Page 182 of Dead Man's List

“I know.” Kit arranged her cutlery on her empty plate. “Akiko is a goddess in the kitchen.”

He leaned back in his chair. “I’m curious about something, but I’m afraid to ask.”

Her brows went up. “Okay. I’m kind of afraid to hear the question now. But go ahead.”

“That night I heard you telling Connor about those awful foster homes.”

Her eyes shuttered and he wanted to pull the words back. But if they were going to have any kind of relationship, he couldn’t be walking on eggshells around her.

“And?” she asked warily.

“I wanted to know if they were punished. If they were still allowed to foster kids.”

Her expression smoothed out immediately, and he was so relieved. “Pop took care of them. He met with the social worker who’d moved me from house to house, who’d refused to report the stabbing with the letter opener as an act of self-defense. It was in my record for everyone to see. It made me look like a little psycho, which Pop knew I wasn’t. He didn’t like the woman’s attitude and he…well, she got fired soon after. Turned out I wasn’t the only kid she was shafting.”

“Good. And then?”

“And then a better social worker took her place. The letter opener guy was denied a foster license after that and the reason was put inhispermanent record.”

Sam lifted his glass, which he’d refilled. Kit was still working on her first glass. “To Harlan McKittrick.”

She smiled and touched her glass to his. “Best father ever. The second incident, where I put sleeping pills in the foster father’s whiskey? I kept that a secret foryears, but Mom and Pop had known all along. That new social worker told Pop that she’d looked into that guy, too. I got Wren out, but the next girls who were placed there weren’t so lucky. The new social worker believed the girls, and that guy served time and is now a registered sex offender.”

She hadn’t shared the part about sleeping pills with Connor, and Sam wondered why. He wondered if this was what she’dbeen hiding. But he wasn’t going to ask. She’d tell him or she wouldn’t. Either way, he was happy to be by her side. “Excellent.”

She tilted her head. “That was it?”

“Yes. I figured they were no longer foster parents because I didn’t think you’d let that go on. But I’m even happier knowing it was Harlan who made sure they were punished.”

“He and Mom are the best.”

Sam considered telling her that his parents wanted to meet hers, but he figured that would scare her and he wasn’t ready for the evening to be over yet. He rose and held out his hand. “I’ll do the dishes later and return Akiko’s stuff to her. Let’s sit on the couch for a while.”

She swallowed hard and let him pull her to her feet. “Okay.”

She was clearly nervous and he didn’t want her to be. He cupped her cheek in his palm, gratified when she leaned into his touch. “To talk. And maybe have some dessert.”

She closed her eyes, still leaning into his palm. “That’s a little boring, don’t you think?”

He slowly drew in a breath, hoping he’d understood. “What would liven things up?”

“Something like this?” She slipped her hand behind his neck and drew his head down.

And kissed him.

It had been only a week since she’d last kissed him, but he felt like it had been twenty years. He made a little needy sound that might have embarrassed him if she hadn’t echoed it, rising on her toes to get closer. Sam kept one hand on her face and slid the other down her back, drawing her to him, elated when she allowed it.

The kiss went on. It wasn’t hot, not yet. Nor over-the-top passionate. Not yet.

This was a learning kiss. Sweet, yet far from simple. His body responded, but he could control himself. For her. Always for her.

Finally, she eased her heels back to the floor, her eyes opening to lock on his. “You are a very good kisser, Sam Reeves.”

His heart stuttered in his chest. “I’ll be better with practice.”

Her lips curved. “I bet you will be.”

Sam had leaned in to kiss her again when someone knocked on his door. Hard.

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