Deadly Obsession Read Online Free Page B

until her heart rate returned to normal.
    A glance at the clock told her it was five. She still had time to sleep but knew no matter how much she wanted it, trying would be useless. Once she’d splashed water on her face and brushed her teeth, she’d stopped shaking enough to make a pot of coffee.
    She looked through the peephole of the front door before tugging on a robe and slippers. If she remembered correctly, her aunt had a key hidden out front and there was no way on earth she was leaving it there. Her aunt might have been trusting, but after Braden’s— rather Sheriff Donnelly’s —warning, Lilly wasn’t going to take the chance. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought about it until now. Jet lag was her only excuse.
    An icy blast of January air hit her as she stepped onto the front porch. It was physically impossible, but she swore her heart jumped into her throat when she saw an unfamiliar vehicle in the driveway. It took a second until she realized Braden was sleeping in the front seat of the truck. What the hell was he doing? Wrapping the robe tighter around herself, she hurried down the stone steps and tapped on the window.
    He reached for his pistol, until his dark eyes locked on hers. For a man of the law, his brown hair was a little shaggy around the sides. It reminded her of the way he’d worn it when they were younger. Back then he’d been a football star, but he hadn’t been a typical jock. If anything, he’d been more bookish than her.
    An unexpected but incredibly vivid memory of their first kiss flashed in her mind. It had been in the front seat of his wintergreen, 1979 Ford pickup. The heat hadn’t been working and he’d told her he knew the perfect way to warm her up. Not exactly original, but it had sure worked on her. Barely sixteen, she’d never kissed anyone before, but he’d known what he was doing. Even if he hadn’t, she wouldn’t have known any better.
    Even with the cold, a slow building warmth filled her. Despite the way they’d parted, she held too many memories of Braden close to her heart not to still feel something for him. It was unavoidable, she supposed.
    Lilly stood back as he stepped out of the vehicle. “Were you here all night?”
    He stretched his arms above his head and yawned again. “Just about. You got any coffee?”
    “Follow me.” She decided to wait until they got inside before she started firing questions at him.
    As they walked up the front steps she bent down by an oversized stone frog and stuck her hand in its mouth. Sure enough, her fingers clasped around the same magnetic key holder that had been there for years.
    “What are you doing?” he asked.
    She held out her hand as she stood. “Getting this.”
    “Your aunt had a key outside?” His mouth pulled into a thin line and Lilly had another flashback of how those lips had kissed every inch of her body once.
    An involuntary shudder skittered down her spine, but she fought it off. “I know. I told her to at least hide it in a better place, but you know how she was.”
    “Yes, I do,” he murmured.
    Once inside, she took off her aunt’s old robe and hooked it on the coat rack. She regretted the decision immediately. Although she wore a long pajama set, the heat in the house was temperamental and she was suddenly very aware that she wasn’t wearing a bra.
    Well, she couldn’t put the stupid thing back on without looking crazy so she led him to the kitchen. “Black, right?”
    He nodded and sat at the kitchen table. After pouring them both a mug full, she slid onto the seat across from him. “Why were you sleeping outside?”
    Braden’s jaw tightened in that familiar way and she knew whatever he had to say, she wasn’t going to like it. “I know I told you that this killer is targeting people close to me but I left out that we found another victim before I came to see you. She was a woman I went on a couple dates with.”
    She frowned as he continued. “There have been