Page 141 of Deep Tide

She gazed down at him. “I’m worried—” A hot lump clogged her throat.

He reached up and stroked her lower lip with his thumb. “What? You can tell me.”

“If we spend more time together, I’m worried we’ll get too attached.”

He kissed her softly. “Too late.” He kissed her again. “I’m already attached.”

“Really?”

He nodded. “Completely.”

Her chest filled with joy and fear and confusion. Why did this have to be happening? Why was she letting herself fall for a man who lived almost two thousand miles away?

He kissed her, and the questions evaporated as she focused on the hot, urgent feel of his mouth. His fingers tangled in her hair, and he kissed her with all that fierce need she’d been feeling—and trying not to feel—for days now. His tongue tangled with hers, and his hand slid under her shirt and his warm palm surrounded her breast. She squirmed on his lap, pressing against him as his thumb rasped over her nipple.

“Sean.”

She kissed his mouth, his jaw, his neck, breathing in the wonderful heat of him.

“I was so damn scared today,” he said.

She pulled back to look at him. She’d been scared, too. Not just scared—utterly terrified. And she still hadn’t gotten her head around the thought that it was over. Really. And she was home now, with Sean, after she’d thought she might never see him again.

She snuggled as close as she could as his arms locked around her. He kissed her, hard, and she kissed him just as hard right back. It was forceful and demanding and possessive, and it felt right. And then her stomach clenched as she thought about how she was going to feel when he had to leave. It was going to be excruciating.

“Sean,” she whispered. “What are we doing?”

“I honestly don’t know.” He rested his forehead against hers. “But I know that I need you.”

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “Same.”

•••

Sean stepped out of the police station into the blazing sun. He started for his car, but then spied Nicole pulling into a space in the front row. She was in an unmarked police unit, which told him she was on duty. Sean hadn’t seen her since the night of the rescue operation five days before.

“Hi,” Nicole said, walking over. “I thought you went back to D.C.?”

“Not yet.”

She removed her sunglasses as she stopped in front of him. “What’s wrong?” She frowned. “You look stressed.”

Sean had a long list of things making him stressed at the moment, at the top of which was saying good-bye to Leyla less than an hour ago.

“I just had a meeting with Brady,” Sean said.

Nicole’s frown deepened. “Bad news?”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“Damn. I’m melting. Tell me in the shade.” She led him to the side of the building and folded her arms over her chest, like she was bracing herself. “Okay, what is it?”

“Your department submitted a GPS tracking device for processing.”

“I know. I submitted it. What about it?”

“The county crime lab lifted some latent prints,” he said. “They came back to Brian Bentworth.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “Brian Bentworth. Your Brian Bentworth?”

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