With her gaze trained on the top button of his uniform, she said in little more than a choked whisper, “I don’t care.”

He curled his fingers around her shoulders and shook her gently. “Cassidy, look me in the eyes and say it,” he said. When she refused, his control slipped and the frustration of the past lonely days burst out. “Look at me!” His shout sounded harsh even to his own ears.

Cassidy’s head shot up, her eyes, sparkling through the un-shed tears. “Okay, I felt something! Damn it! I felt something! Are you happy?” She pulled out of his grip and strode across the floor, her back to him. “Now will you go?”

“Not yet.” All the resentment drained from him and his heart squeezed in his chest. He closed the distance between them and took her in his arms, slowly turning her around. “Not yet.”

His mouth descended on hers and he felt the worry and anger wash away in that single kiss.

When her lips parted in a gasp, his tongue darted between her teeth. He tasted and toyed with her tongue, coaxing her to the level of his passion.

For a moment she stood in his arms unyielding and stiff. Then her hands crept up his chest and circled the back of his neck, pressing his head down toward her and her body relaxed into his.

TJ’s hands slid downward, cupping her buttocks and pulling her against his rigid arousal. With his heart beating like a runner in a marathon, he reminded himself to slow down. He didn’t want to scare her away again.

The way she moved showed no fear or hesitation. Soon, she took the lead in kissing and caressing, her fingers dancing across his skin, kneading his flesh, digging in to stake her claim. She maneuvered him around until his back was against the wall. Then her hand cupped his face and she bit down on his lip, nibbling and teasing him until his cock pressed painfully against the confines of his pants.

A vague thought skittered by. How could this be happening when she would have nothing to do with me a moment ago? What magical cure had righted the wrong he still couldn’t name? Whatever it was, he didn’t care. Cassidy was in his arms. He pressed his trouser-clad knee between her legs and marveled at the moisture he felt all the way through the fabric.

With deft hands, she unbuttoned his shirt and spread it wide, threading her fingers through the crisp blond hairs sprinkled across his chest. Then her lips joined her hands, teasing the hard brown nipples until TJ moaned.

He reached out, eager to see her naked skin, to touch those places he had only dreamed of a moment ago. With more haste than gentleness, he caught her sundress by the hem and yanked it up and over her head in one fluid movement. Then he tossed it to the floor, his gaze skimming over her, his cock swelling at the sight of her naked breasts and the thin wedge of black lace panties covering the apex of her thighs. “God, I’ve missed you, Cassidy.”

Pulling her close, TJ slanted his mouth over hers in a kiss so deep and tender, he felt it fill the empty space in his chest. This was the woman for him, and now that he had her back in his arms, he’d never let her go.

Cassidy’s hands ripped at his shirt, tearing it away from his body. Then her cool slim fingers dove lower, slipping the top button free on his pants. With a slow sexy smile, she dragged the zipper down with one hand while the other glided inside the fabric, following her heated handiwork. The pressure against his penis eased with every inch of unveiling. At the same time, the tension increased until he felt he would explode.

Inside his trousers, her hands slid around his backside to cup his ass. Then she shoved his pants down until they hung to his knees. His cock jutted forward, angling toward her, hard and eager. With only the thin scrap of lace panties between them, TJ was in a frenzy to take it the rest of the way.

But Cassidy had taken full control, and she cupped his balls, squeezing gently, rolling them with the smooth pads of her fingers.

He reached for and captured her hips in his grip, pressing her against his hardness, rubbing the tip of his penis against the erotically abrasive lace.

His breath hissed between his teeth as he dragged in air, reminding himself to breathe.

Cassidy’s hand froze in the process of sliding up his shaft. “Did I hurt you?”

“Yes! No! Oh God, that feels incredible.” Then his fingers hooked into the lace and dragged it down her legs until her pale body gleamed naked in the shadows of the entryway. With her near-black hair hanging about her shoulders, and the pearly white of her skin beckoning him, he couldn’t hold back any more. “I want you, Cassidy. I want to make love to you like we did before.”

She closed her eyes and inhaled a shaky breath. Then her shoulders pushed back and she came to him, sliding a sleek feminine leg up his thigh to rest at his hip. Her cunt rubbed against his thigh, the moisture sending shockwaves of lust to his cock. “I want you too, Officer Evans.”

His mouth consumed hers and he lifted her legs up around his waist, lowering her until her pussy creamed over the tip of his cock. Hesitating for only a moment, he stared into her eyes. Then he eased into her warmth.

Moaning against his throat, she licked a line from his collarbone to his earlobe. His balls tightened in response, and he lifted her up, taking her to the end of his cock and back down to sheath him again in her creamy depths.

Cassidy leaned into him and practically purred against his cheek. “Stop me now, TJ, before it’s too late.” While her words said one thing, her hands racing across his skin encouraged him to continue.

With his mind caught in a cloud of desire, TJ couldn’t stop. Couldn’t pull free of her until he slaked his desire. Tension built, rising in surges, centering on the juncture of their joined bodies.

Cassidy moaned, her breasts bobbing up and down in TJ’s face.

He captured one of the pale round orbs in his mouth and sucked hard, drawing the rounded flesh into his mouth, laving the taut rosy nipple.

She murmured her approval and nuzzled his neck, nipping at the skin with her teeth.

The tender bites only fueled the fires and spurred him on. He spun around and pressed her back to the wall where he could leverage her while he plunged deeper inside. He pumped into her again and again, until his entire body tightened into an orgasmic knot.

On his final thrust, he peaked, teetering on the verge of shooting sperm deep inside her.

At that exact moment, Cassidy clamped her legs tightly around his waist, licked his neck in a long, sexy swipe, then she leaned in, her mouth opening to take his throat between her teeth.

The pager buried deep in TJ’s trouser pocket beeped, cutting through their labored breathing and vibrating against his knee. The effect was to jerk him out of the sensual haze and remind him they’d used no protection.

“Damn it!” Without pulling out of her, TJ fumbled to reach for the pager around his knees. With his cock still firmly entrenched in her channel, the task was impossible.

When the pager beeped again, Cassidy’s lips were sealed around TJ’s carotid artery and her teeth were poised to puncture the skin. Holy shit! She jerked her head away. Holy Shit! She’d almost bit him.

“I’m sorry, Cassidy.” TJ pulled her close and kissed her open lips.

The touch of his mouth to hers almost stung in its intensity. She could feel every beating pulse in his body, and she was still joined to him. How could she have let it go this far? “Let me down!” She beat her palms against his chest. “Let me down!” She had to get away. Hell, he had to get away!

“It’s okay, it’s just a pager and I didn’t cum inside you.” But he slid her upward and off his still stiff erection.

As soon as her feet hit the ground, she groped for her clothing and ducked out of reach. With her dress clutched to her chest, she turned to him.

He’d already pulled his pants up, buttoned them and stood with a confused expression denting his forehead. “I didn’t come here to do that.” He held his hands up. “Not that I’m sorry I did.”

She turned away, fighting the desire to climb back onto him and finish what she’d started. “You should go, now.”

He stepped toward her, his hand outstretched. “Cassidy, don’t shut me out.”

“Go. Please!” Her voice caught on a sob, and she spun to race up the stairs.

Three

TJ spent an agonizing night fighting hungry monsters. Damn, he hated vampires, the bloodthirsty bastards. He’d kill every one of them if he could.

When the day shift came on, the night shift was asked to stay and assist in last-minute evacuations. Near dusk, after being on duty for over eighteen hours, rain began to fall, gently at first. As the wind picked up, the droplets became projectiles, blowing in sideways from the south. He’d had to beg the police chief to let him weather the storm at home. Most of the force would be bedded down for the night in the precinct basement.

As he’d left the station, sustained winds blew at fifty miles an hour. Now, based on the way he was fighting to keep his truck on the road, the gusts must be nearing seventy. He hoped to hell Cassidy had gone like she said she would. He’d left so late the previous evening he hadn’t had time to check.

All night and day long, his gut kept telling him she’d lied. That she never intended to leave the city. That the crazy fool would try to ride out the storm in her two-story, wood-framed home.

After parking in his garage, he peered through the sheets of blinding rain trying to glean whether or not Cassidy was still there. He couldn’t see a blasted thing. With no other way to be certain, he had to go over there and check for himself.