Page 52 of Nicole's Shelter

She dipped her head, following her hands to the rough stubble of his jaw, and seized his mouth with another hungry kiss. Reluctantly, she broke away and slid off his lap. Her knees felt like jelly as she slowly undid the tie of the scrubs and pushed them down.

She was too edgy to trust her instincts. It felt like he was watching intently, but she couldn’t be sure she just didn’t want him to be watching her.

“You’re beautiful.”

The admiration, his deep voice rough with desire, sent a bolt of heat straight to her core. She heard his boots fall with a thud, then a zipper and the rustle of denim.

“Come here.”

She knew he was giving her the choice to continue or retreat. Noble of him, but she’d started this and she wasn’t about to back down now.

She melted against him as he kissed her, slower now. They seemed to be of one mind, lingering over every touch, drawing pleasure from every breath.

Chapter 10

Rick stared up at the ceiling while Nicole dozed on his chest. His breath shaky, his legs tangled with hers, he closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable guilt.

Sex hadn’t been comfortable since he’d lost his wife. Well, to be fair, the discomfort was always after and it always rode in on the memory of his father-in-law’s self-righteous voice. Still, it happened and in this instance he was more than due.

He should have been stronger than the persistent lust that had been haunting him since he’d started tailing Nicole. Should have given her enough space to let the adrenaline bleed off in a less intimate manner. Hell, he should have done a lot of things differently, but it was too late now.

He stroked Nicole’s hand where it lay over his heart, waiting for the inevitable. If he had to go through it, he willed the guilty moment to hurry up and be done already so he could move on.

Logically, he knew he didn’t have anything to feel guilty about. They were healthy adults—barring their injuries—and the heat and passion had been phenomenal. Beyond scratching a common itch, their connection had been deeper than an adrenaline reaction. He had to hope Nicole felt the same way. He didn’t want to compound his normal guilt trip by reading more into this encounter than she did.

Rick waited, but the typical guilt he felt for betraying his wife with another woman didn’t come this time. Eyes open, he stared up at the ceiling, trying to sort it out. He felt content. Maybe, like Nicole’s damaged eyesight, purging the guilt was just an issue of time.

Or the right woman.

He should run away from such a dangerous thought, but instead, in the quiet with nothing better to do, he let it play out. Grief had been a hard road, one he dodged with work as often as possible, but he’d never been involved with anyone on his assignments before.

Would Nicole believe that of him? Would she even want to? The woman was on a mission to reclaim her life and live it on her terms. Was there any room for him? Did he really want there to be?

At ease. His wife had used that phrase whenever he’d retreat into himself to mull over a problem. She’d been his light, balancing his serious nature and countering the dark intensity of his career. No matter what her family thought, he’d loved her with everything he had.

As Nicole burrowed closer with a little sigh, Rick pressed a kiss to her hair and wrapped his arms around her. He experienced a jolt, realizing what he felt wasn’t an echo of a lost love, but rather the start of something new.

What the hell was he going to do about that?

* * *

“Hey there.” Something nudged her shoulder. “Wake up.”

Nicole rolled away from the deep voice. She wanted to stay in the warm cocoon of sleep. Her muscles felt soft and loose as if she’d spent hours under the care of a Swiss masseuse. It was divine.

“Wake up. Just for a second. What’s your name?”

She snuggled deeper into the blanket. “Kara Reynolds.” Something about that sounded wrong, but she was too sleepy to care.

“What day is it?”

What could that matter? “Dunno.”

Someone swore and a big hand yanked the blanket back. “Wake up.” The air was cool across her skin. Skin? She was naked?

Oh, no. It came back to her in a rush. She’d thrown herself at Rick. Granted it was the best sex she’d ever had, but still. Blind and hurting, she’d jumped him when he’d been trying to help her dress.

“What’s your name?”

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