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after work before I hop in the shower." Understanding suddenly lit her eyes. "Oh boy, do you think that is what the panty raider was after?"
    "I think we better pay for your stuff and get back to your place and grab that before someone realizes it is still there."
    Katie led the way to the front of the store and used one of the self-check-out stations. Kaiden tried hard not to look at her purchases but natural curiosity won out and his eyes wandered to the pile of satin and lace. He caught sight of that emerald green set and his gut tightened.
    Don't be getting your hopes up. You will never see that anywhere but on that counter right there.
    Ugh. This case might go on for a very long time.
    "Are you okay?" Katie looked worried as she studied him.
    "Fine. Absolutely fine. Just thinking about the case." Not entirely a lie. Thinking about Katie in that green underwear sort of had to do with the case. Yeah. Right.
    "I wish I could help you get Nathan but I don't know anything more than what I already told you."
    "It's all right. We will catch him one way or another. Homeland Security always gets their guy." He cracked a smile to ease her nerves but she still fumbled with the items as she rung them up and dropped them in plastic shopping bags.
    "Judging by the way they crashed my door down tonight, nothing stands in their way either."
    Kaiden reached to take her bags but ended up grabbing Katie's hand instead. Electric shocks stronger than any the physical therapist had used during his rehab shot up his arm. His body's primal reaction to Katie took his breath away.
    She pulled her hand back and grabbed the bags. As she started to walk away, Kaiden stopped her. "I am very sorry for what you have been through tonight. It must have been very scary to be dragged out of your home like that. You can bet I'll follow up on that and it will never happen to you—or anyone like you—ever again."
    "Don't make promises you can't keep, Agent James. Like you said, Homeland Security always gets their guy. Even if it's the wrong guy." This time when she turned to leave he let her go. He couldn't deny what she said so he quietly followed her out to the parking lot.
    Vibration in the pocket of his tuxedo pants caught his attention. As he checked the text message from his brother telling him all he had missed at the wedding, the squeal of racing tires sounded from somewhere in the dark. As the sound registered in his mind, Kaiden glanced up in time to see a small car with its lights off aim straight for Katie. She walked at least thirty feet ahead of him with the car barreling down on her. Kaiden took off at a sprint, his body slamming into Katie's just as the car blew by.
    They lay there, on the asphalt, him on top of her, for a full minute, not moving.
    "Are you okay?" Kaiden finally asked.
    She mumbled something he couldn't quite make out. Rolling to the side he made a quick assessment for blood or obvious signs of injury.
    "Oh, thank God."
    "I know, I have no idea where that car came from. If I hadn't gotten to you in time…"
    Katie sat up rubbing her left elbow. "No, I meant, thank God I can breathe again. You were crushing my lungs!"
    Kaiden laughed. "Sorry about that. You okay now?"
    She breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly. "Everything seems to be in working order now. Thanks for saving me."
    "That makes us even. Well, now that I have saved you and you have saved me that nurse- patient thing is null and void, right?"
    "I didn't exactly save you, I just cleaned your wound once or twice."
    They both fell silent. Kaiden wondered if she remembered those wound cleanings the same way he did. The same way other parts of him seemed to remember.
    He cleared his throat and with that the memories of her touch on his skin from his mind. "We need to get back to your place and check for that ID badge."
    Kaiden rose from the ground and extended a hand to Katie. As he reached down to help her up, he realized her bag of silky things had split open when