Shane’s garage had about ten spots for the residents in the converted corner building. Cincinnati had converted a lot of its older factories into condos and apartments. They were all gorgeous and Shane’s place was a lot more put together than I’d expected for a bachelor.

“I’m not a heathen, Juliana,” he said, watching me stare around his modern apartment in awe.

“I know. I just didn’t expect it to be so decorated, I guess.”

“If you want to call hanging curtains decoration, then sure.”

But it wasn’t just the curtains. It was the way they draped on the floor with elegance. It was the black and white photos of Cincinnati hanging on the exposed brick wall mixed with a few personal photos. It was the throw blanket that matched the pillows on the sectional couch. In my mind, Shane had been a playboy bachelor with pizza boxes, beers, and condoms littering his loft apartment. This image didn’t mesh with the one I was seeing now.

“Well, it’s a nice place.”

“Thank you.” His response was short and gruff and it made me think that maybe he was embarrassed by someone seeing that side of him. “Let me get changed and I’ll bring you some warm clothes to change in to.”

He disappeared down a short hall. I imagined him stripping off his wet clothes and the rivulets of water trailing down each ridge of his abs. But then I didn’t have to imagine because I remembered the way he’d looked standing naked in the shower in Jamaica when he’d told me to turn around and brace my hands on the wall.

I jumped when he rounded the corner and tossed some clothes at me. I muttered a quick thanks, keeping my head down so he couldn’t see the flush staining my cheeks as I walked past him.

“You’ll probably have to hold them up, but they’re the smallest pair I have.”

“Thanks.”

Then I stood in his room and it looked more like a man’s space. The bed was unmade with dark gray sheets and comforter. One nightstand with a lamp and glasses, and a dresser completed the room. There was only one picture on the wall of the precinct. The rest of the walls were blank. It felt intimate standing in the middle of his bedroom as I stripped off my wet clothes. I thought about keeping my bra and underwear on, but they were soaked. Besides, my small breasts wouldn’t be noticeable under the baggy T-shirt he’d given me.

Balling everything up, I walked over to where he stood in the kitchen, pulling containers out of the fridge.

“You can toss those in the dryer just around the corner.”

I walked past the open kitchen, finding the stackable appliances and threw my clothes in, hoping they took forever to dry, giving me more time with him.

When I returned he was pouring what looked to be soup out of the containers into a pot on the stove.

“You didn’t have to go through this much trouble,” I said, sitting on a stool at the island, watching his back muscles ripple with every move under his black T-shirt.

“It’s not much. I had leftover chicken noodle. Hope you don’t mind.”

“It sounds great. Thank you.”

“Do the clothes fit?” he asked, glancing over his shoulder at me.

“I had to roll the boxers up and they’re still a little loose. Just don’t let me go bouncing around anywhere, and I won’t be in any danger of them falling off.”

A grunt was all I got in return for my joke. Okay, then. I watched him grab bowls and ladle soup into each before bringing both steaming bowls over to me.

“Beer? Water?”

“A beer would be great.”

He sat our drinks down and then sat on the stool beside me, not saying anything as he ate. I took his cue and remained silent until we’d finished. And as awkward as it sounded, it was actually really comfortable. He sat so close that his body heat was warming me up faster than the soup. I fought to not lean into him and let my arm graze his. I fought to not turn on the stool and let my foot glide up his sweatpants and feel his strong leg flex under my touch.

He finished before me and took long pulls from his beer. I struggled to keep from smiling when I felt his gaze on me. It wasn’t direct, but enough that it stoked the fire simmering beneath my skin.

Setting my spoon down, I grabbed my beer and turned to face him, holding his eyes as I brought the bottle to my mouth. His gaze dropped to my lips when I licked the residual beer from them.

“So, why don’t you come to the Sunday brunches?” I decided to break the silence before I climbed on his lap and begged him to lick my lips for me. Begged him to lick all of me. Begged him to let me lick all of him.

“It’s a family thing, and other than being close to Jack, I’m not family. I’m out of place there.”

“Well, other than Jack it’s not really my family either. But that’s the point. It’s more of a hodge-podge, create-your-own-family.”

“I guess I’m not very family-oriented.”

“What do you do with your family?” I asked hesitantly, remembering his comment about not having a mother.

“Don’t have one.” He turned away and pulled from his beer once he answered. I got the idea that maybe I was treading into a touchy subject, but having this man in front of me—finally—encouraged me to push for more. I wanted to know him, even if he wanted to ignore me.

“What happened to them?”

His teeth dragged across his lip as he scratched at the label on his beer. “Never knew my dad, and my mom died of a drug overdose. So, I was put in foster care.”

“Shane. I’m so sorry,” I whispered, my hand reaching out to touch his shoulder.

He turned his blue eyes to me and they seemed light, not at all bothered by the sad facts he’d just stated. “It wasn’t too bad. Probably not the horror story most people imagine when they think of foster care. I just got moved around a lot and never really made too many connections.”

“Well, now you have the family you’ve been dragged into. I think you’ve been part of it longer than I have.” Shane had known Jack and Luella for a few years and slowly met Evie and Jameson through mutual get-togethers. “If anything, I’m the interloper.”

“Nah. They love you, Mini MacCabe.”

“Well, thank you. They care about you too. Especially Jack. I swear the way he talks about you, if he swung the other way, you’d be his top choice.”

Shane chuckled and rewarded me with a small smile. “Yeah, Jack and I have a pretty strong bond. He’s like a brother to me.”

“You can have him for a brother. He’s just a pain for me.”

He laughed again before taking another drink. “How’s it going at your job? Was it worth the move? You liking the lab work at the department?”

“Yeah. Getting some breathing room to be myself was worth the move. I love working at the department. There are some terrific people there. And my job at the university is great. I love the work, and I love my lab partner. I just hate my boss.”

“Most bosses will ruin it for you.”

“He’s such a degrading asshole. Doubts Jolene and I every step of the way, and micromanages everything. Like no woman could handle actual science.”

Shane laughed at my irritated growl. “I had a boss like that in high school. Of course, I worked at a landscaping company, and I didn’t go through years of schooling for it, but he was a real dick. Used to stand over me every time I’d start a weed eater, thinking I was going to break his precious equipment even after three years. Called me out on every mistake and had me write down the time it took to do each job. Like forty-seven minutes to mow the grass. Twenty-eight minutes to edge the yard. Annoying as fuck.”

“Exactly. Finally, someone gets it.” I threw my hands up in exaggerated celebration before bringing one down on his shoulder. “You get me, Shane.”

It took a minute for the heat of his body to seep into my hand. I almost pulled away when I felt it bunch up. But I left it there and swallowed hard when I noticed the way he was staring at my mouth that was so much closer since I’d leaned into him. This was it. This was the moment I’d been waiting for and my mind hadn’t even had the time to imagine all the possibilities.

I shifted my legs, bumping them into his, and licked my lips. He leaned fractionally closer to me and my hand slid toward his neck. My heart pumped so loud, I was sure he could hear it. It became the only thing I heard vibrating through the silence of the moment. That and my panting breaths slipping past my lips. His tongue slicked out across his bottom lip, and I focused all my attention on tasting it.

His gaze flicked down to my chest, and I followed his stare to see my nipples pebbled against the material of his shirt. That wouldn’t have been such a big deal if I hadn’t gotten so turned on. But I liked that he stared. I wanted him to see what he did to me. I leaned in a fraction more and focused on my prize. Just an inch closer and I’d feel his lips claiming me again.

Eeerrrrrrrr!

I jumped at the sound and let out a surprised screech, almost falling off my stool. My hand slapped my chest to calm my racing heart.

“Sorry. That’s the buzzer for the dryer.”

I giggled at how much it had shocked me and he laughed along with me. I looked up at his smiling eyes, the moment broken. “I guess that’s my cue to leave.”

“I’ll drive you home.”

“Thank you.”

I grabbed my clothes and headed to the bedroom to change. When I strolled out he stood by the door, shrugging on his coat. He looked me up and down and laughed. Well, that isn’t promising.

“What?”

“Nice shirt, Mini MacCabe.”

I looked down and read it. Dear NASA, Your mom thought I was big enough. -Pluto

I laughed along with him. It was one of my favorites. “I collect science T-shirts. The funnier the better.”

“I approve, Mini MacCabe. Especially when they fit you so well.”