Love me to death

needed a few minutes alone. “I’ll be down in ten minutes.”

Sean watched Lucy walk up the stairs. She’d reacted as he’d expected, if a bit subdued.

When Lucy was out of earshot, he asked Kate, “What do you think about this Lorenzo?”

“Sit down,” Kate said.

Sean was surprised at the command. He sat, though he didn’t like being ordered to do anything.

“Cody wasn’t happy when Lucy broke up with him,” Kate said. “But that was over a year ago. I can’t see her remaining friends if he was actively pressuring her to get back together.”

“Maybe that’s why he’s following her. He hasn’t gotten over her leaving him.”

Kate considered. “This was the first time he’s made such contact. He was satisfied in the role of friend until-” She stared pointedly at Sean.

He resisted squirming. Kate’s unspoken question asked about his intentions, and he wasn’t surprised.

“So he sees Lucy and me together and he flips out and sends the flowers.”

“I don’t know why he didn’t sign the card,” Kate said. “I don’t see why he wants to scare her, when his goal-at least I’d think it had be his goal-would be to win her back.”

“Maybe he’s looking to run in and protect her. Trying to scare her so she feels she needs a cop around.”

“What am I? Chopped liver?”

“You know what I mean. The macho protective crap.”

“You do pretty well with the macho protective crap,” Kate said.

Sean frowned. “That’s not the same thing.”

Kate grinned, and Sean realized she was baiting him. She said, “Lucy’s right, though-Cody needs to hear it from her. She’ll make him understand. And if he crosses the line, I’ll come down on his ass so hard he’ll move halfway cross the country just to avoid me.”

A man’s voice came from the doorway. “Remind me never to get on your bad side, sweetheart.”

Sean turned and saw Dillon Kincaid-Kate’s husband and Lucy’s brother-standing in the doorway, a suitcase at his feet.

Kate jumped up and ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him long enough that Sean averted his eyes. “I thought you wouldn’t be home until after midnight,” she said.

“I came as soon as we found the bodies,” he said.

“I’m so sorry, Dillon.” They exchanged a look that said more than words could, and Kate added softly, “The families deserved to know the truth.”

“What’s going on with Lucy?” Dillon walked over to the table and shook hands with Sean. “Good to see you again. Patrick said you’re helping keep an eye out for Lucy while this Morton situation is hammered out.”

“Yes, sir,” Sean said.

“Thank you,” Dillon said.

“I’ll let Kate fill you in on what’s going on. I know you have some catching up to do. I’m going to check on Lucy.”

Sean knocked on Lucy’s door and heard her mumble something, but he didn’t know whether it was “come in” or “go away.”

He walked in.

Lucy’s room was large, the same footprint as the garage below, but with dormer windows protruding from the slanted ceiling. It was relatively neat, though her bed wasn’t made and she had stacks of books and notebooks on every available surface, as well as two tightly packed bookshelves. She was sitting on the far side of the room, in an oversized chair.

“I’ll be down in a sec,” she said.

She’d been crying, but the tears had dried up. Her face was splotchy, and she sat with her knees drawn up to her chin, looking out one of the dormer windows. There was nothing to see-the overcast sky blocked the moon and stars, though the city lights would have blocked most of them anyway.

Sean closed the door and walked over to her. Lucy glanced at him, a sliver of anger slicing through her anguish.

“Dillon’s here,” Sean told her.

“Thanks.”

She stared at him, her dark eyes bright with emotion that she was trying her damnedest to hide. What was she trying to hide from him?

He squatted in front of her chair, trying to understand what she was thinking, what she feared the most. Not the stalker-she was more angry and upset about Cody Lorenzo than scared. It was something else … something more than her ex-boyfriend. It was personal. It was about Lucy.

She glanced away, obviously uncomfortable with his scrutiny. What did that say? That she was scared about his feelings for her? Or her feelings for him? Did she fear he’d walk away because of what happened in her past? Or that he was here only because of it?

How could he convince Lucy how much he cared?

He reached out for her hands, which were clasped around her knees. He pulled her up.

“Sean, I-”

He kissed her lightly, then picked her up and turned around, sitting down where she’d been, but with Lucy on his lap. “I see why you like this chair,” he said. “I may never get up.”

“How do you know I like it?”

He smiled, and motioned to all the books surrounding it. He ran his hand down her face, through her thick hair, holding the back of her head firmly, and kissed her again. This time, he kissed her warmly, using his tongue gently but with purpose, slowly and methodically. The tension in Lucy’s body dissipated and a sigh vibrated in her chest. He had one arm around her back, between the thick armrest and her body; the other he moved from her hair to her arm, then down, slowly, purposefully, to her waist and cradled her.

Lucy couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt such peace, comfort, and yearning. Sean kissed her softly, over and over, no rush, no pressure, just the constant affection flowing through him. She absorbed it, relishing the embrace. She felt wanted, desired. But what gave her the butterflies in her stomach was Sean himself. The way he made her feel both protected and trusted, the way he looked at her as if they shared a secret. The way he touched her. Not just here in the chair with his arms wrapped around her like a hot, muscular blanket, but all the time. With a touch on her hand. When he pressed against her back. Brushing against her arm, as if to make sure not only that she was there, but that she knew he was there. He was the most tactile person she’d ever met. Sean Rogan was also extremely confident-he knew he was smart and attractive, but didn’t flaunt it. But when he touched her, it was almost to reassure himself of something. What? That she was here? That she wasn’t walking away? That she wanted him to touch her? It was endearing and thrilling and even a little scary, but in an exciting way.

“I wish you could hold me like this all night,” she whispered.

“I don’t think I could simply kiss you all night long.”

She swallowed, old fears returning. “What made you think I was talking only about kisses?”

“Why do you sound defensive?”

“I’m not-” But she was. Her greatest fear when she was falling for someone, when she wanted to make love, was that he would shun her. The first time she’d found someone she cared enough about to sleep with, it had been awkward and uncomfortable and he had broken up with her shortly thereafter. It was as much her fault as his, because she should have known she wasn’t ready-and that he hadn’t loved her enough to be patient.

Cody had been wonderful. Sweet and warm, but always cautious. Too considerate. Too careful. Which made Lucy think that he couldn’t dismiss the fact that she’d been raped. And thinking back to their relationship, could she have predicted he’d start following her? That was two strikes-two men she’d cared for who ended up being nothing like who she thought they were.

And what about Sean? Was he who she thought he was? Was she blind, foolish, a total idiot? She hadn’t seen the Cody as Stalker thing at all. What didn’t she see in Sean?

She wanted someone to make love to her, and only her. To not think about anything but the two of them, at that moment in time. She wanted to erase the past and not think about the future for that sliver of bliss that she knew was possible, if only she could find the right person.