If you asked Cassie, the best cure for sexual frustration was running. The Heart Attack Hill trail ought to do it. Popular with the hotshots and anyone else trying to challenge themselves, that trail was guaranteed to get your heart pounding like a jackhammer. Just what the doctor ordered.

When Cassie pulled into the gravel lot at the trailhead, she saw only a few cars, all empty. As she hopped out of the car, she spotted her old fifth grade teacher, Mr. Martinez, walking a cocker spaniel whose black, curly coat matched his hair.

She smiled and waved hello. Good old Jupiter Point. You always ran into someone you knew, wherever you went. Of course, you weren’t always wearing a sports bra and leggings when that happened. Oh well.

“Nice to see you back, Cassandra.” He’d always called her by her full name, rolling the “r” and giving it a Spanish flair.

“Nice to see you, Mr. Martinez.” She kneeled to pet the cocker spaniel’s bouncy curls. “Who’s this little guy, hmm?”

“His name is Romeo, so be warned.”

She laughed as the dog blinked moist eyes at her. “I see why. You’re a little heartbreaker, aren’t you?”

I could get a dog, she thought suddenly. If she settled down here in Jupiter Point, she could adopt a dog. Tobias, Caro and Sarah had a big Newfie who basically doubled as Sarah’s blanket fort. She’d have to make sure that her dog got along with Angel, or at least beat her at all the important things, like jumping for Frisbees and racing after sticks on the beach.

What was she thinking?

She straightened up so suddenly that Mr. Martinez took a step back. “Sorry, I need to get going. That trail isn’t going to run itself.”

“You be careful. Travis Drake sprained his ankle running Heart Attack just last week.”

Well, at least there was no chance of running into Travis. She waved goodbye to her former teacher and took off at a slow jog to let her muscles warm up.

Before too long, she was breathing fast and her blood was pumping. Feel the burn. She’d gotten into running because you could pretty much do it anywhere, you didn’t need a special location or much gear. It was a good way to get out of the house, which was essential when you lived with your mother until the age of twenty-eight. And she liked the way it helped her focus. When she was running, random thoughts would pop into her head.

Twenty-eight. She’d lived with her mother until the age of twenty-eight.

See? Like that thought.

She’d lived with her mother her entire life, until this week.

But she’d had a good reason for that. She’d been worried about her, she’d needed to make sure she was safe. And all that time, danger had been circling in the form of letters from Matthew Dearborn.

In other words…she’d been right. Her mother had been in danger. Maybe she’d known it, on some level.

Panting, she paused at a pullout on the trail that overlooked the old Army base, now a Fire and Rescue compound. The Jupiter Point Hotshots were based there; she could see their green crew buggy, and a group of men and women doing pushups on the grassy verge. She could hear the distant echo of laughter. Resting her hands on her knees, she hauled in a few deep breaths.

What if she’d stayed here with Will and Aiden? What if she’d weathered the storm created by Travis and Deirdre? What if she’d finished high school with her class, maybe gone to college, met someone else? The right man for her? Maybe she’d have a child or two by now. And a cocker spaniel.

A flash of something in the hills behind the base caught her attention. She squinted and shaded her eyes to see better. It flashed again, once, then disappeared from view. She wished she had binoculars with her.

Someone cleared their throat behind her. She jumped about a foot in the air and let out a shriek that carried all the way to the firefighters down below. Heads swiveled at the same time she whirled around.

It was Kevin, backing away, hands up, looking horrified. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I was trying to let you know I was here without freaking you out.”

She put a hand to her chest. “Oh my God. My heart’s about to jump out of my chest.”

“I’m sorry,” he repeated. “It’s a good thing I didn’t go with my original plan and tap you on the shoulder, then run.”

She managed a shaky laugh. “Yeah, damn good thing you’re not twelve anymore.” Hauling in another breath, she noticed that he too was in workout gear. He wore gym shorts and a USAF t-shirt soaked with sweat. The fabric clung to his torso, revealing every ripple and ridge of muscle. Even his hair was damp at the edges, curling against his neck in a way that made her mouth water.

“I didn’t know you liked to run here. Aren’t you flying today?”

“My afternoon flight got canceled. I guess the newlyweds found something else to do.” He gestured toward the Fire and Rescue compound. “The hotshots were telling me they like to train up here. They put money on me not being able to make it to the top. I couldn’t pass that up.” He grinned ruefully. “They might be right though. This trail is a killer.”

“There’s a reason they call it Heart Attack Hill.”

It felt so good to be standing this close to him. So good to be looking at him, smiling with him. Too good?

She broke into a light jog. “Well, shall we?” Shooting past him, she tagged his arm. “You’re it.”

“No fair! You got to take a rest, I didn’t.”

His footsteps pounded after her. Exhilaration made her feel as if she were flying above the trail, not slogging down it. “A tough flyboy like you has to rest, is that what you’re saying?”

“Newsflash, I’m not Superman.” He managed to catch up with her, drawing even on the trail until she veered in front of him and he had to fall back.

“I never really liked Superman.” Cassie eased off on her pace. She was a little out of shape from spending so much time under vehicles. And besides, she didn’t really want to lose Kevin. Just taunt him. “Superman always seemed so annoyingly good. I couldn’t relate. What about you?”

“I liked Jughead.” He grinned at her. “And Veronica.”

“Seriously, you were an Archie reader?”

“My dad collected them. Kind of a nostalgia thing. I think they’re coming back, though. Holly makes Archie references now and then. Apparently there’s a TV show?” He shrugged his wide shoulders as he hopped over a rock. “I swear, I wouldn’t know anything about pop culture if I didn’t have a kid. Holly’s my lifeline. The hidden side benefits of parenthood.”

She stopped dead in her tracks, nearly causing Kevin to trip over her. He caught her by the shoulders to steady them both. Then he shoved her behind him and scanned the trail. “What happened? Did you see a snake or something?”

“A snake? God, no. Are there snakes out here?” She shuddered and edged closer to him. She wasn’t frightened of very many things, but snakes were at the top of that list. “I had no idea. I wouldn’t have come near this trail if I’d known.”

“I don’t know if there are, but don’t worry. Superman is here to protect you.” He crouched down to inspect the trail more closely. “What scared you, if it wasn’t a snake?”

“Oh, nothing.” She shot him an uneasy glance, hoping he wouldn’t push it. She hadn’t stopped because she was scared. She’d stopped because a shocking thought had occurred to her.

What if Kevin was the right man for her?

The thought was shocking because it felt so…non-shocking. Natural. As if everything fell into place as soon as it occurred to her. With Kevin, everything just…fit. As if it was meant to be. As if part of her had known it, on some level, for a while now.

She realized that she was staring at him blankly.

“What’s wrong? Do I have something on my face?”

His face. She loved his face. It had character, it had lines in all the right places, creases fanning from his eyes, a groove on the left side, due to the quirky one-sidedness of his smile. Then there was the scar that cut into his right eyebrow, the humor that always lurked in his gaze, along with a kind of steady intelligence.

“Cassie, seriously, what is going on? I feel like I’m missing something here.”

“I was just thinking…we’re surrounded by land right now.” She swept her arm in a wide circle, indicating the mix of birch, maple and pine trees in the surrounding woods. The trees were leafing out, and a heavenly, honeyed fragrance drifted from the tender new buds. Busy warblers flitted from branch to branch, chirping and rustling. The perfection of the moment sent shivers through her.

As her words sank in, heat flared in his eyes. Followed by doubt. “Weren’t you worried about snakes a second ago?”

“Snakes? No! Why’d you have to say ‘snakes’ again?” Indignantly, she folded her arms across her chest. His gaze followed the movement, lingering at the level of her sports bra. She felt her nipples rise in response to his attention. God, it took practically nothing to get her aroused around him.

“Sorry to ruin the moment. But I have to admit this wasn’t exactly the land-based sex I had in mind.”

“Okay, I’m open to other thoughts.” Liquid heat sparked deep in her belly. She wondered if it would be too obvious if she shifted her position and rubbed her legs together. Then again, was there something wrong with being obvious in this situation?

Sex. She wanted to have sex with Kevin, and she had a really good reason for that.

Because based on her past experience with sex, it would be somewhat disappointing, and then she would know that this crazy idea that Kevin was right for her would disappear back into the Land of Bad Ideas where it had come from. Yes, that was her reason. Her very excellent and logical reason.

Kevin would conclude the same thing, and they could move past this particular phase of their relationship and settle back into being friendly co-workers.

“To be honest, I’m not too picky, but an inside space would be a plus.”

“Want to check out my new house-sitting gig? Hunter and Starly’s place?”

He hesitated, and she read the conflict taking place under the deep green surface of his eyes. He wanted her. No question about that. On the other hand, what about his promise to Holly? What about his conviction that they couldn’t be simply casual? What about, what about…

She stepped closer and cupped his erection in her palm. It responded with a jolt, nudging the heel of her hand. “Has anyone ever told you that you think too much, O’Donnell?”

“Not really, no.” His voice was strained. “I’m more of a ‘jump first, regret it later’ kind of guy. But I’ve been working on that. I have a feeling you’re a setback waiting to happen.”

“Well, maybe.” She stepped closer, breathing in the heady aroma of good clean male sweat. “Or maybe we’ll get rid of all this sexual tension for good.”

He reached for her ass and yanked him against her, pelvis to pelvis. Electric heat shot through her sex, wild and unstoppable. Her nipples peaked even harder, and she pressed herself against him. His scorching gaze swept across her, head to toe.

“You sure about this?” His voice deepened to a growl. “Because everything changes once we go to bed together.”

She nodded, tugging her bottom lip between her teeth. Wild thrills ran through her, making her skin tighten as if an electric storm was on the horizon. “Bring it.”