Any good mood that Seth’s arrival with coffee had generated evaporated. She’d half expected Seth to scoff at her theory. Lord knows she’d come up with it on very little sleep. Instead, he’d leaned in, his face moving from frowning to outright concern as he’d read over her shoulder. By the time he moved to sit across from her again, any trace of a smile was completely gone. “The FBI have definitely been involved in cases surrounding them,” he said, scrolling along his phone screen. “They still are.” He handed his phone over, the screen left on an article from last month. They had exposed an entire county sheriff’s office as housing a criminal enterprise, and experts believed the organization was thriving in southern states despite many people never having heard of them. The article’s writer was an expert at covering their own ass, saying they hadn’t been able to find a provable link between law enforcement and the mafia members, but once again reading between the lines brought up yet more questions. Maya sat back in her chair, looking off into the distance as she racked her brain. Jesse had been incredibly tight-lipped about his work, but maybe there was something—just one little thing—he’d said in passing, or that without context wouldn’t have meant anything, but could help her now. She didn’t even know what type of cases he’d worked on. Could he have been involved in something similar—proving local law enforcement was in league with a criminal organization?

She looked up at Seth and saw the flash of understanding in his eyes. “No way,” he said. He reached over and pocketed his phone, keeping his gaze on hers. “Maybe a few counties over, maybe even in Atlanta, but the cops here in Monroe are on the straight and narrow. We work with these guys every day, go to department barbecues with them. I’d know if something wasn’t right.”

Maya said nothing, her mind spinning a million miles an hour. The look on Seth’s face was honest, earnest, and open. He believed what he was saying, that much was definitely true. Her lips narrowed into a thin line. That didn’t mean he was right. Seth, she trusted, and by extension Liam and the rest of the guys in his company. For the rest, she’d keep her eyes—and mind—open.

Seth leaned back in his chair, mimicking her movement. The action felt like more to Maya, as if he was pulling back from her also. She shook the thought away. She was just being silly, emotional. She was due that after yesterday. She scrubbed a hand over her face. Fuck, if she wanted to take that line of thought, she was due that after the week she’d had, even the month. That didn’t mean she had to give in. She looked over at Seth. He held a newspaper in his hand, but he wasn’t reading it, not really. She lifted her hand, moving to reach out and then dropped back. She was fucking this up entirely. Just two days before, she’d made the decision that she was going to stop making Jesse’s case her entire life. She’d given herself permission to stop letting her anger and grief take over her entire world, to be open to new things, to feeling new things. Seth had shown her that there was still plenty of life available for her and that all she had to do was reach out and take it. He’d given her no reason not to trust him. In fact, he’d taken several big steps for her that could cause him problems, both professionally and personally. So why, when the first suggestion of conflict came along, did she pull back?

She looked upward, her head shaking slightly and taking a deep breath. In the end, someone on the local force could be corrupt or not. It didn’t matter. If Jesse was innocent—and she had to believe that—then someone had to have done what he was accused of. That someone could be literally anyone—even a member of law enforcement. And they weren’t going to take kindly to her digging around, period. It all came down to whether or not she trusted those around her who were offering help, who were promising to keep her safe. Maya looked his way and her gaze connected with Seth’s. Emotion burned hot in his eyes. She couldn’t deny it any longer. There was something there, a connection she wanted to explore. In the end, she trusted him. That was all that mattered. The rest would come regardless.

“Seth, I’m sorry.”

He held up a hand. “No, it’s okay. I can’t expect you to take my word for any of this. Not after what happened to your brother.”

She reached over, grabbed his hand and pulled it into hers. Seth’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. It wasn’t the first time they’d held hands. There’d been small touches, caresses between them, almost from the beginning. But it had been Seth that had initiated them, Maya realized. He’d been the one to squeeze her shoulder, to take her hand when she was upset. He’d also been the one whose touch had lingered when they said goodbye, who’d held her yesterday in Meg’s office when it felt like her entire world had cracked open. She squeezed his hand and was rewarded by a flash of heat in his eyes. She’d made her decision. Now she was going to jump.

“Seth, I trust you.”

His eyes blazed but he said nothing. She frowned, but then he stood, moving swiftly toward her, never dropping the connection of their hands. In one broad step he was standing right in front of her. Seth brought their joined hands to his chest, holding her palm flat against him with his hand resting softly over it. The hard planes of his muscles shifted beneath her fingers as he drew her closer. Maya resisted the urge to slide her hands over his chest, down his abs, and lower. Instead she lifted her head, locking her gaze with his. Seth’s eyes were bright, his pupils dilated. Still he said not a word. His hand reached out, tracing along her cheek, then her chin, before moving to her lips. One finger skated across her lips, tugging on the lower one. Her tongue darted out, moistening them, tracing over where his finger had been, and Seth uttered a low groan. His hand moved to the back of her head, holding it gently in place as his head dropped down and his lips met hers.

His mouth moved over hers, taking what he wanted. Unlike his earlier touches, he wasn’t gentle. Any question whether the touches between them had been innocent evaporated. Seth’s lips were fiery, passionate, his tongue pushing forward and tangling with hers, plundering. His hand reached around to the small of her back, pulling her tighter against him. Every curve of her body molded to his hard form. Her breath caught in her throat. She knew Seth was in good shape, but now she could feel every hard inch of him pressed against her. She finally let her hand explore: his broad chest, the bumps forming his abs. Seth’s hips thrust forward, moving only inches, and yet it was enough for her to feel just how hard he was, everywhere. Goosebumps skittered across every inch of exposed skin. His mouth was warm, unyielding. His taste was slightly bitter from the coffee, tangy sweet from the piece of muffin she’d shared with him, and entirely male. His hands wound in her hair and she was lost to his mouth.

Sometime later—seconds, hours, who knew—the sound of sliding doors and papers shuffling broke through her consciousness. Seth’s lips broke away from hers and Maya groaned. Her head dropped forward on his chest as their surroundings came back to her. They were in the damn library! Her cheeks heated. How many people had seen her practically climbing Seth like a tree in the middle of the town? Her shoulders hunched and she buried her face in his shirt. She inhaled deeply, trying to catch her breath, and the masculine scent that invaded her senses made her nearly start exploring him all over again.

Seth chuckled, tipping her head up. His eyes were still focused on hers, now filled with a warm glow. The fire was still there, but it was different, softer. He bent forward and brushed his lips against hers again, pulling away this time after a single soft caress. “Maya, if we weren’t in public right now.” A small shudder ran through him and she smiled. Good to know she wasn’t the only one affected so deeply. His lips turned down slightly at the corners. “Are you okay? Was that too much?”

It was her turn to move now, reaching up and placing a finger over his lips. “Shhh. It was perfect.”

He turned, his hand dropping away from her back. “Still. I shouldn’t have . . . that’s not why.”

“Seth, stop.” She took a deep breath. Here went nothing. “I’m not blind. I could feel this between us, I just didn’t want to admit it.” She perched on the edge of the table, curling her fingers around the edge and resting against it. “I just didn’t want to give in to it. Doing anything other than proving Jesse’s innocence, taking time for myself, well, it felt like a betrayal to his memory.” Seth’s eyes softened and he reached for her again, pulling her against his chest. His embrace was welcome, even healing. She kept talking, her head resting against his chest. “It was something Meg said, actually. That I shouldn’t let Jesse’s death get in the way of honoring his life. It’s something I’ve been thinking about the last couple of days.” She pulled back, leaving her hands resting on his biceps. “I still need to do this, Seth, but if it’s okay with you, I want you by my side while I do.”

Seth’s smile could have lit up the entire room. “Darlin’, there’s nothing that would please me more.”