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to do with this.
But they had been idiotic enough to approach me in the first place. Another shiver tiptoed its way
over my shoulders. I hadn t forgotten about them or the fear they d induced this past week. It was
just something I tried not to think about. I didn t like the idea of living with that kind of fear.
Maybe that wasn t wise.
There s one more thing. Hart was able to pull some more photos of those who match your
description of the shooter, he explained. We d like you to look at them as soon as possible.
I nodded again.
Colton reached over, placing the tips of his fingers under my chin. He lifted my gaze to his. I m going
to make sure you re safe, Abby.
Is that why you ve been spending so much time with me? The moment that question left my
mouth, I wanted to dropkick myself in the face. I couldn t even believe those words came out of me.
It was like they existed in a dark, stupid as hell place that I had no control over.
His brows lifted as he stared at me. Come again?
Oh God. My cheeks heated. I mean, I know I m a witness and keeping me safe is a part of your job,
but I& I mentally strung together an epic amount of curse words. I don t even know what I m
saying.
Colton dropped his hand. I think you kind of do, Abby.
Uncurling my legs, I nervously smoothed my hands over the skirt of my dress. Was my question a
Freudian slip in a way? Of course it was. Because that stupid as hell, ugly part of me still couldn t
fathom Colton being here because he was sincerely attracted to me, even after what had just gone
down between us.
I was an idiot.
His eyes narrowed. Do you really think that me being here has to do with what happened last
Friday?
Well, that s how we crossed paths
You know that s not what I m getting at, he interrupted. And I know that s not what you were
trying to say. You think I m here, with you, with some kind of ulterior motive?
A sick feeling expanded in my chest. I don t think& I trailed off because if I was being honest with
myself, I was lying.
I ll do anything to keep a witness safe and to get the job done, he said, shaking his head. But I
wouldn t go that damn far, Abby. I m here and have been here with you simply because I want to be.
I d think the fact that I had my hand between your thighs ten minutes ago would be proof enough of
that.
Warmth infused my cheeks as I bit down on the inside of my cheek. A moment passed. I m sorry. I
didn t mean to insinuate anything.
You don t need to apologize.
It was my turn to shake my head because I did need to apologize. But I do, because& because saying
something like that isn t saying great things about you as a person. I let out a long breath. What
could I say? That I was trying to improve my confidence? That I just& I m stupid.
One eyebrow rose. You re not stupid. That s not the problem.
A slice of unease lit up my chest as I glanced at him. He was staring straight ahead, his gaze fixed on
the wall. A numbness settled in the pit of my stomach.
His shoulders tensed. You re a beautiful woman, Abby. And you re smart and kind. You re funny.
He turned to me, a distant gleam in his eyes. And it s a damn shame you don t see that.
The numbness spread like icy drizzle, coating my skin. Underneath it, embarrassment burned. Were
my hang-ups that obvious? I squeezed my eyes shut. God, this was humiliating.
I m going to& I m going to go ahead and head out, he said, and my eyes snapped open. He was
staring at the wall again as disappointment, remorse, and a hundred other messy emotions churned
inside me. Keep the movie. We ll watch it later.
A knot formed in the base of my throat. For some reason, I didn t think later was going to come
soon.
Okay? he asked.
Pressing my lips together, I nodded as he rose and then I forced a smile when he bent over, pressing
his lips against my forehead. My chest squeezed at the sweet gesture, and somehow I managed to
walk him to the door and to say good-bye. And when I closed the door, I leaned against it, pressing
my balled hands against my eyes.
The sick feeling expanded, circling my heart. There was a good chance that in such a short period of
time, I d fallen for Colton and I& I might have already lost him.
Chapter 12
Colton had texted Monday morning asking if I could stop by the office today to look at the photos
again, but when I got there, he wasn t there. I tried not to take it personally as I was handed off to
Detective Hart and taken into a private room, but it was hard. My stomach churned as Detective Hart
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