called him. The mutt curled up on one end of the couch, and Liam went back to watching the news.
He barely heard a word the anchor said. As the sound of rushing water came from down the hall, all he could think about was Alicia standing naked in his shower. His thoughts quickly escalated to the point that he feared he’d have to sit on his hands to keep from touching his dick. She stayed in the shower for a long time, and when the sound of running water finally stopped, he was hard as granite.
He tried to think of cold and ice – snow, though he’d never seen much of it in North Carolina. Those chilling thoughts did little to quell his erection, so he settled for quickly repositioning the stiffness tenting the front of his jeans and hoping she wouldn’t notice it in its slightly less obvious position.
The minute she walked back into the living room – dressed in her shorts and tank top again, but with her hair and skin still damp – he knew he’d been an idiot. Her hazel eyes flickered toward his lap briefly but immediately, and though she said nothing, he knew she’d noticed – it was obvious.
Heat rushed through him when she settled back down on the couch, right beside him. He knew now that it’d just been because of the chills, but he couldn’t help reliving the moment when she’d tipped her head back against his chest, sighing.
He about jumped out of his skin when a knock came at the door.
For a few seconds, adrenaline rushed through his system, presenting him with images from his workday and the latest news reports: blood on the ground, killers on the loose. Every threat an inmate had ever made against him came crashing down on his consciousness, remembered in bitter clarity, and then it hit him … he’d ordered pizza.
“That must be dinner,” he said, and rose to answer the door.
Sure enough, it was the ham and pineapple pie he’d ordered, fragrant and more than big enough to feed two people. He paid the delivery guy and locked the door before returning to the living room.
“Mmm.” Alicia sat up a little straighter on the couch. “That smells good.”
He popped the pizza box open and set it on the coffee table in front of the sofa. It did smell good, and the aroma caused him to realize exactly how hungry he was. He hadn’t eaten in … well, he couldn’t actually remember the last time he’d eaten. Adrenaline from work and then thoughts of Alicia had kept ordinary needs like hunger at bay, until now.
Not that he wasn’t still thinking of Alicia. He was; not even one of his all-time favorite foods could touch the part of his mind she’d claimed – albeit unknowingly – as her own.
“You were right about ham and pineapple pizza,” she said when they’d both finished a slice each and picked up a second.
He nodded. “I had a feeling you’d say that.” He took a moment to study her face, relieved to see that there was no hint of blue tinging her lips. A tiny dot of sauce at one corner of her mouth, but no blueness. “How do you feel?”
“Not so cold, now that I’ve had a shower.” She frowned, cradling an extra-large slice of pizza in one hand. “Sorry if I freaked you out.” She glanced over her shoulder, toward the hall.
“It’s all right.” Yeah, she’d rattled him, but he was glad she’d been at his place when it’d happened. At least this way, if anything else went wrong, she wouldn’t be alone. Maybe it had just been a freak cold chill, but his gut told him that wasn’t right, and he was prepared to step in if she got sick or something. It occurred to him that she might be showing early signs of the flu … not likely this time of year, but possible.
“Between this, my ghost stories and the number of times you’ve seen me fall down stairs, you must think I’m a basket case.” She laughed, folding her slice of pizza so that the pineapple and ham toppings were hidden by golden-brown crust dripping with mozzarella.
Her laugh was infectious. He couldn’t
He barely heard a word the anchor said. As the sound of rushing water came from down the hall, all he could think about was Alicia standing naked in his shower. His thoughts quickly escalated to the point that he feared he’d have to sit on his hands to keep from touching his dick. She stayed in the shower for a long time, and when the sound of running water finally stopped, he was hard as granite.
He tried to think of cold and ice – snow, though he’d never seen much of it in North Carolina. Those chilling thoughts did little to quell his erection, so he settled for quickly repositioning the stiffness tenting the front of his jeans and hoping she wouldn’t notice it in its slightly less obvious position.
The minute she walked back into the living room – dressed in her shorts and tank top again, but with her hair and skin still damp – he knew he’d been an idiot. Her hazel eyes flickered toward his lap briefly but immediately, and though she said nothing, he knew she’d noticed – it was obvious.
Heat rushed through him when she settled back down on the couch, right beside him. He knew now that it’d just been because of the chills, but he couldn’t help reliving the moment when she’d tipped her head back against his chest, sighing.
He about jumped out of his skin when a knock came at the door.
For a few seconds, adrenaline rushed through his system, presenting him with images from his workday and the latest news reports: blood on the ground, killers on the loose. Every threat an inmate had ever made against him came crashing down on his consciousness, remembered in bitter clarity, and then it hit him … he’d ordered pizza.
“That must be dinner,” he said, and rose to answer the door.
Sure enough, it was the ham and pineapple pie he’d ordered, fragrant and more than big enough to feed two people. He paid the delivery guy and locked the door before returning to the living room.
“Mmm.” Alicia sat up a little straighter on the couch. “That smells good.”
He popped the pizza box open and set it on the coffee table in front of the sofa. It did smell good, and the aroma caused him to realize exactly how hungry he was. He hadn’t eaten in … well, he couldn’t actually remember the last time he’d eaten. Adrenaline from work and then thoughts of Alicia had kept ordinary needs like hunger at bay, until now.
Not that he wasn’t still thinking of Alicia. He was; not even one of his all-time favorite foods could touch the part of his mind she’d claimed – albeit unknowingly – as her own.
“You were right about ham and pineapple pizza,” she said when they’d both finished a slice each and picked up a second.
He nodded. “I had a feeling you’d say that.” He took a moment to study her face, relieved to see that there was no hint of blue tinging her lips. A tiny dot of sauce at one corner of her mouth, but no blueness. “How do you feel?”
“Not so cold, now that I’ve had a shower.” She frowned, cradling an extra-large slice of pizza in one hand. “Sorry if I freaked you out.” She glanced over her shoulder, toward the hall.
“It’s all right.” Yeah, she’d rattled him, but he was glad she’d been at his place when it’d happened. At least this way, if anything else went wrong, she wouldn’t be alone. Maybe it had just been a freak cold chill, but his gut told him that wasn’t right, and he was prepared to step in if she got sick or something. It occurred to him that she might be showing early signs of the flu … not likely this time of year, but possible.
“Between this, my ghost stories and the number of times you’ve seen me fall down stairs, you must think I’m a basket case.” She laughed, folding her slice of pizza so that the pineapple and ham toppings were hidden by golden-brown crust dripping with mozzarella.
Her laugh was infectious. He couldn’t
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