Secret Obsession

Secret Obsession
Robin Perini

He didn't know which was harder: not falling for a woman who was off-limits, or protecting her from a madman… Scarred from the brutal murder of her fiancé, former UN translator Lyssa Cafferty sleeps with one eye open. Now a serial killer is determined to finish what he started…and she's his next target. Desperate to survive, Lyssa seeks protection from the one man with knowledge of her past.Noah Bradford, a cunning ex-marine, vows to protect Lyssa–along with the secret she keeps from her watchful predator. It soon becomes evident that Noah's growing attraction for Lyssa could distract him from his mission, but only together can they crack the cryptic messages of a killer. With time running out, it's uncertain who will come out unharmed–or alive.

“I’m so sorry they got pulled into this. If I thought it would help, I’d go back to Chicago.” She lifted her gaze to his. “It wouldn’t help, would it?”

“He knows I’m involved, and he’s not happy about it.” Noah scooted closer to her and placed his hand on her knee. “Count on one thing—I won’t leave your side until he’s no longer a threat.”

With a sad smile she covered his hand with hers. He couldn’t look away from her green eyes. So much hurt, so much pain, and yet a determination buried deep that she couldn’t hide. He turned his hand and squeezed hers, offering comfort.

She gnawed on her lip, her nerves showing through. He couldn’t look away. The awareness that had been flickering through him since he’d seen her again erupted. He was so close to her, if he leaned over just a bit, their lips would touch.

If he ever kissed her, he didn’t know if he’d be able to stop.

Secret

Obsession

Robin Perini

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

Award-winning author ROBIN PERINI’s love of heart-stopping suspense and poignant romance, coupled with her adoration of high-tech weaponry and covert ops, encouraged her secret inner commando to take on the challenge of writing romantic suspense novels. Her mission’s motto: “When danger and romance collide, no heart is safe.”

Devoted to giving her readers fast-paced, high-stakes adventures with a love story sure to melt their hearts, Robin won a prestigious Romance Writers of America Golden Heart Award in 2011. By day she works for an advanced technology corporation, and in her spare time you might find her giving one of her many nationally acclaimed writing workshops or training in competitive small-bore-rifle silhouette shooting. Robin loves to interact with readers. You can catch her on her website, www.robinperini.com (http://www.robinperini.com), and on several major social-networking sites, or write to her at PO Box 50472, Albuquerque, NM 87181-0472, USA.

For my readers.

Thanks for the wonderful letters telling me you loved the Bradford family from Finding Her Son. Noah’s story exists because of you.

Contents

Cover (#ub0a8f465-18f7-580c-bde5-947115adc922)

Introduction (#u6d9ae011-c88b-512b-80d4-dfc22379e4e0)

Title Page (#u2daed7c2-dfb0-58c0-807e-5cb965a7fa0f)

About the Author (#udb62c9b1-674e-53b8-a8ee-06ce07ffb527)

Dedication (#ua974aeef-60ac-5993-bc7f-62f3d66cd24d)

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Epilogue

Extract

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter One (#u8b3ea028-a088-5dd0-8ada-76a0f43b445e)

The sting of frozen rain pricked Lyssa Cafferty’s cheeks, another attack she couldn’t prevent. She hurried from the L station toward her small Chicago apartment. If only she could pull her hood over her head, duck down and avoid the piercing needles of ice on her face, but then she’d lose her peripheral vision.

She couldn’t afford to allow comfort to trump safety.

Not now. Not ever.

Instead, she tugged her thrift-store winter coat tighter around her body, the jacket too big but at least warm. She peered over one shoulder then the other, seeing only commuters huddled against the winter wind and racing down Roger’s Park streets. No one familiar.

She picked up her pace and pressed on through the blustery weather. Of course, she wouldn’t recognize the man out to kill her until she was already dead.

Two years. Two long, horrible years since the night she’d lost Jack, since she’d lost her love, her life and everything that had made the world wonderful.

She couldn’t have imagined things would get worse after Jack’s murder.

They had.

A brilliant, uncatchable psycho had made it his business to find her.

Archimedes.

Just his name made her heart stutter...with fear and fury. He’d stolen her life.

She paused two blocks from her apartment and, ignoring the cold, stilled. On high alert, her entire body tensed. She struggled to calm the rapid beat of her heart.