Read Online In the Dark by Heather Graham - Free Book Online Page B

fact that she was wearing a tattered T-shirt with the words “Moon Bay” embroidered in powder blue against a deep aqua background. She was equally sorry that it was very short. Silly. Even if they hadn’t been married and she didn’t have every inch of his anatomy etched into her memory forever, they spent their lives in bathing suits. She wondered why the T-shirt made her feel so naked. And vulnerable.
    He walked through the cottage, checking the front door, looking around. “Is there any other way in here?” he asked, turning around slowly and studying the living room.
    “Abracadabra?” she suggested.
    “Cute, Alex. Is there any other way in here?”
    “Front door, back door, as you can see.”
    He ignored her and headed for the small hallway that led to the bedrooms and bath.
    “Hey!” she protested. She started to follow him, then paused, determined that the last place she wanted to be with him was a bedroom.
    A moment later, he was back.
    She frowned slightly, realizing he looked as if he hadbeen running his fingers through his hair. She turned on the kitchen lights and stared at him once again. He looked tense. He reminded her of a shark, giving the impression of deceptive ease, while eyeing his prey to strike.
    “What the hell are you doing?” she demanded.
    “There was someone walking around your cottage, looking in the windows. I chased him around one side…and lost him,” he told her.
    “If there’s anyone slinking around here,” she said softly, “it’s you.”
    He threw up his hands. “Alex, I’m serious.”
    “And I’m serious, too.”
    “Get this straight—I’m concerned.”
    Crossing her arms over her chest, she said firmly, “David, get this straight. You don’t need to be concerned about me. I don’t care about a technicality. We’re not married anymore. I might not have been here alone.”
    “Actually, knowing you, you do care about a technicality,” he informed her.
    He was far too relaxed. “You followed me,” she accused him. “You followed me when I was with another man, who was more than capable of taking care of me if I’d been in any danger.”
    “Alex, I don’t really know that guy, and neither do you, and most important,” he said very softly and seriously, “we are talking about a life-and-death situation.”
    She suddenly saw the man she knew from television, interviews and even, once upon a time, her personal life. The ultimate professional. Reeking of authority and command. Absolute in his conviction.
    And for some reason, she shivered.
    The woman on the beach had been dead. No matterwhat anyone tried to tell her. There had, beyond a doubt, been a corpse.
    And it had disappeared.
    “Maybe you’d like to explain it to me,” she said.
    He stared at her for a long moment. “I keep thinking you’re better off, the less you know,” he said quietly.
    “Why? You already think I’m in some kind of danger.”
    “Yes, I do.”
    “Why?”
    “You found a body on the beach. A body that disappeared.”
    She shook her head, watching him warily. “We’ve been through this. Jay and the sheriff were both certain I was duped.”
    “But you know it was real.”
    She wished so badly that she didn’t feel such a desperate desire to keep her distance from him at all costs. Because she did know him. And she knew that he believed her. It wasn’t necessary for him to have been there—he believed her.
    “If you’re so convinced, there must be a reason,” she said flatly.
    “Want to put some coffee on?” he suggested.
    “No.”
    “Mind if I do?”
    “Yes.” Even as she spoke, she knew he would ignore her. He gave her a glance as if she was behaving like a spoiled child and moved into the kitchen. His arm brushed hers as he strode past her, and she felt as if she’d been burned.
    Apparently he hadn’t even noticed. He was heading for the cupboard above the coffeepot.
    “Would you stop making yourself at home here, please?” she said, walking past him