VANISHED, A Romantic Suspense Novel (Edgars Family Novel) by Suzanne Ferrell Read Free Book Online

space between them, pressing his lips softly against hers. Lingering. Tasting. Warm honey. That flavor had lingered in his mind for the past five years. A man could die wanting more of it.
    Cold metal pressed against his side.
    He went still as a statue. Slowly he lifted his face, their lips parting.
    “I…said…don’t.” Abby panted out each breath, pushing the gun into his ribs for emphasis. “Now, get…off me.”
    Luke eased his body away from hers and rolled onto his side. He flopped an arm over his eyes, inhaling deeply. Then he shoved his other arm over his head, hitting her laptop. “I’m sorry, Abby. I shouldn’t have…”
    “That’s right. You shouldn’t have.” She released her grip on her weapon, lying beside him. “I told you. I can take care of myself. You seem to think I’m that same naïve kid right out of college you knew five years ago. Believe me, I left her on a sidewalk outside my hotel back in Georgia.”
    “Abby.” He reached for her hand only to have her shove herself off the bed.
    “Don’t. Just don’t say another word.” She stood straight and walked past the bed with her head held high, back straight. At the bathroom door she stopped. “I neither need nor want your pity. But you’re right. I probably can’t do this by myself. What I need is your help to find Brianna or whoever hurt her. Help me do that and I’ll go back to Washington and we’ll never have to see each other again.”
    Before he could answer her she stepped into the bathroom and closed the door.
    “Argh.” Luke pressed the heels of his hands to his eyes until he saw stars. Dammit. What was it about this one woman that drove him crazy? He couldn’t make the right move no matter what he did.
    The sound of running water in the shower filtered through the bathroom door. Visions of Abby naked, standing beneath the jets, water running over her long, lithe frame, steam rising around her, flashed into Luke’s mind.
    With a groan, he rolled to his side and came face-to-face with Abby’s laptop. She’d left it open to a file titled Brianna’s schedule . Had Abby taken evidence from the crime scene? He glanced around the room. Nothing looked like her friend’s datebook. He studied the computer screen again. Apparently Abby had reconstructed it from memory.
    Interesting.
    The water stopped.
    His imagination working overtime thinking of every inch of skin Abby toweled dry behind the bathroom door, Luke tried to concentrate on the screen in front of him and not the rustling coming from the bathroom.
    Get a grip, Edgars. There’s a missing woman out there depending on you to find her, and all you can do is lust after Abby—naked, hot and willing for you . The memory of her pushing the gun into his side quickly cooled some of his ardor. For both their sakes he’d best remember she was armed and knew how to use her weapon.
    He focused his attention on the open file. Abby definitely had her friend’s daily activities listed for the past six months. From the pattern, the missing woman was a very busy lady. So, how had Abby reconstructed her friend’s schedule? Who were the three sets of initials she had highlighted?
    “I’ll bet one of them has something to do with Brianna’s disappearance,” Abby said, coming out of the bathroom, rubbing her hair with a towel.
    “What makes you think our man is one of these?”
    She pulled back the cover on the other bed, climbed in and turned on her side to study him for a moment. “Because each one…” she yawned, then closed her eyes “…had a meeting with Brianna yesterday, before she called me.”
    “How did you get this copy of Brianna’s datebook?” Luke studied the computerized itinerary and waited for an answer. None came. He glanced at the other bed. “Abby?”
    Her eyes remained closed, her breathing easy and regular. She’d finally exercised herself into exhaustion. He closed her file and the laptop, setting it on the bedside table next to a pair of