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taken a nap that afternoon, so she’d planned to work late anyway. She stood and held out her hand.
    “Here. Give ‘em to me. I’ll walk over to his place and slide them under the door. You need some sleep.”
    “Oh no, Sam. Seriously, he might be awake, and I don’t want you guys bitching at each other because of my forgetfulness. I’ll do it; just give me a minute.”
    “Sit. Or actually, go to bed. I’ll do it, and I promise I won’t bitch at him. It’s practically midnight, he’ll probably be sleeping. And if he’s not, I promise I’ll be civil.”
    Dee gave her an incredulous look, but handed over the clear slide pages she dug out of her backpack, then stumbled toward her bedroom. “Thanks, Sam. You’re the best,” she called out over her shoulder, smothering a yawn.
    Sam tucked the slides in her messenger bag, threw a light sweater over her pajamas, and grabbed her keys as she walked out the door. Reed only lived a couple of blocks away, so she decided to walk instead of taking her old pick-up truck to the photographer’s apartment.
    She would have liked to say she was annoyed by Reed’s almost constant presence in the apartment over the last month, but as much as he irritated her personally, Sam couldn’t deny how talented the man was. He also seemed to bring out the best in Dee, so she had enjoyed watching her roommate bloom creatively.
    Sam could even grudgingly admit the energy that flowed through the small apartment seemed to be benefiting her as well. She would never admit it to him, but Reed’s presence stimulated her in more than one way. She had done some of her best work when she was in the same room with him. She couldn’t explain it, because he was usually a complete asshole to everyone except Dee and his friend, Javi. The few times Chris had stopped by, Reed had curled only his lip at him, despite how nice Chris always was to Dee.
    In fact, thinking about Chris and Dee, Sam was beginning to think someone was dating the wrong roommate. Chris was a nice guy. Their conversations were pleasant, and they had a lot of common interests. Still, Sam had a feeling a “better off as friends” conversation was fast approaching.
    When she reached Reed’s building, she looked up to his second floor apartment, where a window faced the quiet street. There wasn’t a light on, but she did notice the window was open, and the thin curtain drifted outside, fluttering in the breeze that swept through the foothills that night. The moon was full and huge as it hung over the mountains and lit up the silent street.
    She stepped into the apartment building. The door looked like it had been broken for a while, and she remembered Reed saying the residents kept their doors locked. She walked up the stairs, intending to slip the slides under the door as quickly as possible and make her way home. But as she reached his closed door, Sam could hear Reed talking in his apartment.
    “No, no, no!” His low voice rumbled through the thin walls.
    She knocked, curious what had made the man sound so distraught. She hoped he wasn’t worried about the slides. It was just Professor Simon. After the sound of quiet shuffling, she heard his heavy footsteps approach the door. He opened it in a rush, and she saw him for the first time without a shirt.
    Damn . He really was as perfect as she thought he’d be naked—well, almost naked.
    Her gaze lingered on his chest. His abdomen was lightly defined, and a thin line of dark hair trailed down the center of his stomach toward jeans that hung loose on his hips. She glanced down. The muscles around his waist were clearly defined, and he was barefoot.
    When she finally looked up again, Sam saw his eyes rake over her face as she examined him. In a heartbeat, he grabbed her hand and pulled her into the apartment, shutting the door behind her.
    Reed pulled her into his arms and leaned down, swiftly laying his lips on hers in a consuming kiss. One hand spanned the small of her back, and