books?” he asked. “Fiction? Non-fiction?”
“Fiction. I like to escape when I read,” she said. “You?
“Non-fiction. I studied a lot of history and biographies. I’m interested in how people lived through the centuries. I also like books on how things work.”
Briana squeezed conditioner into her palm and worked it into her hair. With only a comb to work with, she’d have to be careful not to get too many tangles. When they left the hotel, she’d ask Rafe to stop at a store so that she could buy a few necessities, like a brush, underwear, another shirt and, maybe, a pair of jeans. She wasn’t sure how long it would be before she got back to Chicago, and if the police would allow her back into her apartment anytime soon. “I’ll need to call my boss and let her know I won’t be in for a few days.”
“We’ll need to talk about where we’re going from here.”
The thought of making a decision left her cringing in the shower. “Could we do that after we sleep?”
“Absolutely,” he replied.
She washed her body with soap, her thoughts going to Rafe’s strong arms and big hands. A shiver of awareness ran over her. The man was steps away from her naked body. If she knew him better…if they were dating…she’d invite him in to share the shower with her.
Heat built inside, pooling at her core, followed quickly by guilt. Her friend had died, and she was thinking of getting naked with a stranger.
But she and Rafe weren’t strangers. They were practically old friends.
All the more reason for her to stop thinking about showering with the man.
After rinsing thoroughly, she switched off the water. “I’m done.”
“I’ll just close the door.” His deep voice filled the bathroom.
She waited to hear the soft snick of the door closing before she pulled back the curtain and stepped out onto the mat.
Minutes later, she’d dried, pulled his large T-shirt over her head and let it fall down around her thighs. The shorts were too long, covering her knees, and she had to roll the waistband a few times to keep them from falling off her hips. She rinsed her panties in the sink and hung them to dry on one of the towel racks. Then she plugged in the blow dryer and worked the tangles out of her hair with the comb, blowing it dry at the same time. Satisfied she was clean of the smell of fear and death, she stepped out of the bathroom wearing Rafe’s T-shirt and shorts.
He lounged on one of the beds with his hands laced behind his head. He smiled when he saw her. “That T-shirt looks better on you than me.” His brow wrinkled as his gaze shifted lower. “The shorts, not so much.”
“Thanks for the loan. I’m just glad to have something to wear.” She padded across room and stared at the other bed.
“You can have this one,” he offered. “I thought you’d want me to be closer to the door.”
“This one is fine,” she said, but she couldn’t force herself to get under the covers. Images of her apartment, Sheila’s lifeless body lying on the floor, and the EMTs loading her onto a stretcher all flooded back to her.
Rafe’s hands settled on her shoulders.
Briana hadn’t even heard him get out of the bed to come stand behind her.
“What’s wrong?”
“How do you turn off the images? My mind is like a movie film on an infinite loop. It keeps replaying the man in my apartment, him standing over Sheila and then searching the rest of my place. I see him standing beside the bed I hid beneath.”
Rafe eased her back against him. “You need to sleep.”
“How?” She shook her head. “How do I turn it off?”
“I can’t tell you that. I’ve never been able to do that myself. Especially right after the event happened. At the very least, you need to lie down and rest.”
She looked over her shoulder into his face. “I’m afraid to close my eyes.”
“Then lie on the bed and keep your eyes open. Relaxing has to be of some help. And maybe, you’ll fall asleep.”
She nodded and took a step toward the bed and stopped. “I’m afraid.”
“Get in and scoot over. I’ll hold you until you go to sleep.” He pulled back the comforter and waved her toward the bed.
Briana slipped between the sheets and moved over to allow him to slide in beside her.
He’d kicked off his boots and changed into shorts while she’d been in the