Die for Me: A Novel of the Valentine Killer by Cynthia Eden Read Free Book Online Page B

barely holding onto her control, and she just needed to be alone for a while. Katherine didn’t like for anyone to see her break.
    He headed toward the door, then hesitated. “Will you have nightmares?”
    Didn’t she always? “I’ll stay quiet.”
    Dane looked over his shoulder. “That’s not really an answer, is it?”
    “I don’t have nightmares.” She told the lie in a quiet voice. Then, because she had to say it, Katherine told him, “I know what you want.”
    His gaze dipped over her. A careful mask concealed his expression. “Do you?”
    “You want to use me.”
    His gaze returned to her face. A banked heat lit the blue of his eyes, but he didn’t speak.
    She swallowed. “To catch Valentine. You’re going to use me.”
    “Careful,” he said, approaching her once more. His hand rose and curved under her chin. Her heart slammed into her ribs. This was the wrong time, the wrong place, but she was suddenly, intensely aware of the detective.
    Aware of a man in a way that she hadn’t been in a very long time.
    Dane’s eyes narrowed. “Your Boston just slipped out. You’d done so well at ditching it.”
    Her breath rushed out on a soft sigh. His touch was making her nervous when she already felt as if she were barely holding things together. She stepped away from him.
    One brow rose as he noted her retreat.
    “Good night, Dane.”
    After one last, unreadable stare, Dane backed quietly out of the room. The door shut behind him with a soft click. Katherine thought about locking the door. But she knew that locks weren’t much good in this world. Real monsters knew how to get past most locks.
    The monsters that always came for her sure did.
    She stripped, put on Dane’s shirt, then climbed into the bed. King-sized, it smelled of him. A slightly woody, masculine scent. The sheets were soft against her, faintly cool.
    She closed her eyes.
    And saw the dead coming for her.

    Dane opened the bedroom door. The hinges squeaked quietly, but the woman lying in the bed didn’t stir. Faint rays of light spilled through the blinds, onto his bed.
Onto her.
    Long, slender legs. Legs that seemed to stretch for miles.
    Her head was turned toward the door, her thick lashes closed.
    He’d stayed awake for a while last night, alert to every rustle from his room. It would only have been normal for her to have nightmares after the little gift she’d received, but Katherine had kept her word. She hadn’t made a sound.
    But had she stayed quiet because no nightmares came to her? Or because she knew better than to cry out?
    He took a step toward her. The groan of the floor wasn’t so quiet beneath his foot, and her eyelids flew open. He saw the fearin her gaze, confusion, but then her golden eyes swept around the room. Her breath panted out for a moment, and then she whispered, “It happened.”
    If by “it” she meant that her ex had come to town and started killing, then yes, that had happened.
    She was wearing his shirt. The faded fabric had never looked so good.
    Dane cleared his throat. “Sorry to wake you, but I, um, made some breakfast so I wanted you to eat while it was warm.” As a rule, he
never
made breakfast for anyone. That would be why the eggs were so runny, but he’d tried.
    She blinked. “You cooked for me?”
    He’d never blushed in his life. A good thing, or his cheeks would have stained right then. “It’s nothing fancy. Just eggs and orange juice. I figured you could use something to help you get going today.”
    She still had confusion in her eyes, but the fear had faded away. “Thank you.” Katherine rose from the bed. He cast one more look at her legs—
gorgeous
—then forced himself to turn away from her.
    She followed behind him with soft steps. He’d even managed to set the table for her. Her eyes widened when she saw the plates and napkins. Why the huge shock? Hell, he wasn’t that bad of a host.
    Okay, he usually was.
    But this was different.
    He pulled out a chair for her. She