She admired the fact that he’d been able to keep his company not only going, but successful through the downturn in the economy when so many other businesses had faltered. He was a loyal friend to Lucas and Candy. He was a fabulous lover.

Missy’s hand shook as she lifted her mug to her lips and took a sip of coffee. Damn him, he even made great coffee. This wasn’t good. One night of sex was fine, but no way was she allowing herself to fall head over heels for a guy like T.S. She wasn’t ready to settle down yet and he wasn’t the right guy for her. They didn’t have enough in common to last for the long haul.

“You okay?” T.S. placed his hands on her shoulders. When she peered up at him she could see the concern in his eyes.

“Yes.” No way was she letting him in on her thoughts.

He gave her a little squeeze before turning back to making breakfast. She felt the loss of his touch and sighed. She was obviously losing her mind. “Can I do anything to help?” She needed to keep busy. Doing nothing gave her too much time to think.

“Nope. Got it all under control.”

“I didn’t know you cooked.” Was there anything more lethal to a woman’s senses than a man who cooked?

“I do okay. I serve a mean breakfast and can grill a steak, make some basic stuff.” As she watched, he served up scrambled eggs, hash browns and toast onto two plates and took them to her table. “Sit. Eat.”

He waited until she was seated before he sat. The gesture was totally unconscious, an ingrained part of his personality. The man might be a little rough around the edges but he had great manners.

Missy picked up her fork and stabbed a small bite of the fried potatoes. They were seasoned to perfection. Bemused, she pointed her fork at him as a thought occurred to her. “I didn’t have any frozen hash browns, where did these come from?”

T.S. chewed and swallowed his mouthful of food before speaking. “You had a couple potatoes in your fridge.”

He’d made them from scratch. Now she was seriously impressed. “They’re wonderful.”

He grinned. “Glad you like them. I wasn’t sure you would. A lot of women don’t like to eat real food.”

Missy snorted. “I’m not one of them.” She dug in and ate, not talking until she’d had her fill. There were still some hash browns and eggs left but she simply couldn’t eat everything he’d put on her plate. She sat back and shoved it away.

“You done with that?” T.S. waited until she’d nodded before dragging her plate over by him and finishing up what was there.

While he ate, she studied him. He was a contradiction. He was all male from his sleek, hard muscles to his choice of profession. Yet, he cooked breakfast like it was no big deal. He was rough and crude, yet kind and mannerly. She couldn’t pigeonhole him and that concerned her. He kept her off balance. Uncertain.

“What are your plans for today?”

Plans? She didn’t have any. Hadn’t thought that far ahead. Thankfully, it was Sunday. After last night’s episode she was glad she didn’t have to go to work. She had a lot of muscle aches and light pain from her various bruises. She felt…fragile. And that was a feeling she didn’t like. Reminded her too much of her childhood.

Don’t go there, she told herself. But that was easier said than done. The similarities were too close. Her father had been in construction. An angry man who drank too much and had a quick hand when displeased. He was a bigot too, always pulling the race card when he was turned down for work. Missy could have told him it had nothing to do with the dark color of his skin but his crappy attitude and his explosive temper.

He’d been an uneducated man who didn’t see the value in books and learning, especially not for a woman. Her mother was a weak woman. A frightened one who’d lost herself in a liquor bottle whenever possible. Missy had vowed to be different.

She’d stuck it out at home until she was finished high school and then she’d taken off. She hadn’t been home since. Hadn’t called. She knew her parents were still alive because she spoke to her older sister on occasion. She ignored her two brothers who were carbon copies of their father, or at least they had been when they were growing up.

“Hey.” T.S. touched her face and she jumped. Concern filled his eyes. “Where did you go?”

She shook her head. She wasn’t going there. Not with him. Not with anyone.

“Why don’t you get a hot bath while I clean up in here. You’ve got to be feeling stiff this morning.”

“Are you for real?” As much as she wanted to, Missy couldn’t quite trust him. Not outside the bedroom. Not in everyday life. Her more cynical side said he was showing her his best side so he could get her back into bed again.

“As real as it gets, babe.” He kissed her forehead and then pulled her from her chair. “Go on.” He nibbled at her nape. As if on cue her nipples puckered and her toes curled. Damn the man. She tilted her head slightly to the left to give him better access.

He growled and playfully nipped the side of her neck. His tongue soothed the small sting. Missy closed her eyes and shivered with desire. His breath was warm on her ear. “None of that now. You need to get that bath and relax. Rest.” He traced the whorl of her ear before stepping back.

She pried her eyes open and walked out of the room, not looking back. If she did she’d probably do something stupid like jump his tasty bones and have mindless sex with him on the kitchen floor. It was a very near thing. She almost turned back once. But she stayed strong and made it to the bathroom. She shut the door with a frustrated thump.

Bastard. He got her all wound up and then left her hanging. On the other hand, she’d felt the bulge pushing at her butt when he’d been teasing her. She wasn’t the only one frustrated at the moment. That made her feel slightly better.

She ran hot water into the tub and added some soothing bath salts before removing her robe and climbing in. When the tub was full, she leaned back and tried to relax as water lapped at her skin. She didn’t have any idea what time it was and didn’t care. She felt strangely dislocated from reality, cut off from life.

As the steam and heat began to do their job, her eyes drifted shut. A violent image blindsided her. One of her attackers’ faces popped into her brain. She could see in his eyes the intent to hurt her. Feel his hands gripping her, bruising her as he ripped at her dress.

She gasped and her eyes flew open. Her heart was racing, beating against her chest. “Oh God.” She placed her hand over her heart and took a deep breath. “You’re okay.” She repeated the phrase over and over until her heartbeat slowed and her breathing eased.

That was…unpleasant. She’d never had a panic attack before. She decided she didn’t like them. Not at all.

Control was the key for her. The mantra by which she lived her life. Now she felt as though she was unraveling from the inside out. The doctor had warned her she might react this way. Although she hadn’t been seriously injured she had been through a traumatic situation. One that would take her time to get over.

She’d almost laughed at the doctor. She was tough. This was no big deal. She’d been through plenty of violent episodes growing up. But this one had been different. There was no reason behind this attack. She’d been a random victim.

Maybe it was because she’d believed herself impervious to such things now that she was a grown woman. As a child, she’d been a victim of domestic violence. It had made her a strong and sure woman. But not anymore.

“Bullshit,” she muttered. She was still that woman. She’d get past this like she had every other challenge in her life.

A light knock came on the door. “Missy, can you take a phone call?” Before she could tell him no, he continued. “It’s Candy.”

She had to take that or her friend would be over here in a heartbeat. Plus, what must Candy be thinking with T.S. answering the phone? “Give me a second,” she called.

Missy all but jumped out of the bath, ignoring the various complaints of her body, and pulled the plug for the water to drain. She toweled off quickly and yanked on her robe. Her hair was starting to frizz because of the steam. She grabbed a bottle from the vanity, spritzed some product in her hand and dragged it through her short hair. It wasn’t perfect, but it would have to do for the moment.

She pulled open the door and T.S. was waiting in the hallway, leaning against the wall. She wished he’d put on the scrub top they’d given him at the hospital last night. Seeing all that hard, male flesh was giving her the hot flashes.

No, it was simply the heat from the bath. Nothing more.

Liar, her conscience screamed at her. She sniffed at it, not willing to admit it was right. T.S. was quickly becoming an addiction.

She took the phone and headed toward the living room. “Hey, Candy. What are you doing calling me today? You’re supposed to still be celebrating your wedding.” There, that sounded normal enough.

Her friend laughed. “I more than celebrated last night.” There was a satisfied note in Candy’s voice that made Missy smile. She had no doubt that Lucas had kept his new wife up until past dawn celebrating.

Missy glanced at the clock on the DVR as she sank down onto her sofa and was shocked to see it was already noon. Breakfast had really been brunch. It wasn’t like her to sleep so late. She supposed she could be excused because of everything that had happened last night—the wedding, the attack, the hot sex with T.S.

“How are you? Really?”

Candy’s concern brought tears to Missy’s eyes and she blinked them back. “I’m fine. Really.”