Home for Christmas: New Adult Holiday Dark Suspense Romance by Emme Rollins Page B

for telling me.”
    It grew quiet again and she tossed and turned on the bed, wondering what he was thinking.
    “Ginny, I need you to give me that SD memory card.”
    “No!” Her eyes grew wide at the thought.
    “I understand you’re scared,” he went on. “But what Brody did...”
    “You don’t understand,” she insisted, sitting and pulling the covers up to her chin. “You can’t give that tape to the cops! Brody is a cop!”
    “I know,” he said, his voice soft, soothing. “But not all cops are like him. You can trust me, Ginny. I won’t give it to the wrong people. I’ll give it to someone who will use it to punish him to the fullest extent of the law. I promise you. Will you trust me?”
    “No!” She drew a shaky breath, burrowing back under the covers again. “I don’t know.”
    “It’s okay. Let’s talk about it in the morning.”
    In spite of her fear of handing over the SD card, she felt like a weight had been lifted off her chest. Telling Nick had been a huge relief, even if she only told him some of the truth.
    She remembered opening her eyes a few times, seeing him sitting there in the semi-darkness, hearing his breathing become deeper. She wondered if he was falling asleep too. Finally, she sank deep enough her whole body relaxed in ways she could barely remember.
    * * * *
    She was cold. Shivering. He had found her hiding place and she was running from him, barefoot in the snow. She gasped herself awake in the semi-darkness, not remembering where she was. When she saw his uniformed figure standing over her, she pedaled backwards on the bed, clutching the headboard as if she could escape from him behind it. He was coming for her, and she knew only how to scream.
    “Shhhhhh, Ginny, it’s okay. It’s me. It’s Nick. You’re dreaming,” he murmured, trying to unclench her hands, attempting to hold her.
    She struck out, twisting in his arms, panicked and kicking.
    “Hey! Hey!” His voice was firm and he shook her at the shoulders.
    Her glassy eyes could only see the silver glint of his badge in the darkness. She tore at him, saying the useless words, “No, no, no!” He was much bigger than she was, much stronger, and as always, there was nothing she could do. He pinned her, for both their sakes, pressing her hands above her head and holding them at the wrists.
    “Ginny! It’s me. It’s Nick!”
    She saw him then and sobbed. “The uniform. Nick, take it off!”
    He pulled back, quizzical, then she saw the dawning compassion in his eyes. He sat back on the bed, unbuttoning his uniform shirt and tossing it over a chair, badge and all.
    “Better?”
    She nodded, her lower lip still trembling.
    “It’s okay,” he assured her, holding his arms out. “Do you want to come here?”
    Hesitating, she looked at him, then over at the uniform resting on the chair. Just like Brody’s, and yet... she knew this wasn’t the same man.
    “I won’t hurt you,” he said, as if sensing her conflict. “I just want to hold you. Comfort you.”
    “I’m so tired,” she whispered, feeling tears welling again. She was tired—tired of running, tired of Brody winning. Mostly, she was tired of being so afraid all the time. Nick touched her hair, brushing it out of her face, his touch soft and gentle.
    “You can rest,” he murmured. “You’re safe. I’m here.”
    Never had a man, especially one wearing that uniform, made her feel safe, but she realized he did. She could trust him, and if she let her own intuition guide her, instead of her fear, she knew it was true. Denying that was just like letting Brody win again and she was determined not to let that happen anymore.
    “Hold me.” She found her way to him across the bed, curling into his lap and shivering there.
    He did, close, closer, trying to enfold her as she trembled against him.
    “Take this off,” she insisted, tugging at his belt. He looked startled for a moment, but complied, letting his uniform pants join his shirt on the