I can’t stop shaking, even with Isaac’s arms around me. His hands run up and down the length of my arms as he does his best to comfort me but all I can see in my mind’s eye is my own terrified face staring back at me from my television.

What did I do, and why is this happening to me?

I’m breathing hard, and I take a moment to focus on my breath, inhaling and exhaling with intention as I force myself to calm down. Isaac’s warmth helps, his muscular frame pressed against me as I allow myself to lean in, to fully rest my head against his chest, my body going slack against him.

His heartbeat is strong and sure. He is a healthy specimen of a man, the epitome of strength, and I absorb him into me, finding courage in the face of my own terror. Finally, I look up at him, my tears dissolving as I steel my nerves.

“Thank you,” I whisper. “For the millionth time.”

His eyes are fiercely protective, boring into me as they dart around the features of my face, searching for… something. He brushes a strand of hair from my cheek, his fingertips soft as butterfly wings as he runs them along the back of my ear, allowing his palm to rest at the crook of my neck before letting it drop.

My heart is racing but for an entirely different reason now.

“There’s no need to thank me. This is what I do.”

“Yeah, well. You’re not exactly on duty, are you?”

His jaw clenches responsively. “I do what I want to do,” he tells me. “On and off the clock. I’m here for you.”

He nods, taking a step back. The distance between us feels cavernous, and I’m tempted to step forward, to press my body against his once again. I don’t feel safe unless we’re touching, unless I can physically feel his abdomen pressed against my own. I resist the urge, knowing that it’s silly. I don’t need to glom onto him like some parasite… sucking him dry…

I guess Gareth will get more jealous but I swat that aside. He told me that we dated but when I cleaned my apartment, I found my Claddagh ring safely tucked away in my bathroom drawer.

That tells me two things: Gareth and I weren’t dating anymore when I was caught in that fire. And those vandal assholes weren’t trying to steal any precious jewelry. Their intention was probably to make me scared.

Another wave of anger follows: they fucking succeeded.

“Can I get you something to drink? Maybe a hot tea?”

I’m forced back to the present, where Isaac continues to stare at me with such concern that I want to grab his face and smother it with my lips.

Instead, I shake my head.

“Fuck it, Scarlett. I’m going to call the cops again, and I’m going to order take out. This shit is ridiculous. Someone’s doing this to scare you.”

“You’ve done more than enough already, by a long shot. I think it would help my nerves to lay down.”

He nods once, gesturing toward his bedroom, and I cheer inwardly that I don’t have to ask to sleep in his bed again.

Buster licks the back of my hand as the three of us pass the kitchen and enter his barren bedroom once more. It might not be the homiest place on Earth but it’s quickly becoming the only place I want to be. At least here I can sleep. Maybe he’ll even knock me out himself again.

“I have a spare toothbrush you can have, in the top drawer. Are you all right here alone while I make the calls?”

I nod. “If anyone comes in, I’ll scream.”

I’m half joking but Isaac doesn’t smile. In fact, he looks more ferocious than ever.

I’ve never felt more secure in my life. At least, the part of it I can remember.

“Buster is trained to attack on command, and he’s a great guard dog. You’re safe with him. I won’t take long.”

I nod. It feels silly, talking this way. I swallow and wave him off. “Go. I’ll be here when you get back. I promise.”

His eyes squint as he considers one last time before turning from the room and closing the door behind him. I stare at the light beneath it, unable to stop craving him.

I take advantage of Isaac’s hospitality and tug the bedspread open. His blinds are wide, and I twist the dangling stick until they are shut as tightly as they can be, cursing myself for not doing it immediately.

Did they see me up here? Do they know I’m not that far away?

My stomach twists in knots as I strip out of my pajama bottoms, wearing a white lace thong and a white t-shirt now. I snuggle into the comforter and relish how it smells like him—like us—the scent of clean cotton and that indescribable masculine aroma. It all envelops me, and I cock a bare leg out, wrapping it around the lump of blanket, my round ass high in the air.

Time passes and I drift in and out of consciousness.

The door opens, at last, and Isaac inhales at the sight of me. “Scarlett, the police are here. They want to talk.”

“Not again,” I groan. “In the morning, please. I’ve had enough.”

He nods once, and the door creaks closed again. Muffled voices travel through from the hall. Footsteps and then quiet again. I sigh and close my eyes, but nothing erases the fear which swirls through me.

Minutes pass and the door opens again. This time, the scent of pizza drifts in, and I sit upright.

“I thought that might get your attention,” Isaac says and walks into the room.

He places a box on his bedside table and clicks on the lamp. I’m up in seconds and we fill ourselves up on cheesy slices in silence. His gaze drifts to mine over and over again. “You okay?”

“Fine,” I say, between bites. “Just hungry and tired, I guess.” Add freaked to the combo. “What did the cops say?”

“When they got there, there wasn’t anything on the screen. It’s just our word, so they’ll want to talk to you about it but –”

“But there’s not much they can do.” Can I even trust the police at this point? How many stories had I done where the cops were corrupt, not necessarily in Boston, but in other places I’d lived?

Gosh, it was on the news all the time. Who can I really trust?

We finish up the slices and I settle back, sated, at last.

“You want to wash up a bit before bed?” he asks.

I nod and hop from the bed, padding over to the humid bathroom. As I pass him, I catch a whiff of some kind of subtle deodorant, and my senses tingle. I breathe it in, enjoying the sense of peace that washes over me, the arousal that pairs with it. The toothbrush is where he said it would be, still in a package, and I make quick work of brushing my teeth, catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror.

I look scared. My eyes are wide and a little puffy from crying but other than that, I have to say that I’ve made it through almost dying pretty well intact. My skin is not burned but remains its usual milky white color, and my freckles are exactly where I left them.

I step into the shower, squeak on the faucets and let the water roll down my skin, over my back, my hair. I lather up, and take this moment to enjoy the heat, the quiet, and the time with my thoughts.

Once I’m done, all toweled off and clean, I turn off the bathroom light as I walk back into the bedroom. The lights are off now. The subtle glow from the streetlamps outside peeks in from beneath the closed blinds—otherwise, we’re in the dark.

My mind prickles with anticipation but the darkness makes me uncomfortable. I slide into bed facing Isaac. I’m so relieved to be here again. I need him tonight, maybe even more than last night. I need his comforting cock.

My palms press lightly against his chest and the small smattering of hair there.

His arm wraps around me, pulling me in tight. His breath feathers across my forehead, steady and stable. In and out; in and out. I tilt my head up, leaving our lips inches apart.

“Isaac?” I whisper.

His hard body tightens against my own, and then I feel it.

His erection feels massive, and I know that I can have it. I know that it’s all for me.

I want him, too. My pussy throbs and drips in this little thong. I want to lose myself and forget everything all over again. I want to lose my mind in a different way.

“Scarlett,” Isaac rasps, his voice hoarse. He’s trying to control himself but his body is giving him away.

I smile up at him, and my eyelashes feel heavy. There’s no need for control right now.

I let my neck fall back, and he closes the distance between us, pressing his lips to mine. His mouth tastes of toothpaste, and I want to drink in the essence of him. His mouth explores my own, not yet digging deeper. He pulls back, and I groan with discontent.

Responding to my green light, he pulls me to him hard, his mouth crashing against mine, and my pussy comes to life, hot and wet. His tongue presses past my lips and he tastes me fully, my own coming out to explore the contours of his mouth.

His hands roam all over my body, and I am desperate to touch as much of him as I can. I gasp as his palm lands on my hip and slides easily underneath my t-shirt, cradling the side of my bare breast as his other hand roams farther south, his fingers sliding along my slit through the fabric of the thong, testing the water.

He groans, and I’m lifted in the air, a cool breeze sliding along my skin. He is lifting me as though I weigh no more than a feather, and before I know it, his erection presses into my pussy, begging to delve inside.

I’m breathing hard as his lips begin to wander, leaving my own and tracing along the base of my neck. I tilt my head back and enjoy the sensation, wishing I could reach down far enough to grab his dick, to feel it between my palms.

As he holds me against the wall, his hands cradling my ass, spreading my cheeks ever so slightly, he masterfully maintains the hold as one of his hands disappears. It grasps the hem of my shirt before tearing it up and over my head, my bare breasts exposed to the cool air of his room.

His lips wrap around a nipple, and he sucks fervently.

My head falls back again, and I moan, my pussy dripping now with need. He sucks and sucks until I’m losing my mind before he moves to the other breast.

I swear I’ll come just from this act alone. I’m whisked through the air again, and the soft mattress hits my bottom as he moves us as one, his lips still firmly attached to my puckered nipple.

“I’m going to taste you, make you go wild. You’re my girl now.” His eyes hunger for me, devour me already, and the tug of his lips on my skin send me into spasm.

My eyes have adjusted to the dim light of his room.

His fingertips dig between my underwear and my bare skin. He removes his shorts and my panties as deftly as he did the shirt. My bare pussy is exposed for him, and he kneels at the foot of the bed.

“Taste away,” I breathe, my body on fire as his fingers tease me, running along the length of my inner thighs before he presses them apart. I’m going insane waiting for his touch as he circles his fingers closer and closer to my lips, finally allowing a finger to circle my clit.

“Mmm, just how I like it,” he says, sliding his finger down and teasing my entrance with it. I buck my hips, my body desperate for any part of him to be inside me. He bends his head down and captures my clit with his lips, sucking it just like he did with my nipples. I can’t help but moan in ecstasy. His tongue circles my clit over and over, his finger still at my entrance, still not filling me.

“Fuck me,” I beg.

He chuckles. “Don’t move, don’t speak, just listen. You’re going to come for me, Scarlett, do you understand? You’re going to come so hard you’ll never be the same again. Because you’re my girl, now.”

He slides a finger in, rocking it in and out as he licks my clit. I ride him, desperate for more. I want him filling me, I want all of him. Sensing this, he removes his finger, pairing it with another, sliding two in at once. As he continues to lick, he adds one more, stretching me as he pumps three fingers into me, tickling my clit with his tongue as he presses my thighs wider and wider apart, each thrust of his fingers curling upward to tickle my g-spot.

My nails dig into his sheets. I’m on the edge of an orgasm.

“Let it come. Come for me,” he says, and I obey, letting out a guttural shriek as my body pulses around his fingers, soaking them. He continues to thrust them into me for a beat before his fingers are gone. Before I can complain, his tongue is there, lapping at all the juices left behind.

“Mmm,” he says. “Now we can move on.”

Isaac sits back as I slide down, my naked body tingling with my orgasm even as it craves more.

“Your turn,” I say, reaching for his arms and guiding him to stand. He doesn’t refuse, and when he stands he is so tall that I have to move up to the bed again as I pull down his own shorts, his enormous erection springing from them, tempting me like a lollypop. I grin as I look up at him.

“Nice package. Mind if I give it a lick?”

His eyes are clouded with lust, and my own juices flow again. I run my tongue along the length of his shaft, teasing the head with my tongue before running back down every inch of it, coating it with my own saliva. My hand reaches up and cradles his balls, cupping them, stroking them as my tongue works its magic, the veins of his dick pulsing as I finally take him fully in my mouth, sucking hard.

“Oh, fuck,” he moans, and I’m even hornier, my hand leaving his balls to play with my own clit as I take him in and out of my mouth.

“Yeah, play with that clit,” he commands, and I am happy to obey, moaning against his penis as he slides it in and out, fucking my mouth as I play with myself, another orgasm on the horizon.

“Now,” he says, pulling out of my mouth and turning me over so I’m on all fours on his bed.

He presses his dick against my entrance, teasing me again, and I try to press back into him, to force it into me. He spanks my ass, and I moan.

“I’ll make the pace, don’t you worry. Eager girl.”

He presses his head into me once, twice, finally shoving inside, filling me to the brim. He groans as he sets the rhythm, and I’m pressing my ass against him, meeting him with enthusiasm as he fucks me slowly, torturously slow. Another orgasm builds up as he picks up the pace.

“Fuck me hard, Isaac. Please.”

He thrusts hard and fast into me; my body open to him in every possible way. I ride him hard, bending forward and opening myself even more as his breathing intensifies, my pussy soaked as his balls slap against my ass, deep as he can go. I ride him as my orgasm builds until I can’t hold it in anymore, and I scream out his name as I come and come and come. He’s pumping hard and fast until he lets out his own growl, pouring into me as he finishes, slowing his pace as our bodies stay connected.

I’m breathing hard, my body completely relaxed for the first time in ages. He pulls out of me, and I drop my exposed bottom.

“Wait,” he says, deftly turning me over. “One more taste of us together.”

I don’t have time for surprise before he delves his tongue back into my hot pussy, lapping up our juices as my sensitive skin reignites, leaving me panting as one last orgasm rocks my body against his tongue. I lay there completely sated as Isaac slides into bed next to me, wrapping his arms around me loosely. We are both hot and sweaty, his body a little sticky against my own as I snuggle into him a little deeper.

We lie together as our bodies cool and our breath calms.

Isaac’s gentle snores follow soon after. A small smile creases my lip, and I lie awake listening to the calming sound of his breathing as he sleeps.

I’m relaxed but my adrenaline is still buzzing. Sex helped calm my body but my mind won’t stop, and now without such a good distraction, I have nothing but my own thoughts to keep me company.

I slide out from beneath Isaac’s thickly muscled arm and back into my own clothing, grabbing a blanket from his couch. I bring my purse with me as I slide open his small balcony door and close it behind me, wrapping the blanket closer around me in the cold night air.

I wish it was August right now. For a lot of reasons.

I crack open my purse and pull out the document from my drawer I found earlier. Unfolding it, I stare at it, able to see the code in the nearby streetlight. I’m grateful for that streetlight for many things, not the least of which is helping me see Isaac’s incredible body while he licked me clean. The thought of it has my pussy tingling again, and I focus back on the paper in my hand.

Any sexual urges go cold as I try to decipher the message on it. I may have forgotten many things but something about this code is ringing a bell, and I read through it over and over as I try to force my memory to kick back in. Somewhere around the third paragraph, it does.

This isn’t just a code. This is an executive file that’s been embedded into a government website. It’s top-secret level shit. How the hell did I manage to get a copy of it? Does it mean that the government is after me, maybe searching for this information that they didn’t find in my apartment? This could easily be what they were looking for.

My mind floods with questions, a pulsing ache forming behind my eyes, and I fold the paper back up. I’m exhausted, the weight of the world winning out against my fighting spirit. I won’t be getting any answers about this tonight, so I place the paper back in my purse and set it all back down by the couch before settling back in next to Isaac, who hasn’t moved an inch.

I stare at his face, exhaustion finally washing over me as my eyes drift closed, and I seem to sleep for a blink before I open them again, the pale light of day peeking through the window cracks. Isaac is still sleeping peacefully, blissfully unaware of the world around him. I may have taken advantage of him, given what we did last night.

I feel amazing – my body’s a little sore in the best kind of way – but I’ve got bigger problems, and Isaac shouldn’t be tugged into them.

I slide out of his clothing and back into my own.

Buster barely lifts his head as I sneak my way out of the apartment and creep down the stairs, hoping that my TV isn’t still haunting me. Before I reach the last step, I stop at the sight of a woman standing at my door. She is petite, wearing a pair of black work slacks and a pinstriped button-up shirt with a black vest over it. Her sandy blond hair is tucked back in a chignon bun, and when she turns to face me, her green eyes are serpentine.

She also looks pissed.

“What the fuck, Scarlett? You’re supposed to be dead.”