Cam awoke with Alex’s arms wrapped around her.

Her eyes fluttered open and she was instantly, immediately awake.

Memories made just hours before came rushing back at her, and she felt a flush spread through her body. Not from embarrassment, not from shame.

No, it was desire. Pure and simple.

Desire that Alex had ignited the night before.

Desire that was still running rampant through her.

Cam shifted slightly, pulling away from Alex’s embrace just enough so she could stretch her limbs without waking him. She arched her back like a cat, relishing the sensation as her muscles loosened.

She had no regrets about what had happened.

She probably should. Her rational mind reminded her of all the reasons why sleeping with Alex was a bad idea. Not because he was a bad guy, a criminal—he’d disproved that with his admission of being a cop. But there were other factors to consider. Namely, that this current state of being—them holed up in the guest apartment at her grandma’s assisted living home, wondering what their next move would be, or if there even was one—was temporary, at best. Decisions would have to be made. They couldn’t stay in limbo, trapped in this particular moment forever.

And Cam was under no illusions that tomorrow or the day after, or even the day after that, would include Alex.

She swallowed. She didn’t want to think about worst-case scenarios: that Alex might be permanently removed from her life, from this world, at the hands of someone currently pursuing him. But she knew that the other potential outcomes would most likely lead to the same thing.

He would leave.

She’d decided last night that she was okay with that. Well, as okay as she could be. That was her head talking, convincing her there would be no alternatives.

But her heart?

Her heart had wanted a night with him, a night that acknowledged the past they shared and reflected a taste of what their future might have been if fate had dealt them different hands.

She wanted one last chance to remember. To be with him.

And she’d gotten it.

A shiver ran down her spine. Kissing Alex, touching him, had felt just as natural now as it had all those years ago. It was as if no time at all had passed.

But a lifetime had gone by. She wasn’t the same person she’d been back in high school. She’d come up with new plans, new dreams—a life that didn’t include Alex.

And he’d done the same.

She realized that, despite how much he’d shared with her over the last twenty-four hours, she still knew relatively little about him. He’d given her the overview, how he’d gone from juvenile delinquent to undercover police officer, but there were so many questions left unanswered.

Cam stole a glance at the man lying next to her. Alex’s eyes were closed, and the steady rise and fall of his chest told her he was still sleeping. Stubble had finally sprouted on his cheeks and chin, but despite this, his features were so soft, he looked almost boyish.

Heat rushed through her.

There had been nothing boyish about his demeanor in the middle of the night.

Regret tried to stake its claim but she vehemently pushed it away. She was not going to feel bad about what had happened. If anything, she would have been more surprised if nothing had come of them spending the night together. They were in the same bed, and the sexual tension between them had slowly been building over the past couple of days. Sleeping with him was a natural progression of how things had trended. A release, pure and simple.

So why was she still staring at him? Why was her throat a little tight, and why was her heart hiccupping a little as her eyes drifted over him?

Cam squeezed her eyes shut. She needed to focus on something else.

She landed on it immediately.

Travis.

Their last conversation had ended with him dropping the name of a former police officer who he’d been friends with. Cam knew tracking this guy down might be just what she needed to piece the rest of the case together.

Alex stirred and Cam’s gaze flew back to him. His leg shifted, coming into contact with hers, and warmth flooded her veins. She tried telling herself that the response was purely physical. It had been ages since she’d had sex, so of course she was reacting this way.

Her heart whispered something else.

Her heart urged her to ponder the what-ifs. To look to a future that her mind told her could not exist.

A future that included Alex in her life.

She reached out a hand and touched a lock of his hair, smoothing it away from his cheek. She could get used to looking at him. Touching him.

Stop it, her mind scolded.

She yanked her hand away, then reached out again, touching a different strand this time.

What the hell was wrong with her? In that moment, she felt like the embodiment of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

She took a breath, trying to pull herself together.

It was just sex. Alex doesn’t mean anything to you anymore. He’s part of your past, not your future.

The words were on repeat in her head.

She just needed to make sure her heart got on board with it.