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snuggled in closer to him. “I want to, but I don’t think it’s a good
idea.”
    He knew he had to tread lightly.
His usual approach would never work with her, not when his gut told him that
she needed a man who could be gentle and understanding. Patience had never been
his strong suit, but for her, he’d be willing to try just about anything.
“Honey, you need me tonight, just as much as I need you. We’re two unattached,
consenting adults. What happens between us is our business. If you’re worried
I’m gonna talk to my buddies about it, don’t be. I’d never disrespect you like
that.” He would love to let the world know she was his, but everyone would find
out they were a couple in due time, when she was ready. Until then, he was
willing to give her time and space to get used to the idea.
    “I’m not going to lie, I’m
tempted, Tucker. It’s just that my life is so complicated right now.”
    He didn’t know what that
meant, and this didn’t seem the appropriate time to dig deeper. He knew he was
going to have to earn her trust, given how their relationship started. He was
the same cop who tried to smear her reputation and run her out of town. “Your
life may be complicated, but this thing between us is simple. We’re into each
other. We want to sleep together. End of story.”
    She sighed. “If only it were
that easy. You are…” she grinned, “the sexiest man I’ve ever met, bar none.”
    His head and chest swelled at
the compliment. Hearing those words from her erased all the other times he’d
heard them in the past because he knew she meant them. “Thanks, and for the
record, you are hotter than hell.”
    She giggled. “I’m glad you
think so, Chief.”
    He’d never been at a loss
with a woman before. He wanted to tell her how he felt, but there was this
nagging voice in the back of his mind that warned against coming on too strong
and scaring her off. “Tell me what you need from me.”
    She shook her head. “That’s
just it; I don’t have the right to ask anything from you. I have nothing to
offer you in return.”
    He knew there was a story
behind those sad eyes, and one day, when she trusted him enough to tell him the
truth, he would hold her in his arms, let her cry, wipe away her tears, and vow
to make her forget, but tonight wasn’t that night. This was only the beginning
of what he suspected would be a long and bumpy journey for them. Women who’d
been hurt as deeply as she obviously had didn’t trust again quickly or easily.
    “All I want is you, Rachel.
Just let me make love to you tonight. Let me prove how amazing it could be
between us.”
    She smiled, looking shy all
of a sudden. “If that earlier performance was any indication, I’m not sure I’ll
survive it.”
    He smirked. “Baby… that was
just a prelude.” His smile fell. This wasn’t the time for jokes. He needed to
table the sarcasm if he expected to earn her trust. “Look, I know you’re
scared. I am, too.”
    She glanced at the gun
strapped to his waist. “I can’t imagine you being afraid of anything.”
    “This thing between us hit me
like an avalanche. One minute I’m cursing you for making me miss the football
game, and the next minute I’m kissing you and I know I don’t ever want to
stop.”
    She gasped. “You felt that
way, too?”
    He leaned in to brush his lips
against hers. “I sure did, and I can honestly say, I’ve never experienced
anything like that before. When I make up my mind about someone, it usually
sticks.”
    She ran her fingers through the
hair at his temple as she looked in to his eyes. “What made you change your
mind about me?”
    “I have no idea. I saw you
standing there on the side of the road, and for a split second I thought about
leaving you there, but when I decided to jump out of my truck, it changed
everything.”
    She linked her hands at the back
of his head and smiled. “What do you like about me?”
    He pretended to think about
it for a minute. “Short