Rachel settled beside Scott on his couch after dinner. “Thanks again for dinner.”

He stretched his arm on the back of the sofa, flashing a toothy smile. “My pleasure.”

She wasn’t sure if staying was a smart move because since seeing him half-naked, it took the strength of the Hulk not to pull him to the carpet and have her way with him.

“I bet you can’t even guess how many books you’ve read.” Her pelvis ached with the feverish craving of having him inside her.

“Probably more than a million.”

“I’m impressed.” Her attention fell on his large hands and slender fingers. “Most guys I know don’t read at all. It’s good to meet someone that shares the same passion.”

“Yeah.” His enigmatic gaze locked on her. “You have a beautiful smile.”

She tucked in her lips, shivering. “Thanks. So do you.”

He scooted closer, alerting her to the little freckles on his nose. “I’m glad you stayed. Did you enjoy dinner?”

“That casserole was amazing. How did you learn to cook like that?”

“My mother.” The words caught in his throat. “She died when I was seven.”

“I’m sorry.” Rachel folded her legs underneath her. “How did she die?”

“She had congestive heart failure. She was only thirty-five.”

“Your age?” Rachel gasped. “Are you okay? I mean, do you have heart issues?”

“No.” He drank juice and took a slow swallow. “I’m healthy far as I know.”

“What about your dad?”

“He died thirteen years ago.”

“I’m so sorry, Scott.” She touched his knee bone, wondering if something else of his had gotten hard. “Was he sick too or—”

“No.” He leaned back, stretching. “He was killed.”

Her eyes widened. “Killed?”

“My dad was a cop.” He sat still with his arms limp. “He was shot during a robbery.”

“My god.” She covered her mouth. “Oh, Scott—”

“It’s okay.” He smiled. “I’ve accepted it.”

“I can’t imagine how hard that was to lose a parent that way.” Rachel sipped fruit punch, reflecting on what he’d shared. “It’s one thing for a parent to die but by murder?”

“It’s part of the job.” He shrugged, sighing. “And, my dad valued his job more than anything. He’d been proud to go the way he did. Trust me. What about you?”

“That’s a can of worms.” She pulled her legs from under her and that majestic ache traveled through her crotch again. “I never knew my dad and I haven’t seen my mother since I was five.”

He tilted toward her. “What happened to her?”

“Typical story. She was on drugs, and having two kids wasn’t her thing so she split.”

“You have a sibling?”

“An older brother. He’s your age.” She relaxed against the pillows. “We didn’t have anyone who wanted to take care of us so we ended up in the system. We were lucky they didn’t split us apart.”

Scott moaned, shaking his head.

“We ended up with this foster family but that wasn’t the ideal situation. They only wanted us there for the check but treated us like shit otherwise. We stayed with them until my brother turned sixteen and we left.”

“On your own?”

“Yeah, we figured we couldn’t do no worse. Unfortunately, he couldn’t get any decent work because he dropped out of school so he ended up shoplifting and robbing people for whatever he could get his hands on. Then he graduated to stealing and stripping cars for money.” She scratched her neck. “He eventually got into the drug game.”

“Wow.” Scott set his cup on the table.

“Yep, my brother’s a criminal.” She sighed. “He’s a good person though. If it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t be here today. Stone raised me and made sure I went to school.” She waved her finger. “His ass didn’t go, but he made sure I did.” She snickered. “He did his dirt in the streets so I wouldn’t have to sacrifice my dignity to get money. He did all he could to make sure I didn’t follow the path he took.” She pressed her lips to her cup, imagining them on Scott’s neck. “I owe him my life.”

“Where is he now?”

“Around.” She sipped.

“Does he know you’re in danger?”

She smiled. “We’re not supposed to talk about that, remember?”

“You like working at the bank?” He held that “I-wanna-fuck you," stare.

“Yeah.” She tickled the roof of her mouth with her tongue. “I didn’t go to college so I’ve been from crappy job to crappy job. The bank’s okay though.”

“I always believed a person should love what they do.” He rubbed his chin, giving her a chance to fantasize about those long fingers.

“I bet working at the library for you is how most men feel when they go to the strip club.”

He laughed, stroking the back of his neck. “Great analogy.”

“One of my favorite writers is Edgar Allan Poe.”

“Mine too.” Scott recited a segment of The Raven, not missing a beat of emotion or terror.

“That was amazing, Scott.”

“I’m so jealous of writers.” He chuckled. “I’m no good at creating.”

“Funny you mention writing.” She wiggled her foot. “I’m a writer. Well, I write short stories.”

His eyebrows raised. “What type of stories do you write?”

“Dark suspense and horror like Poe. I’ve been writing since I was a kid. It helps me escape.” She looked into his eyes, and she swore a fountain let loose in her panties.

He moved closer, drowning her in his soapy aroma.

She took a deep breath as tenderness inflamed her nipples.

“You’re so beautiful, Rachel.” He swept his hand across the back of her neck, the tip of his tongue peeking between his lips as if to ask her permission for a kiss.

Yet, he didn’t need her permission because before Rachel fathomed the moment, she’d wrapped her arms around his shoulders and plastered her lips over his.

He moaned and slipped his large hands around her middle, locking her into a comforting embrace.

She inched her tongue inside his warm mouth, his eager lips taking the control of the kiss away from her.

She pulled her mouth away, panting and swallowing. But, as if to punish her from stopping the pleasurable encounter, the ache in her pelvis became unbearable.

“It’s okay.” Scott moved his hand further up her blouse, stopping on the snap of her bra. “It’s okay, Rachel.” He slapped his slobbery lips over hers, his fingers climbing underneath her blouse and to her bra.

For that moment, for the first in a long time Rachel couldn’t think of nothing but sex.

Not Fusco. Not Stone.

Not her life being in danger…just being in Scott’s arms and letting him do anything he wanted to her.