“I have always been a fan of silk ties and blindfolds,” Rosanna batted her eyelashes up at the object of her affection, smiling coquettishly when she raked a hand through his salt and pepper hair.

“I’m happy to show you the pleasures to be found without a few essential senses.” Dr. Hargrave removed the ever-present bowtie and corduroy blazer that made him look every inch the anthropology professor he was, and moved in closer.

Rosanna’s breath hitched. Her skin flushed and her pulse raced as he drew closer.

* * *

I leaned back in my oh-so-comfortable computer chair and blew out a long breath. The erotic romance I was writing was coming along nicely, and would be a good complement to my thesis. The examination of young women and sexuality when it came to older men was common throughout history and literature. It was, at least to me, the perfect project for my double masters in Modern Literature and Anthropology. I only hoped my professors thought so too.

With a crack of my knuckles and a jerk of my neck, I got back to work. I was at the good part, when the young and nubile Rosanna would slide her panties off and expose herself to the professor. That’s when I saw it, a small head topped with brown curls peeking inside my house. I grinned at her poor ninja skills, ducking down seconds after I’d already seen her, figuring she must belong to the new neighbors who moved in about a month ago. Between my final two graduate school courses and my job, correction my old job with television personality Dr. Todd, I’d been so buried in my own life that I hadn’t even met them yet.

The tiny brown head popped up again, in front of my picture window that overlooked the verdant backyard that I’d spent many hours tending in order to clear my head. To find inspiration. I waved and she ducked again, pulling an amused laugh from me.

Saving my document, I stood, stretching tense muscles before making my way to the door. The house was a white side-by-side duplex with blue trim. Though I hadn’t been inside since the firefighters moved out, I knew the other half of the building was the opposite of mine. The main rooms were switched, mine faced the backyard and theirs faced the street. I’d never been upstairs, but I figured that’s where two of the three bedrooms were located. I pulled open my door and stepped onto the shared porch, finding the little girl ducking behind the patio swing.

“Hey stranger, do you need some help?”

Big clear blue eyes the color of the sky peered up at me through a mess of curls. Finally, her head bobbed up and down, but that was it.

I dropped down onto the balls of my feet, ignoring the way my thighs screamed in protest. I’d skipped going to the gym lately because I was just too busy.

“I’m Rory and I live right here. What’s your name?”

“Sydney,” a soft voice said with hesitation.

“Nice to meet you Syd,” I held out my hand giving her a grownup shake that made her giggle. “Now, how can I help you?”

Those big blue eyes that made her look so vulnerable called out to me, but the way they darted off to the sides made me wary. Finally, she looked at me again, and I guess she decided she could trust me.

“My sitter didn’t show up.”

I blinked. This was out of my depth. What the hell did I know about little kids? Nothing, that’s what. The only little kid I knew was myself, and I had never really been a kid to be honest.

“Where are your parents?”

“My mommy is gone. My daddy is at work. He makes babies,” she offered proudly.

Instantly my heart went out to this adorable little girl with an ethereal beauty that would stun the world in a few years. Losing a parent was hard. I should know, I lost both of mine. That’s not true, exactly. I never knew my father because he’d left my mom long before I was born. But when I was fifteen I lost my mom. Literally. Came home from school two days before homecoming to find the entire apartment empty except for my room.

“I’m sorry about your mom kiddo. But why is your dad already gone if the sitter didn’t show up?” I stood up and tried to peek through the window above their closed door, but even with my own five-seven height, the window was too high. I tried the door knob, but it wouldn’t budge. She was locked out.

“Babies were coming and Amy said she was coming in five minutes,” she said with so much exasperation I had to bite back a smile. “It’s been longer than five minutes.”

“You’re probably bored and hungry, huh?”

Again, her head bobbed up and down as she inched closer to me, stealing inside my place before I changed my mind.

“I didn’t eat for a long time.”

“I’m just glad you didn’t try to cook on your own,” I told her and she gave me a perplexed frown.

“I’m too young to cook.” Her tone implied she thought I was an idiot, but her curious gaze held mine.

“I know.” She tried her best to climb up onto one of the counter stools, but she was just too tiny so I gave her a boost.

“Thanks,” she grinned, showing off a pretty smile full of baby teeth. “What are we having?”

Good question. I cooked for myself pretty regularly because it was cheaper and healthier and now that I didn’t have a job, health insurance had become a luxury. I scanned the fridge and found enough ingredients to make a meal. “How do you feel about spaghetti?”

“I love spaghetti!”

I wished something in my life gave me as much happiness and excitement as spaghetti gave Sydney. “Do you have a number for your dad?” She shook her head. “Can you tell me where he works?”

“He has a hospital for mommies and babies and he works at the big hospital too.”

Okay then. I just hoped that he didn’t freak out when he came home and found the little girl gone. I fixed spaghetti and listened while Sydney told me all about her daddy the Baby Doctor. She made him sound like a super hero, and I could admit to a healthy amount of curiosity about the man. Even though he had left his seven-year-old kid home alone. Sydney ate two servings of spaghetti, fruit and frozen yogurt before she passed out on the couch while I edited part of my thesis.

I must have fallen asleep at some point too because I woke up with a little girl sprawled across my chest, fifty pages of my thesis scattered on the floor and a god-awful pounding coming from somewhere. The door. Gingerly I moved Sydney off me and padded to the door, squinting up at five uniformed officers and—holy hotness batman—a dark angel masquerading as a fashion model. Black hair and silver-blue eyes were the highlights, but the sharp cheekbones and rugged jawbone that could chisel rock were all appealing too. His frown…not so much.

“Officers how can I help you?”

The one with the thick seventies porno moustache stepped forward. “We’re looking for a missing little girl,” he said and described the child sleeping on my sofa to a tee.

“Sydney? Yeah I’ve seen her, she was lurking on the back porch because her babysitter didn’t show.” I gave the sexy Baby Doctor a scathing glare. “And her father left her home alone. She was hungry, bored, alone and locked out,” I added.

Officer porno-stache pushed me aside and stormed in with the others. He grabbed Sydney, who woke with a shriek, while one of the other officers held me back. Because yeah, I was the threat.

“Why Rory? Wasn’t I good? I’ll be better I promise!”

“It’s okay Syd your dad is here,” I tried to soothe. “He was scared.”

She looked up at the man still wearing a scowl and even that made the irritating man look hot as hell. “I’m fine Daddy. Rory watched me.” She turned to me. “I was good wasn’t I?” At my nod, she ran to me and wrapped her little arms around my legs. “We’re friends now,” she said, to me or her father, I didn’t know.

“Try to get some sleep Syd,” I told her while her giant of a father continued to glare as though that alone could vaporize me.

“Night Rory.”

“Night,” he growled back, and not the sexy kind of growl either. The I’m pissed off and I want you to know it even though I’m still polite, kind of growl.

“Whatever,” I said and slammed the door in his face.

That would have had more impact if the stupid officers weren’t still inside my house.