

Amazing that she'd slept the night through with nary a bad dream.

But Jack's promise to stay close as he'd tucked her in had given her the peace of mind to enjoy a long, restful, dreamless sleep. And now, with sunshine peeking around the edges of her blinds, and her bedside clock reading eight thirty, the events of the past fifteen hours felt more like a horror movie than reality.

The aches and pains radiating throughout her body as she threw back the covers and swung her feet to the floor, however, were stark evidence of how real it had all been.

And how close she'd come to never seeing another dawn.

Quashing that chilling thought, she pushed herself to her feet. Winced. Hobbled into the bathroom on unsteady legs. Stared in shock at the bruised face and puffy lips reflected in her mirror.

More proof that last night's trauma had been all too real.

And no amount of makeup was going to disguise the purple hues mottling her skin or the swelling around her mouth.

May as well accept that she wasn't going to win a most-photogenic contest for a while. But a quick shower and change of clothes ought to help her feel more normal at least. And if the enticing aroma wafting through her condo was any indication, her stomach was in for a treat. Jack obviously hadn't been kidding when he'd said he liked to cook.

Ten minutes later, in clean leggings and a sweatshirt, she finger combed her damp hair as she emerged from her room and wandered down the hall toward the kitchen.

On the threshold, she paused.

Her knight in shining armor wasn't wearing a helmet or chain mail today. On the contrary. His hair was rumpled, his slacks were creased, and his shirt was wrinkled.

But he looked every bit as noble and gallant as those legendary knights of old.

As if sensing her perusal, he turned from the stove. While his smile warmed her, it couldn't disguise the grooves beside his mouth and the fine lines radiating from the corners of his eyes that spoke of worry and exhaustion and stress.

"Good morning." He moved the pan off the burner. "How are you feeling?"

"A little sore, but otherwise okay."

"What's the verdict on your head?"

"No problems. The only souvenir of my close encounters with hard objects is a dull ache." She leaned a shoulder against the doorframe. "How much did you sleep? My couch wasn't designed for anything but short naps."

"Enough." Without giving her a chance to dwell on that obvious fib, he swung the spotlight back to her. "You look rested."

"I didn't wake up once."

"That's what I thought. I didn't hear a sound from your room all night. Are you hungry?"

"Very."

"Have a seat. When I heard you moving around, I shifted into high gear."

"You didn't have to make me breakfast."

"Believe me, cooking in a kitchen as well-stocked as this isn't a chore." He crossed to the oven and pulled out a tray of biscuits.

She gaped at the source of the tantalizing aroma that had nudged her awake. "Are those homemade?"

"Is there any other kind?" He flashed her a grin. "It's my mom's recipe. She always made them for breakfast if someone needed a pick-me-up or we had something to celebrate. I decided this morning qualified on both scores for us." He set the tray on a cooling rack. "Go ahead and sit." He walked over to the table and pulled out a chair for her.

She slid onto it, watching as he put the biscuits in a basket, dished up scrambled eggs, and set a fruit parfait in front of her. "Wow. I'll be spoiled. In light of my profession I probably shouldn't admit this, but my usual breakfast is a bagel and cream cheese."

"Mine too. But it's Saturday, the Robertson nightmare is over, and we have a whole future to look forward to." He joined her at the table. "Do you mind if I offer a blessing?"

"By all means."

He took her hand, and though she dipped her chin and tried to pay attention as he gave thanks, the warmth of his strong grip seeping into her skin was a major distraction.

"Dig in." He released his hold as he passed the basket of biscuits.

She took one and slathered it with butter. Bit into the tender, flaky goodness. Sighed. "These are fantastic. You can make them for me anytime."

"Count on it." He locked onto her gaze with an intensity that played havoc with her respiration. But a moment later, he lowered the wattage and motioned to her plate. "Why don't we table personal matters until we finish breakfast and I take your statement?"

"That seems reasonable." Otherwise, the flutter in her stomach would render eating impossible. Forking a bite of egg, she shifted the conversation back to recent events. "Fill me in on the details of how you found me."

He complied as she finished one biscuit and helped herself to another. "I'm just sorry I didn't get there sooner."

"You got there. That's all that counts." She scooped up another bite of her eggs. "I still can't believe Dr. Oliver and Heidi Robertson were a couple."

He cocked his head. "You mean beyond being partners in crime?"

"That's my conclusion." She told him about the exchanges she'd witnessed and the endearments Heidi had used.

"A love triangle." He frowned as he buttered a biscuit. "That puts a different spin on motives."

"I'm not certain how much love was involved, based on Dr. Oliver's comment to me last night that it was all about the money, and that killing Heidi's husband was the only way to get it."

Jack took a sip of his coffee, his expression thoughtful. "I wonder if she had a prenup."

"That angle never occurred to me, but it would fit."

"Should be easy to confirm. As we dig into this case, I expect we'll discover all kinds of interesting personal data that will help us pin down motives for all parties."

"You think Dr. Oliver will cooperate with the investigation?"

"Doubtful. Guys like him lawyer up. But it may be a moot point anyway."

Lindsey stopped eating. "Why? Is he badly injured?"

"Not from the fall on the catwalk. His attempt to eradicate his tattoo, however, led to infection—and sepsis."

That explained the sore arm.

"Is that blood poisoning?" From the little she knew about that malady, it could kill very fast.

"Yes. The doctors aren't giving him great odds."

Exhaling, she set her fork down and rested her hand on the table. "It's all so surreal. Hard as I try, I can't reconcile the caring therapist I knew with the cold-blooded killer who shot James Robertson in his own kitchen and turned on a patient he was trying to help deal with trauma."

"Just goes to show how the upright image some people project to the world can mask a dark soul." Jack's jaw hardened, and a muscle clenched in his cheek.

"I guess you see a lot of that in your work."

"Too much. But I also cross paths with people like you, who renew my faith in the human race." He covered her hand with his, his features softening. "And my sisters are a daily reminder that good exists in this world. You'll like them."

They were veering back into personal territory.

Fine with her.

"I can't wait to meet them."

"Plan on it in the very near future. Why don't we finish up here and I'll take your statement so we can get the official business out of the way and give other, more important things our full attention?"

A trill of anticipation zipped through her, and she picked up her fork. "I'm on board with that."

Jack steered the conversation to lighter topics while they ate, refused her offer to help him clear the table, and morphed into detective mode as he took her statement.

The instant they were done, however, he closed his notebook, stood, and extended his hand. "A scene change seems in order. Shall we go into the living room?"

Despite her protesting muscles, she pushed herself to her feet and took his hand.

He led her into the adjacent room, where the couch had been restored to its usual function, the blanket and pillow that had helped transform it into a makeshift bed neatly piled on a side chair. After settling her on the cushions, he crossed to the fireplace and flipped on the gas logs. Once the flames were dancing in the grate, he returned to the sofa and sat beside her.

Close.

Very close.

They'd definitely moved into personal territory.

He reclaimed her hand as he angled toward her. "I know last night was a nightmare for you, but I want you to know it was a nightmare for me too. All those hours I was racing around trying to find you, I kept thinking that God surely wouldn't bring someone like you into my life, give me a glimpse of an amazing future, then snatch you away before we had a chance to really get to know each other."

It appeared Jack was as straightforward in his personal life as he was when pursuing a case. No beating around the bush with this guy.

Also fine with her.

And as long as he was being so honest ...

"I had the same thought."

His lips flexed. "And here I was afraid I might be rushing you. I mean, we only met a month ago." He reached over and stroked gentle fingers down her cheek.

At this proximity, it was hard not to drown in his blue eyes.

She tried to keep breathing. "You're not rushing me."

"Good to know." His gaze dropped to her mouth. "Under normal circumstances, that would be my cue for a kiss. But much as I'd like to follow my inclinations, I don't think your lips are up to the job today."

Neither did she, dang it. Just getting the food past them had been painful, careful as she'd been.

"Sad to say, they aren't. On the plus side, though, I'm a fast healer. I ought to be back in fighting—or kissing—form in a few days. I still have your cheesecake too, if you need an extra enticement to drop by again soon."

"I know that will be delicious, but I have a much more enticing sweet treat on my mind." He gave her a slow smile. "As for dropping by ... I may outwear my welcome."

"Not possible."

"Also good to know." He lifted her hand, carefully avoiding her damaged wrist. "Since your lips are off-limits, let's try this on for size."

He raised her hand higher. Kissed the back. Moved on to each knuckle. Continued to each finger. Turned her hand over and pressed his lips to her palm.

The temperature in the room skyrocketed.

For kissing that didn't involve the melding of mouths, this was beyond potent.

And it got more potent when he edged even closer and began to trail kisses along her jawline. Up onto her cheek. Across to her earlobe.

Whew.

She tipped her head to give him better access, closed her eyes, and sank back onto the couch.

If this was any indication of his kissing power, an actual lip-lock would be off the charts.

"You okay with all this?" As he spoke the question, the warmth of his breath feathered across her cheek.

"Mm-hmm." It was all she could manage.

He dipped lower to nuzzle her neck.

Someone purred.

Good heavens. Was that her?

Jack's throaty chuckle provided the answer. "I think I found the lady's sweet spot."

"I think you found all of them—that I know of."

"Won't it be fun to discover the rest?"

At that delicious notion, a shiver of delight rippled through her. "I'm in. And once I have my lips back, turnabout will be fair play."

He eased back far enough to see her face. "I like how you think, Lindsey Barnes. In fact, I like you period."

"The feeling is mutual. And you know what? If it took all the bad stuff that's happened this past month to lead me to you, it was worth it."

A shadow darkened his features. "I like the outcome too, but not the process. I wish we could have gone straight from Day One to here and skipped all the trauma in between."

"I'll tell you what." She twined her fingers together behind his neck. "Let's do our best to forget about yesterday and focus on tomorrow. Because I see an incredible future ahead of us. Starting right now."

"To borrow your phrase, I'm in. Shall I pick up where I left off a minute ago?"

"By all means."

And as Jack went back to giving her a preview of just how exciting their tomorrows might be, Lindsey did her best to let go of all the fear and terror that had tainted her life since South Carolina. An easy task while the man she was falling in love with demonstrated how much he cared for her.

Truth be told, though, given the depth of the trauma she'd endured, recollections of the horror would no doubt rear their ugly head on occasion in the days and months to come.

But somehow she knew that with Jack beside her, the bad memories would eventually fade away as the new ones they made together banished the darkness from her mind and filled her heart with light and joy.