Read Online Stealing Shadows by Kay Hooper - Free Book Online Page B

mind."

    "And nothing's changed."

    "No. Nothing's changed."I have to do this. I have to.

    His hand lifted slightly, as though he would touch her, but then it fell when she tensed visibly.

    "I'll see you later, Cassie."

    "Bye, Ben."

    This time he had the sure knowledge that she stood in the open doorway and watched him drive away.

    But it didn't make him feel good. It didn't make him feel good at all.

    "Maybe she really is psychic." Abby Montgomery banked the pillows behind her and sat up in bed, absently drawing the sheet up over her naked breasts.

    Matt Dunbar sat on the edge of the bed to put his socks and shoes on. "I don't believe in that shit."

    "Then how did she know about us?"

    "A lucky guess. Hell, maybe she saw you slipping in here the other day. But she did not read my mind."

    Abby was familiar with her lover's stubbornness. Usually it amused her, just as his occasional macho posturing amused her; she had good reason to know that despite both, he had a generous nature and a heart, as the saying went, like a marshmallow. But today the reminder of how bullheaded he could be made her uneasy.

    "Matt, if she can help find Becky's killer – "

    "I don't know that she can. The cops out in L.A. gave her a glowing recornmendation, but when I pushed, the detective I talked to finally admitted that she'd sent them down a few blind alleys, and that those detours were costly."

    "Most conventional investigations do the same thing, don't they? I mean, you always explore at least a few possibilities that don't pan out in the end."

    "Yeah. But it's a hell of a lot easier to explain why you followed a lead if you've got something solid to point to. Anything a so-called psychic tells you is about as substantial as fog, and just as quick to vanish." He shook his head. "No, I just don't buy it, Abby. She must have seen us together, and that's how she knew."

    "In public? We barely look at each other in public. And nobody saw me slipping in here to meet you, Matt. I'm always careful, and you know it."

    He looked at her quickly, hearing the slight tremor. "Honey, has Gary been bothering you again? Because I can sure as hell get a restraining order against him, you know that."

    She shook her head. "No, he hasn't been around lately. Besides, I don't want to do anything to annoy him, at least until the divorce is final."

    "That's only a month away, Abby." Matt smiled. "And once it's final, it'd be nice to be able to take you out in public."

    Abby leaned toward him and wreathed her arms around his neck. "It would be very nice. Just… let's wait and see, okay, Matt? I don't know how Gary will react when it's final."

    His mouth tightened, but his hands were gentle as they stroked her arms. "I've been as patient as I know how, Abby, but there's no way I'm prepared to keep our lives on hold indefinitely just to keep Gary from blowing a fuse. I can handle him."

    "It isn't indefinitely. I just want to avoid trouble if at all possible, Matt."

    "There won't be any trouble. I'll just kick his ass."

    Abby smiled. "Let's wait and see. Another month. That isn't so long, is it?"

    "That depends on what you're waiting for." He kissed her, taking his time about it, then eased her back onto the pillows and leaned over her. "I'm waiting for something I've wanted for a long, long time. You."

    "You've got me. All the rest is just a formality."

    He brushed a strand of bright red hair back from her face. "I also want Gary out of your life, with no excuses to call you or knock on your door. I want to have the right to tell him to go to hell."

    "Given the chance, you'll do that whether you have the right or not," she said dryly.

    "True." Matt kissed her again.

    "Just be patient a little while longer."

    "Okay, okay." He sat up, then got to his feet. "I've got to get back to the office."

    "Matt…" She hesitated. "This psychic – "

    "So-called."

    "Did you ever hear the rumors about her aunt? About Miss Melton?"

    "What about