But this … ? This was not good. Flavor was one thing. Stalkers? Not good. Someone breaking into his woman's house? Oh, hell no! She might not realize that she was his woman, but he'd get her there.
Of course, it had taken about a year to get her into bed and … he shook his head, remembering last night. Making love with Halley had been phenomenal! He couldn't wait to hold her again. Just the thought of someone hurting her, scaring her in any way, caused him to press his foot down on the accelerator, needing to get to her house. To get to her!
Thinking about last night, as well as all the other things he wanted to do to Halley, introduce to her, made his body come back to life. He cursed, reminding himself that he was also conducting an investigation. Someone was trying to hurt his woman! It didn't help when he got an erection every time he thought about her.
Turning into her driveway, he glanced at the clock. She'd said she wouldn't be finished working until six-thirty, but Joe had said she'd left the stable hours ago. So where was she? Her car wasn't parked next to her house, as it normally would be if she were home.
Was she parked behind the house? He knew she'd done that a couple of times because of the dogs or if she was pulling the horse trailer. It was just easier to get around the house with the trailer than to leave it in the driveway. It was less cumbersome that way. But he didn't see anything behind her house. Not the dogs, the trailer, or her vehicle.
Stepping out of his SUV, he looked around, trying to understand the tension he was feeling. Something wasn't right. He could feel it in his gut, his eyes roamed around the area, his mind trying to make sense of what his instincts were telling him. Unfortunately, nothing was out of place. Everything looked … normal.
Still … he could feel it and, over the years, he'd learned to pay attention to those instincts telling him that something wasn't right. During his days with the SEALs, he'd been in some pretty difficult situations. Paying attention to those prickly sensations had saved his life numerous times.
With his hand on his pistol, his senses fully alert as he continued to scan the area, he moved closer to Halley's cottage. The lights were off inside, but the sun was still shining. So that wasn't wrong. Moving slowly closer, he watched the tree-line, the house, glancing through the windows. Nothing stirred.
Was it just Halley hiding from him? He wouldn't put that past her. She wasn't completely sure about what they shared and her acceptance of their relationship was going to take time. He couldn't expect her to accept their future together after just one night together. She was as skittish as a new colt, so he knew she would try to hide from him somehow.
But it didn't feel like that to him now. Something was definitely … off.
A movement to the right caught his eye and he searched the area. The trees weren't moving and he still didn't see anything.
Then he caught it. A slender figure, about Halley's height, sprinting through the trees.
He started after her, but then he heard the dogs barking. It was Halley and she was running away from him. With a muttered curse, he thought about running after her, but the woman was already too far away. He was a fast runner, but he couldn't catch up with her. Not from that distance.
He watched with increasing fury as she sprinted further and further away, her graceful movements mesmerizing him. Damn, she was beautiful! He couldn't see her face, but he knew the way she moved and she was like a gazelle, so strong and powerful and yet graceful as she leapt over the logs and trees. She was in long, black leggings and a tight shirt, so maybe she wasn't running away from him, but was just out for a run. He didn't know that Halley ran for exercise, but that would make sense. He remembered her legs from last night and those muscles weren't just from riding horses for hours.
With a frustrated snarl, he turned around and headed back to his truck, yanking open the door as his eyes skimmed through the trees one more time, trying to catch sight of her. He'd find her tonight, he told himself. No way was he allowing her to stay out here all alone. Of course, she might head over to her parent's house. Or Joe's. Or even Fleur's! Hell, he thought as he threw himself into the SUV, that woman had more places to hide out than he'd like.
Well, he'd prefer it if she didn't feel the need to hide from him. He didn't understand why she was so nervous about a relationship with him. And he'd be damned if he would allow last night to be a one-off like she'd said this morning. No way! Not with Halley! She didn't know it yet, but he was keeping her.
Yeah, that sounded barbaric even in his own mind. He didn't give a damn. He was possessive and she'd just have to deal with it!