“So what did you find?” Dec asked, suddenly curious.

“She’s had three serious relationships, all with academic types, none lasting longer than a year. Her most recent relationship ended a year ago this last April. Strangely enough, all three of the guys are now happily married.”

“All right,” Dec said. “Call Trevor Ross and update him. And stay on it. Whoever this person is will probably get a little desperate after a few days of not seeing her. We’re going to stay up here through Wednesday night.”

“Okay, boss. I’ll let you know if we get anything.”

Dec closed the phone, then set it back on the counter, surprised by the latest development. If Rachel’s stalker was a woman, then that changed the entire complexion of the case. In his experience, women usually stalked because of envy or jealousy, men because of sexual obsession. But that didn’t make them any less dangerous.

He decided to keep the newest development to himself. Though he could question Rachel about possible suspects, he’d do so later, after Rick had a chance to gather more information.

Dec grabbed a bottle of lemonade from the refrigerator and strolled back down to the water, thinking about the information Rick had given him. He hadn’t thought much about Rachel’s past relationships with men. In truth, had any of them lasted, then he wouldn’t be where he was today.

Yet, he wondered why other men hadn’t found what he had in Rachel. There wasn’t anything about her that didn’t fascinate him. In his eyes, she was pretty close to perfect. And Dec had never considered himself that much different from regular guys. But then, maybe these eggheads she’d dated weren’t regular guys.

Sexy was sexy, Dec mused. Egghead or not, it was the same for all men. And Rachel was definitely sexy. He walked down the dock, only to have his theory proved. Rachel had removed her skirt and was now lying in just her underwear, her panties matching the lacy black bra.

Though her lingerie was less revealing than most bikinis, Dec found it much more arousing. His mind wandered, focusing on how little effort it would take to rid her of the tiny scraps of fabric, just a quick tug here and there and she’d be naked.

“Be careful,” he said. “You don’t want to burn.”

Rachel smiled. “I know. I’m just about done. Even a little sun helps. I don’t want to have that pasty look of an academic.”

Dec thought her skin looked like perfect porcelain, now with just a hint of pink. “I like your skin, too,” he murmured. Rachel sat up and Dec opened the bottle of lemonade and handed it to her.

“I’m going to go up and start dinner,” she said. “Are you going to stay down here?”

“For a little while,” he said. “Call me if you need help. And be careful, those knives in the kitchen are really sharp.”

“There’s a broken board on the end of the dock. Aren’t you going to warn me that it might bounce up, hit me in the head and cause a traumatic brain injury?”

“Sorry,” Dec said. “Just doing my job.”

“There are a lot of things you do better than your job,” she teased.

As she walked away, Dec twisted in his chair and watched her leave, smiling to himself. He wasn’t sure where his protective streak had come from and in truth, it was a bit silly. Rachel had passed twenty-nine years of her life without injuring herself seriously with a kitchen knife or getting a third-degree sunburn. Maybe it was time for him to relax a bit.

He was here, alone with a woman he found incredibly alluring. There were much better things to do than worry.

RACHEL POURED THE LAST OF the bottle of wine into Dec’s glass. The remains of their dinner-grilled salmon, asparagus and a salad of baby greens-were scattered across the small table on the porch.

She took a sip of her wine, then leaned back into the cushions of the wicker chair. Try as she might, she couldn’t remember a single time when she’d been this content. There always seemed to be some problem plaguing her mind, but tonight, all she thought about was how good the wine tasted and how beautiful the sunset had been…and how handsome Dec looked in the waning light.

The day had passed in lazy enjoyment, both of them aware of what the night would bring. There had been penetrating gazes and innocent caresses, a kiss here and there, little clues that characterized the desire bubbling just below the surface. There was no doubt in Rachel’s mind they’d give in to that desire. All they were doing now was marking time.

“If you were back home, what would you be doing?” she asked.

“If I wasn’t working, I’d probably be at a pub watching the ball game, or hanging out with my brothers. Or maybe taking a run. What would you be doing?”

“Working,” she said. “I used to tell myself that it was good I didn’t have much of a personal life, but now I’m thinking I was deluding myself. I love it here. I haven’t thought about work since we got in the car and left Providence.”

“I probably shouldn’t even be here,” Dec said, running his finger around the rim of his wine glass. “Especially not with a single, beautiful woman. It’s too much of a temptation.”

“But that’s good,” she said.

“No. I’m supposed to be celibate until the beginning of September.”

“Are you planning to go into the priesthood or do you have some medical problem?” she asked, taken aback by his confession.

“My brothers and I made a bet that we couldn’t go three months without sex. Actually, I’m the idiot who offered up the challenge and they agreed.”

It was obvious he’d decided to break his pact. The intimacies they’d already shared were well beyond the boundaries of celibacy. Rachel was pleased that she’d been the one to tempt him. “Sometimes it’s good to take a break from sex, to gain perspective on relationships,” she commented.

“That’s exactly what I said,” Dec replied.

“Well, you were right,” Rachel said.

“Nah, I was full of shit,” he countered. “I should have never made the bet.” He drew a deep breath. “I just didn’t plan on meeting you.”

“Well, you haven’t lost yet,” she said. “We haven’t actually had sex. We’ve just messed around.”

“I wasn’t supposed to have any sexual contact with women. No touching, no kissing, no anything, for three months.” Dec reached across the table and grazed her jaw with his fingertips. “Now three more minutes is much too long.” He stood and drew her up to her feet, then wrapped his arm around her waist. “I can’t seem to get enough of you,” he murmured, kissing the curve of her neck.

Rachel reached for the buttons of his shirt and slowly undid them. When she was finished, she smoothed her hands over his chest. Bit by bit, inch by inch, they began to explore each other’s bodies, slowly pushing aside clothing as they stumbled back inside the cabin.

She nuzzled her face against his chest, then traced a path of kisses to his nipple. Darting her tongue out, she teased at it, bringing it to a hard peak before moving across his chest to the other. He groaned softly, furrowing his fingers through her hair to hold her close.

When she finished, he stole another long, deep kiss and Rachel felt her blood warm and her body relax. Suddenly, her mind became consumed with the sensation of his hands on her skin. She couldn’t think, but that didn’t matter. With every caress there came an automatic response, a shudder or a moan, an effort to move closer to what they both wanted.

Their mouths still locked, they moved to the sofa and Dec gently laid her down, stretching out beside her. Rachel had never been kissed the way Dec kissed her. He took his time, as if focusing all his seductive powers on her mouth. As his tongue delved inside, then withdrew, she was reminded of what they’d soon share, his hips nestled between her legs, his shaft buried deep inside of her.

A dull ache pulsed at her core and the need seemed to multiply with every breath she took. Rachel rolled over and straddled his body, then tugged her camisole over her head. When she reached around to unhook her bra, Dec sat up and pushed her hands aside.

He slipped his fingers under the straps and let them fall off her shoulders. His mouth found a spot at the base of her throat and he kissed her there, lingering over a pulse as if he could sense her excitement. A moment later, she felt his fingers at her back and the bra fell away.

Rachel shivered in anticipation and when he drew her nipple into his mouth, tiny explosions of pleasure shot through her body. She closed her eyes and allowed her mind to drift, arching against him, inviting him to take more.

He seemed to know her body, sensing what made her moan and tingle and sigh. Though she felt a frantic need, he drew the seduction out, each caress meant to exact the maximum amount of pleasure before moving on to something new.

Rachel’s hands smoothed over his wide chest, along the sharp angle of his shoulders and down his muscular arms. His shirt was caught beneath him, hindering his reach and after a time, he grew frustrated with the restriction and twisted out of it.

There was so much more to explore, she mused as she reached for the top button on his jeans. But just as she undid it, a phone rang. Rachel groaned and continued her task, but the sound had broken Dec’s concentration. He glanced over his shoulder, then cursed softly. “I should get it,” he whispered.

Rachel reluctantly crawled off of him, then smiled. “I’ll just finish cleaning up.” She grabbed her camisole and tugged it over her head, then walked out to the porch and began to gather the dishes from the small table. Inside, she heard Dec speaking softly on the phone. She couldn’t make out what he was saying, but a sudden wave of doubt washed over her. What if he was talking to another woman?

A tiny knot grew in her stomach. She knew he had brothers, that he didn’t have time to vacation, and that he did work for Trevor Ross. A man as handsome and charming as Dec probably had plenty of female company. And many of them probably had his phone number. When she’d asked him if he had a girlfriend, he’d said no. Rachel frowned. And if he did have a girlfriend, why on earth would he agree to remain celibate for three months?