When Bree woke again, Chad was next to the bed putting on pants. She sleepily got to her feet and put the discarded robe on. Her mind cleared quickly, and since her body was temporarily sated, her worries came back to the forefront.
She tilted her head and pointed toward the kitchen, then left the room. She’d get dressed later. She felt light headed and wanted nothing more than a hot cup of coffee. She’d even try eating a bagel or muffin. She knew her stomach needed something in it other than acid.
Bree walked to the coffee pot and started it brewing, then sat at the table. Chad entered the room behind her, grabbing a package from the cupboard and joining her at the table. He looked amazing in the morning with stubble dotting his chin, and low riding pajama bottoms. She didn’t know what was wrong with her, but she wanted to crawl into his lap for round two and forget everything but the pleasure he brought her.
“Here, eat this,” Chad told her as he placed a pastry in front of her. She pushed it back, the sugary donut turning her stomach. “You have to eat. You’ve already lost too much weight,” he insisted as he pushed it back to her. She glared at him for a moment, but he didn’t back down, so she finally took it.
Bree broke off a piece and placed it in her mouth, surprised by the burst of flavor on her tongue. Maybe she was hungry. After all, she’d had quite the intense workout a short time ago. She took another tentative bite, then polished off the donut in under a minute. Chad slid another one in front of her and she started picking at it, nibbling small bites. She missed the knowing grin on his face.
“Did you get any information last night? Who they were? What they wanted? Did the sheriff tell you anything?” Bree threw questions at Chad, no longer able to hold it in. She hoped he wouldn’t treat her like a child. She needed to know.
She watched as he took a deep breath, like he was fighting with himself, before he finally let it out and looked her deep in the eyes. She felt almost giddy as she realized he was going to tell her something real – not try to protect her fragile feelings like her brothers kept doing.
As Bree sat there, she had a small memory of racing down the road with her hand in the air. She’d been running away… She lost the thought and frowned in frustration.
“What is it?” Chad asked with concern.
“I remembered something, but…” she started to say, still concentrating.
“What did you remember?”
“Nothing huge, dang it. Just that my brothers are over-protective. I was trying to get away from them – trying to prove I could make it on my own. Is that how I ended up with you?”
“Kind of,” he answered vaguely, which made her want to throw the rest of her donut at him.
“It’s gone now, what were you going to say?”
“The sheriff came up empty last night. Whoever was out there was long gone by the time we got a proper search formed. They were smart. Are you sure you’re up for the whole story, Bree? I think it would be better for you not to know,” he hedged. She had to push down her temper. She didn’t want kid gloves – she wanted the truth.
“I can handle it,” she said through clenched teeth.
“Fine. You have a stalker. He’s been after you for months. He’s the reason you were in the hospital, and apparently he hasn’t given up, as last night proves. We have no leads on who it is, or how he’s getting his information. He shouldn’t have had any way of knowing you were here last night, but he did,” Chad said, short and to the point.
“M… maybe he followed us,” Bree stuttered. She was trying to act like his words weren’t affecting her, but it was a lot to take in. Someone wanted to kill her. Why?
“I guess it would help if I could remember my past,” she finally said.
“Not really. We didn’t know anything before you were shot. You racked your brain trying to figure out who it could be. We’ve done background checks on ex-boyfriends, old friends, people you’ve come in contact with. They’ve all had alibis for the times when events have taken place. We’ve come up with nothing but dead ends,” he trailed off in frustration.
“Maybe he followed us from the hospital,” she said, trying to keep the fear from her voice. She’d asked him to be honest with her; she didn’t want him to regret that decision.
“I was watching for that, it’s not possible.”
Bree sat back and thought about it. She wished she could just wake up and everything would be right with her world. Had she led some kind of double life her family knew nothing about? Was she really a double agent with top secret information? Really, she didn’t know who she was. For all she knew, she could be a horrible person who deserved to be hunted like an animal.
“It’s not your fault. I can see the wheels turning in your head. Whoever this creep is, it’s not about you, it’s about him. You’ve done nothing to deserve this,” Chad assured her. She didn’t know if she believed him.
“I shouldn’t stay here. It seems he’s determined to get to me, and anyone who’s in his way could get hurt,” she said, trying to sound reasonable.
“Do you honestly believe I’d let you deal with this on your own. Even if you weren’t carrying my child, I wouldn’t let you leave my side. I will keep you safe.”
“I don’t know why, but it feels like we’ve had a discussion like this before,” she said with a smile in her voice.
“My motto is to serve and protect.”
“So, do we just hide out like victims, or can we have some kind of a life while we wait for the other shoe to drop?”
“I’ve never been one to hide. We’ll up security, make sure guards are on duty twenty-four-seven, and we’ll live somewhat normally. I don’t want you going anywhere alone, though – not even to the backyard.”
“I won’t be treated like a child. I can agree to security, but you’re being absurd,” she retorted.
“I love when you get all riled up,” he said as he slowly stood up.
Bree wasn’t in the mood for games, but she could see he was.
“I’m still mad at you, Chad,” she said, but she slowly rose from the table and took a step back.
“Doesn’t bother me. You’re mad at me a lot.”
“Then maybe you should change the way you act,” she said as she skirted the table. He slowly followed her, making her heart speed up.