Die For Me: A Novel of the Valentine Killer (For Me #1)(14)

“Sorry you couldn’t get any clothes from your place,” Dane told her. His gaze was so watchful. She knew the guy was trying to figure her out.

Good luck with that.

“But the techs wanted to be thorough.”

Right. Because her home was a crime scene once again.

Katherine kicked out of her high heels. Her toes curled into the thick carpet. The condo was nice, clean, and dominated by a flat-screen TV. The guy had to be a Marlins fan. She could see one wall was decorated with caps and a signed bat.

It was odd being in a man’s place again. It was the first time since Boston that she’d actually gone inside a man’s home. She hadn’t even ever visited Trent’s apartment.

“You can borrow one of my shirts for tonight.” He eased past her and headed into the darkened bedroom. Katherine followed him. The carpet muffled their footsteps. “I’m sure the techs will have clothes for you by morning,” he added.

“Or I’ll just buy something.” She kept her voice calm. She’d been doing her best to hold onto her self-control ever since she’d found the package waiting for her. Don’t think about it. Don’t see that poor woman.

But she knew the image would stay with her. She never forgot any of Valentine’s victims. He wouldn’t let her.

Dane was rummaging around in a drawer, and he pulled out an old T-shirt. THE MARINES. She blinked. “I didn’t realize you were a military guy.” The hair that brushed his shoulders sure hadn’t clued her in. But the alpha attitude, yeah, that seemed to fit.

“Semper Fi,” he murmured as he tossed her the shirt. “Uncle Sam paid for my college.”

She caught the shirt, her fingers closing around the soft fabric. “In the marines…is that where you got the tattoo?”

He smiled faintly. “Yeah. I guess you could call it an initiation, of sorts.” He lifted his sleeve to show her the twisting lines of a snake. “It’s to remind me that danger’s out there. And you need to be ready for it to strike at any time.”

She didn’t need any reminder for that. “Valentine…he was also in the military.” Michael had even gotten medals for bravery. He’d seemed to be such a good, honorable guy.

He’d taught her just how false appearances could truly be.

Dane lowered the sleeve. “Take the bed,” he told her, voice deepening as he closed in on her. “I’ll bunk down on the couch.” His body brushed against hers as he headed for the door.

At that light touch, she tensed, and her breath seemed to freeze in her lungs. Why was she so intensely aware of this man?

Her gaze lifted to meet his stare. His pupils were so big that his eyes looked almost black. And, suddenly, she had to ask the question that fear had made her forget before. “Why were you waiting outside my house tonight?” She wondered…had he been there to protect her? Or because he suspected her?

“I knew you were tied to my case.” He lifted his shoulders in a small shrug. “So I wanted to keep an eye on you. Make sure you were safe.”

Safe. That word again. She hadn’t felt safe in a long time. “So you were just waiting at my house? You didn’t see the killer come?”

His jaw hardened. “I wasn’t at your house all night. I…followed you.”

Her heartbeat kicked up. “Me and Trent?”

“Um, yeah. I followed you and the boyfriend.”

“He’s not my boyfriend.”

“Does he know that?” A hard edge had entered his voice. “Didn’t seem that way when he put his hands on you.”

He’d seen that, too? He’d been watching. “We ended things tonight. Before I…”

“Before you found the little gift?”

A jerky nod. “Trent and I aren’t what he wants us to be,” Katherine said. Then, because she found that she could be truthful with Dane, while she felt she had to keep on her mask with so many other people, she added, “I’m not what he wants me to be.”

“What does he want you to be?”

She glanced at the door. Normal. Hardly the type of thing she wanted to confess. “I think we should say good night.”

The floor creaked beneath his shifting feet. “If that’s what you want…”

No, what she wanted was to be normal. To be just like everyone else. Not going to happen.

She was 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.