Part 19 (1/2)

But then he'd started touching her and her mind and body had rebelled. It was like the jaws of death had tightened around her chest, squeezing the life out of her. She'd gone clammy and cold and had fought like an injured tiger to get out of his arms.

She'd felt sorry for him, but there had been nothing she could do about it-then, or now. She'd expected to feel the same way with Riley; had even braced herself for it. But it hadn't come. At least, not the way she thought it would.

Wariness had lurked beneath the surface, but the gut-wrenching, mind numbing full-blown panic attack hadn't eventuated. Perhaps she'd made progress, just like her four-hundred-dollar-an-hour English therapist had said she would. Or perhaps it was Riley.

Grabbing a pillow, Kate lay back on the bed and hugged it to her chest. Hot, silent tears seeped out from beneath her tightly closed lids. Oh, G.o.d, why couldn't she be normal? Like other girls? Like Sonia and all the other young women who had boyfriends and ex-boyfriends? Like the girls who knew how to laugh and tease and flirt, instead of tensing with fear the minute a man happened to shoot her a second glance?

There was no guessing why she was like that. Now, she had even more reason to despise Darryl.

It had taken awhile, but once she'd managed to compose herself after Riley's departure, she'd returned to her mother's laptop and had checked Rosemary's email contacts. Daisyblu hadn't been listed. Of course, it was possible she was listed under some other name-her real name, for instance, but without that information, finding her out of the hundred or so contacts in her mother's address book was impossible.

Then she'd had an idea. She Googled Daisyblu and had found a Facebook page.

Daisyblu was on Facebook.

A single click later and Kate had sent a friend request. She was still waiting for a reply. Impatience grumbled low in her stomach...or maybe it was merely hunger?

She rolled over onto her back and tried not to think of Riley and the meal they'd shared the night before. Until the kiss, things had been going fine. More than fine. He'd been charming and funny, considerate and kind. He'd shared his deepest secret with her. At least, what he considered his deepest secret. It wasn't much when compared with hers.

She still couldn't imagine sharing her secret with anyone-not even a man with warm, brown eyes full of compa.s.sion, kindness and understanding.

Riley wiped the sweat off his face with his towel and draped it over his shoulder. Squatting beside his gym bag, he tugged out his phone and checked his messages. Another one from Kate. This time, she sounded desperate.

”What's with the grim look? You just beat me soundly.” Chase sauntered closer, his curls hanging damp around his face.

Riley forced a grin. ”Sorry, mate. It's nothing. Work stuff; you know how it is.”

Chase c.o.c.ked an eyebrow. ”Thought you were on a day off? How's that MP case going, anyway? Kate Watson still in town?”

Riley's jaw tensed at the mention of her name. ”Yep,” he muttered. He tossed the towel into his gym bag and bent low to zip it up.

Chase whistled. ”Like that, huh? You've got it bad, mate.”

Heat crept up Riley's neck, but he refused to take the bait. Ever since that kiss, things had gotten way too complicated. He couldn't believe he'd been so stupid. She was an integral part of his investigation.

But she'd seemed to want it as much as he had. At least, until she hadn't. She'd been panting like she'd run a marathon when she'd torn herself away from him. He might have put it down to the fiery pa.s.sion they'd shared, until he realized she was panting from fear.

With a heavy sigh, he hefted the gym bag over his shoulder and offered Chase a tight smile. ”I'll catch you later, mate. Thanks for the game.”

Curiosity gleamed in Chase's eyes, but he let it go. ”Yeah, okay. I'll treat you to a beer at The Bullet tonight, if you're up to it. You probably have to go and soak those tired, old bones after the match I gave you. You might have won, but you had to work for every point.”

Riley's lips twitched in response. ”In your dreams, Barrington. In your dreams.”

CHAPTER 19.

Riley brought the unmarked squad car to a stop in the visitors' parking lot. Kate's rental car was right outside her door. He frowned. She really had no idea about taking basic precautions. How easy would it be for anyone to draw the same logical conclusion and discover her whereabouts without even trying? He shook his head and sighed.

He'd thought about phoning her, but after ignoring her messages all day, a face-to-face meeting was probably called for. He drew in a breath and wiped sweaty palms on his jeans. He didn't know what he had to be nervous about. It was only a kiss they'd shared, after all. People did that all the time.

Too bad it hadn't felt like just an ordinary kiss. And too bad she didn't seem to feel the same way. He gave a mental shrug. He'd get over it. It wasn't like he was in love with her.

Before he could change his mind, he climbed out of the car and approached the door of her room. He rapped on the wooden panel and, a few moments later, caught the twitch of the curtain as it was pulled aside. The door opened and Kate stood on the other side, looking anything but welcoming.

”I see you've finally decided I warrant a minute or so of your time. I hope I'm not keeping you from something more important-like cutting your toenails.”

He grinned. He couldn't help it. She didn't even come up to his shoulder, yet she was spitting at him like a tigress. His casual shrug seemed to infuriate her further.

”Why didn't you return my calls? I've been phoning you since last night. Do you realize I may have made a break in your case? No, of course you don't because you haven't bothered to ring me.”

Riley held up his hands.

”Whoa, there, sweetheart. Back up a minute. I've been off duty all day. As for last night...” He eyed her meaningfully. ”Let's just say I wasn't in the mood for talking.”

Satisfaction warmed his gut when she flushed and looked away. At least she wasn't totally immune. Surely that was a good sign? As good as he was going to get from the tight set of her mouth. She folded her arms across her chest.

”If you're off duty, what are you doing here?”

”I've been asking myself the same thing.”

Her face darkened. Before she could say anything further, Riley lifted his hands in a placating gesture.

”Hey, Blondie, it's okay. Put your claws away. I'm here, all right? And I want to know what's got you so worked up you had to leave four messages for me to call.”

Her shoulders slumped on a sigh and she drew her light cashmere cardigan tighter around her shoulders. Riley glanced around, becoming aware of the chill in the air, noticeable now the sun had almost completed its descent.

”How about you let me in and we can talk inside, where it's warmer? I can't have you catching a cold. I'd never hear the end of it.”

She eyed him balefully, but opened the door wider and stepped back. He walked into the room and closed the door behind him. Immediately her scent wafted toward him. Memories of her soft lips crushed beneath his crowded his mind and he forced them aside with an impatient grimace.

Mistaking his discomfort, Kate spoke quickly. ”I can turn the heat down. I've put the remote control here somewhere.” Her gaze cast around the room, her arms flailing at her side. ”It's just that I can't seem to get warm.”

Riley reached out and stilled the movement of her arms. She tensed beneath his fingers.

”It's all right, Kate. Don't worry about it. The heat's fine. Tell me what you've discovered.”

When he released her, she stepped away and came up hard against the bed. Fl.u.s.tered, she lowered herself onto the only chair in the room. The laptop was open on the counter in front of her, displaying a Facebook page.

Riley perched on the edge of the bed and looked at the computer screen. He quirked an eyebrow. ”Facebook?”

”I've found Daisyblu.”

Surprise jolted through him. He stood and leaned over her shoulder as she explained how she'd found Daisyblu on the popular social media website and had sent her a friend request. The woman had responded by accepting her request and now they were able to communicate on Facebook.

Riley knew very little about the social networking site-barely any more than his younger sisters had imparted. He'd never had the time or the inclination to be part of it and he wondered how so many other people did. But if something on Facebook meant they had a break in the case, then he was all for it.