A Profiler's Case for Seduction - By Carla Cassidy Page 0,29
the night.
She clutched her laptop to her chest, her purse slung across her shoulder, her heart already beating a fraction too fast. The campus appeared deserted, but in the distance she could hear the sound of male laughter drifting from the area where the fraternity housing was located.
With homecoming less than two weeks away, there was already an energy thrumming in the air, an energy that heightened with each day that passed. Banners and flags in the school red-and-gold colors were appearing from windows, across walkways. Brilliant artwork depicting red-and-gold-clad gladiators crunching blue-clad birds underfoot were nailed to trees and adorned classroom windows.
By the time the actual football game and the usual pregame events arrived, the students would be frenzied with school pride and spirit.
Her heart misfired as she heard the distinct sound of heavy footsteps behind her. She quickened her pace, fear hammering through her veins. Just get home safely, a voice whispered in the back of her head. Just keep moving and don’t look back.
“Dora.”
The familiar deep voice made her nearly stumble to her knees in relief. She turned to see Mark hurrying to catch up to her. “Oh, my God, Mark, you scared me to death,” she said, half-breathless.
“I did?” He stopped next to her on the sidewalk. “Sorry about that.”
“What are you doing here?” she asked, her gaze darting from the sidewalk behind him to the nearby manicured tall bushes.
“I intended to catch up with you at the bookstore, but by the time I got there you’d already closed up and then I saw you walking and here I am.” He said it as if it all made perfect sense.
It wasn’t fear now that kept her heart beating just a little faster than it should. It was his nearness to her, the scent of him, which had become familiar, and a thrill that he’d sought her out once again.
“Why did you want to catch up with me at the bookstore?” she asked as they began a slow walk in the direction of her house.
“Because I wanted to see you again.” He looked at her as if she should have known his answer before he actually said the words aloud. “And I forgot to tell you the other night that, because of the things you said about fathers and daughters, I called Grace and made plans to visit her as soon as we wrap up things here. We’re going for ice cream...two scoops.”
“That’s good, Mark. I’m so glad.” She was glad for a number of things. She was ridiculously pleased that he wanted to see her again and relieved that she wasn’t making this walk home alone in the dark. She was also happy that he was obviously set to make things right with the daughter he so obviously loved.
She felt safe with him at her side and yet knew she was a fool to feel the excitement, the giddy rush of his very presence next to her. Still, she remained acutely conscious of their surroundings as they continued to walk toward her place.
“Are you expecting somebody to jump out of the bushes?” he asked, obviously noticing her nervous gazes. “I can feel that you’re on edge, Dora. What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” she replied quickly, apparently too quickly, as he looked at her in disbelief.
“What’s going on, Dora?” he repeated.
She could see her house in the distance, her porch light a welcome beam in the darkness. “Why don’t you come in and I’ll make us a cup of coffee. We can talk a little more inside.”
Even in the darkness she could see the flash of his white teeth as he grinned. “That sounds perfect.”
She hoped by the time they got inside and she had the coffee brewing he’d forget that anything had bothered her. The last person on earth she wanted to believe that she was just some paranoid nut was Mark.
It felt odd, unlocking the door and allowing him to step into the place behind her. In the three years she’d lived in the house there had never been a man inside other than Micah.
The house was nothing fancy, just a two-story brick with a kitchen, dining room and living area downstairs and two nice-size bedrooms upstairs. It had been furnished with mostly thrift-store furniture and cast-off items she’d picked up when students were leaving college and no longer wanted their college-dorm-style decor.
The only item Dora had bought new was an overstuffed sofa in shades of yellow and red. It was vibrant and looked like sunshine and