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been spending too much time with Jesse. He’s rubbing off on you.”
    A swat on her fanny turned the grin into a laugh before she got a kiss on the head and an aggravated, “Stop thinking about my best friend.”
    “You sound a little nervous. Afraid I will try and seduce your buddy now that I’ve had a taste of the good stuff?”
    Zach shook his head and closed his eyes. “Go to sleep.”
    She didn’t want to sleep. She wanted to talk about the amazing thing that just happened between them. But Zach was right. He’d been up at Lord knows what hour this morning and then he’d come to her rescue during the storm.
    And then there was the sex. Her steamy novels were about to hit a whole new level.
    Elizabeth yawned, warm and content. When he growled sleepily and pulled her closer, she tried to keep still. Her last thought was filled with satisfaction.  
    She definitely wasn’t frigid.

    ***

    The rain kept the nosy people inside their homes, huddled under the covers. That suited the secret admirer just fine. He was up the tree and at her apartment window in no time. He popped the screen and set it safely into the groove he’d notched into the bark of the branch he was on. Then he used a screwdriver to jimmy open Elizabeth’s window.
    It took him less than three minutes.
    Everyone underestimated his strength and ingenuity. Even his own family, but that was fine with him. Being thought of as inferior gave him the kind of camouflage he needed to go about his business.
    The apartment smelled like her. That’s what he liked about Elizabeth, that she was clean and pure. Not like the others. Fucking sluts out to take everything they could from a man.
    But not his Elizabeth. She was special.
    Taking out his pen light, he swept it around the bedroom. She still wasn’t home, but she would come back. And when she did, she would find his gift. A little token to show his affection. An apology, of sorts, about the mess.
    Humming a little tune, he moved around the room, cleaning and placing everything back the way she liked it. He pulled out the pictures he had of the bedroom. It had to be perfect.
    He hadn’t meant to scare her, but he’d been angry and confused that she hadn’t been home to greet him the last time. He’d planned everything down to the last detail, but she hadn’t come home at her normal time. That’s another reason he planted the camera. He wanted to be prepared next time.
    But that was in the past. She would come back and she would be overjoyed by his surprise.
    Then she would give herself to him. In all the ways he imagined.

Chapter 6

    Elizabeth followed her nose to the kitchen and found hot coffee waiting after waking alone. Pouring a cup, she leaned back against the counter and took her time looking around. She loved that the kitchen and living area were one big open room. The ceiling was high and huge windows showcased the beauty of the forest landscape outside.  
    Zach craved large amounts of light and space, neither of which he’d had at the foster home. He’d created a beautiful home, made to fit his size and needs. He was an amazing man. And boy oh boy, did Zach know what he was doing in the bedroom. There wasn’t a part of her body that he hadn’t touched, licked or kissed. She smelled like sex and Zach.  
    Zach strolled in through the patio doors carrying a load of firewood. He hadn’t seen her behind the counter yet and she used that moment to watch him. Moving silently, his dark green thermal shirt molded to his muscular chest and traced the lines of his biceps. And when he bent down to unload the firewood, faded blue jeans cupped an ass that made her mouth water.
    Elizabeth stifled a moan but must have made some kind of noise, because she watched Zach’s shoulders tense and then relax again. He finished what he was doing and then stood, turning those deep blue eyes on her.  
    “Did you get enough sleep?” he asked.  
    Elizabeth set her mug on the counter. “You were there. Do