“I like Mr. Chris,” Kimber said.

Denise looked down at her. “You do?”

“Uh huh.” She swung their hands as they walked.

“What do you like about him?”

“He makes good eggs.”

She smiled at the simplicity of Kimber’s statement. If only the rest of life was as simple as whether or not someone could scramble eggs.

“Did he ask you guys any questions?”

“Yes,” Kaden said.

Her stomach dropped and she worked to control her initial reaction. She hadn’t expected the answer to be yes. Had he used her oversleeping as an opportunity to get information from the kids? “What kinds of questions?”

“How we like our eggs,” Kaden said.

The sense of relief was instant and almost euphoric and she hated that for one short instant she’d doubted his intentions, but old habits died hard. Expect the worst and you won’t ever be disappointed. Funny…she’d still been disappointed when she’d thought the worst.

“He had to ask where our plates were,” Kimber added. “And he didn’t want to do my hair.”

The image of Chris trying to braid Kimber’s hair flashed through her mind. A small, hard knot in her chest unfurled at the picture it created. She mentally shoved the whole idea back into its metaphysical corner.

“Is he your boyfriend?” Kaden asked.

Denise coughed, choking on the spit that found its way down the wrong pipe with her surprise. “Why would you ask that?”

“‘Cause he was asleep on the couch.”

“No. He’s not my boyfriend.” Truthfully, she didn’t know how to describe Chris. They’d had something a few months ago that could have been more. They had…something…now, but she had no idea what it was or how to categorize it. All of which was too complicated to tell a nine- and eight-year-old.

“He’s just a friend.”

“Oh,” Kimber said with a good deal of disappointment.

“Why do you say it like that?” Denise asked.

“Amber’s mom has a boyfriend and he takes them to dinner and movies sometimes.”

“Do you want to go to dinner and movies sometimes?” Of course they did. Damn, she hadn’t really done anything fun with them, had she? They’d been so focused on getting through Sarah’s cancer, she completely forgot they were just kids and needed to do fun things.

“Tell you what—how about tomorrow, I pick you up from school and we go see a movie and then go someplace fun for dinner?”

“Chuck E. Cheese?” Kimber’s eyes lit up with delight.

The corner of Denise’s eye twitched at the thought. “We’ll see about that. I don’t know if they would allow Sprocket in there with us and I’d need to take her to a place like that.”

“Oh, yeah,” Kaden said. He looked around Denise as they stood waiting for the bus. “Kimber, Mom said loud noises and stuff like that bother Aunt Denny, remember? We should pick something else.”

“It’s okay, Aunt Denny. We don’t have to go there,” Kimber said.

Great. Now her PTSD was affecting them. Awesome. She knelt down so she was eye-level with Kimber. “Sweetie, it’s not your job to worry about me. I love that you care enough to be willing to give up something you want to do because you know it will make me uncomfortable, but I’m the grown-up. I’ll figure something out so we can do something fun, okay?”

“But I love you, Aunt Denny. I don’t want you to be upset.”

Kimber completely wrecked her. Took a hammer and smashed up her hardened heart until all that was left was the soft, vulnerable, defenseless center. The bus pulled up at the corner and the doors opened with a low squeak. She glanced over at the kids lining up to get on. “I love you too, baby. We’ll figure it out, okay?”

“Okay.” Kimber threw her arms around her neck. “Love you.”

Kaden kissed her cheek quickly and ran for the bus, as if he were afraid his friends might see him being affectionate. Denise smiled and stood, watching until the bus pulled away from the curb and was out of sight.

Heading back to the house, realization struck. She loved them, but it had always been in the way that she loved all her family—unconditionally and unquestioning. It simply was.

While she knew her family loved her in return, until that moment she didn’t realize the depth of love a child could provide. Realizing Kimber loved her enough to unselfishly sacrifice her own desires, at eight years old, tilted the axis of her world.

She’d said she’d do anything to protect them—and she would, without a second’s hesitation—but until then even she hadn’t understood to what lengths she would go to do that. There were none. No line she wouldn’t cross.

It terrified her. Not that they loved her or that she loved them, but if anything were to happen to them, she knew she wouldn’t survive the devastation.

She pushed through the front door and closed it behind her, throwing the dead bolt. Sprocket trotted over to her and pawed at her knees. Kneeling down, she buried her face in her dog’s neck, wrapping her arms around her. Sprocket rested her head on Denise’s shoulder, giving her the comfort she needed.

“Everything okay?”

Opening her eyes, she found Chris standing in the small dining room, his eyes filled with concern. Shit. She’d been in such a daze it hadn’t even registered his truck was still parked in the drive when she’d walked up. She’d expected him to take off when she’d left with the kids.

Maybe she should stop expecting things.

“Yeah. Had a life-altering epiphany, that’s all.”

“Anything I can help with?” he asked, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

She shook her head and stood. Sprocket stayed at her feet, waiting to see what she would do. “No. Thanks for sticking around. And for making them breakfast.” She pulled off her hoodie, then walked close to Chris and the kitchen and saw he’d cleaned up. “And for doing the dishes.

“About that.” He rubbed a hand over his head. “Listen, I didn’t really think about it when I woke up and Kaden was staring at me. I didn’t mean to overstep my boundaries. I figured you needed a few minutes of extra sleep. Kaden told me what time you walked them to the bus stop and I was going to wake you up as soon as I fixed their plates so you’d have time to get them there. I need you to know I wasn’t—”

Grasping the sides of his face she pulled his head down to her, raising up on her tiptoes to close the distance—it was the easiest way to get him to shut up.

He stilled for a few seconds, possibly from shock, then wrapped one arm tightly around her waist while the other cradled her skull. Tilting her head, he took over the kiss, running his tongue along her bottom lip before sliding it into her mouth to tangle with hers.

Heat and tingles formed in her stomach and chest, expanding until they met with a whoosh, sending shock waves through her whole body. It wasn’t only arousal—it was something more. Something she’d only felt with Chris. Something she couldn’t define or put a name to yet. She still had some self-preservation instinct intact.

When he finally pulled away from their kiss, she was arched over his arm as if the force of his desire had slowly bent her to its will. Their chests rose and fell in unison, both of them breathless from the kiss.

Kiss. Such a silly word for what they’d done. There needed to be a better word for it. Something that described the overwhelming passion they’d shared. Since her brain wasn’t firing on all synapses at the moment, she was having a hard time remembering her own name, much less coming up with a word to convey…that.

“Why’d you do that?” Chris asked.

His voice, a low, rough whisper, sent shivers across her skin and her already hard nipples puckered even more.

“You wouldn’t stop talking.”

“Denise—”

She pressed her lips to his again. It worked once. She didn’t want to think about why she needed to kiss him, she just wanted to do it. To touch him and be touched.

He groaned against her mouth and moved the hand at her back lower, pressing her pelvis into his. The hard ridge of his erection rubbed against the junction of her thighs and she tilted her hips in an effort to get it closer to where she wanted it.

He groaned again and dragged his hand down the side of her neck to her chest, grasping and rubbing her breast through her shirt and sports bra. She moaned and arched back farther.

Chris moved his mouth to the tender spot at the corner of her jaw, nipping with his teeth. “Fuck, Denise. I want you so badly. I want to take you to the floor and bury myself in you. I want your legs wrapped around my hips while you squeeze my dick so fucking tight.”

Her clit throbbed with the erotic picture he painted in her mind. “Holy shit.”

“I won’t fuck you on the floor again,” he said.

Huh? “Why not?”

His hand returned to the back of her neck. “You started crying the last time.”

Hello, cold bucket of water. Her eyes snapped open and found his. “You know that had nothing to do with you, right?”

“Yeah, but it was still pretty damn traumatic. Not sure if I’ll ever be able to do it on the floor again.”

She didn’t know if he was completely serious or was trying to add some levity to a serious conversation. “How do you feel about couches?”

The corner of his mouth tilted up. “I like couches. I like beds even more.”

Denise winced. “It’s still Sarah’s house and her bed. I’m not comfortable screwing around in her room.”

His eyebrows rose. “But you’re okay on the couch?”

“It’s a couch. There’s no telling how many butts those cushions have seen. And it’s not as personal as her bed.”

He nodded his head. “Couch it is.” His grin was full of promise right before he kissed her again. He shuffled her toward the couch as a loud ping sounded from somewhere.

“Phone,” he said.

“Not mine.” She pushed up the hem of his t-shirt, the smooth expanse of his abs and chest hot and hard under her palms.

He yanked off his shirt and she leaned forward, flicking his hard nipple with the tip of her tongue. His hands fisted in her hair as he groaned.

The phone pinged again. “It’s my phone,” he said.

“Do you need to check it?” she asked, dragging her mouth across his chest to bite at his other nipple.

He hissed and she circled the flat disk with her tongue, eliciting a low growl.

“Shit.”

“What?” She stood straight, knowing what he was going to say.

“I just looked at the clock. I have a meeting at nine so I need to leave in ten minutes. I have just enough time to get home to shower and change.” He cradled her head, his thumbs brushing the along the hairline at her temple.

“Quickie?” A girl could hope.

He grinned and kissed her. Quickly. “I’d probably get off, but I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t. I’m not going to be selfish like that.” Another quick kiss.

She let out a low growl of frustration. While she appreciated his consideration, she was really fucking horny now. There was always the shower. It wouldn’t be as satisfying but, oh well.

“Stay with me, Denise. I didn’t say I wouldn’t take care of you before I left.” He reached around her and moved a couch pillow so it was close to the low armrest.

He positioned her near the end of the couch. “Lay back,” he said with a small push on her shoulder.

Sitting on the arm of the sofa, she let out a gasp when he pushed her back. She stared up at Chris, her head lower than her hips and her legs hung over the side of the couch. Her clit throbbed as she realized what he intended to do.

Chris grasped the waist of her shorts and pulled them over her hips and thighs and down her legs, dragging her underwear with them. He licked his lips and flicked his gaze to hers. “You good?”

All she could do was nod. The anticipation was killing her. She might very well come as soon as he touched her. Her legs were restless and she wanted to rub them together to relieve some of the pressure but he was standing between them.

“Good.” He bent at the waist and gripped her ass, tilting her hips to meet his hot, wet mouth.

Good. So good. He was a man on a mission. His tongue flicked and circled her clit. Pulling her closer to the edge of the armrest, he raised her legs and draped them over his shoulders, keeping her hips tilted.

One finger entered her and withdrew, then was joined by a second one. He twisted and thrust them while he continued to lick and suck on her clit.

She clutched the cushions next to her hips. So close. The pressure built in her belly, waiting for the right trigger to set her off.

He curled his fingers as he withdrew them. With his other hand, he circled her hood and sucked hard on her clit.

She exploded with a small cry. Throwing her head back, she squeezed his head with her thighs and rode his mouth and hands. Rolling her hips, her orgasm spiraled through her again and again. It became too much and she stopped squeezing and pushed at his head, trying to wiggle away.

He gripped her hips to keep her in place, but eased the pressure of his tongue, softly circling her clit before pulling away.

Peering at him through barely open eyes, she flushed when he wiped his mouth and chin, then wiped his hand on his jeans. She shouldn’t be embarrassed by how wet she was—it was his fault.

She scooted back on the couch and he crawled over the arm, glancing at the decorative clock on the wall before laying on her and nestling between her legs.

“Six minutes,” he said.

“That was it?” Should she be impressed with this skill or mortified by how quickly he could get her to come?

“What can I say?” He wagged his eyebrows. “I’m good.”

She arched an eyebrow. There was no doubt, but she couldn’t let his ego go unchecked. “Or it could be that I haven’t had a session with B.O.B. in a couple of weeks.”

His eyes darkened. “I’d like to watch that one day.” Dropping his head, he nipped at her earlobe. “Watch how you get yourself off with your vibrator. How do you feel about using toys during sex?”

She thrust her hips against his. “You can’t ask me things like that when you have less than four minutes until you have to leave.”

His erection, bulging behind the seam of his jeans, dug into her sensitive flesh. “I know. I regretted it as soon as I asked, but it’s true.”

He raised his hips away from her and kissed her. It was softer. Gentle. He lingered with his lips pressed to hers before he ended it and laid his forehead against hers. “I don’t know what we’re doing, but I really want to keep doing it.” He raised his head, his gaze searching hers. “Work, this case, it’s crap. Noise that’s doing its best to fuck this up. I want to ignore it and focus on what’s going on right here between you and me.”

Denise swallowed and took a deep breath. Time to leap or step back from the edge. That tight spot in her chest seemed to freeze, as if it didn’t know if it was going to get tighter or finally begin to work itself loose. She licked her lips and swallowed again. “I want to figure out what we’re doing.”

Chris let out a breath and released all his weight, crushing her. “Thank fuck.” He rose up on his elbows. “So…want to go on a date with me?”

Denise laughed and the knot began to loosen. “I have to take the kids on a date first. They haven’t done anything fun for a few months and I promised them dinner and a movie.”

“Okay. Let me know what day works for you.” He glanced up. “And now I’m going to be late.”

He pushed up from the couch and grabbed her shorts and underwear from the floor.

Sitting up, she took them from his outstretched hand and slid them back up her legs. She grabbed the pillow her hips had been on and tossed it toward the hall where the washer and dryer were.

Grabbing his keys from beside the door, he slid his feet into his shoes. Pulling her close, he kissed her. “Be safe. Call me if anything happens or you see anyone suspicious.”

He had his work face on again. “I will.”

His head reared back and he regarded her suspiciously. “Call me first if you end up shooting anyone, please.”

She rolled her eyes.

Kissing her temple, he let her go to open the door.

“Chris?”

He turned back.

“Thank you for fixing the kids breakfast this morning.”

“You’re welcome.” He winked and left.