Stirring Attraction by Sara Jane Stone Page A

Shelby might know. She’s a librarian in town.”
    â€œI’ll start with the unhappy parents.” He scanned the list. “Want to tell me what pissed Louis Stanton off?”
    â€œNothing really,” she said. “He wasn’t listed as an approved adult to pick up his son. I think it had something to do with his divorce. I couldn’t let him take his child, but he was very pleasant. He took the form and agreed to send it in to the main office. I’m not sure if he did, but he didn’t show up at pickup again. According to his son, he works out of state.”
    Dominic raised an eyebrow. “A five-­year-­old would know that?”
    â€œYou’d be amazed at what they pick up. On the first day of school last year, one of my kids informed me that her parents always sleep naked.”
    â€œAnother important fact to know for dismissal time?”
    â€œNot exactly.”
    He glanced down at the list. “What about this last name?”
    She sighed. “Mitch kept trying to send his son to school with a peanut butter sandwich. And we’re a nut-­free school. He is hotheaded, but not the right build.”
    â€œHe could have hired someone,” Dominic pointed out.
    â€œOver peanut butter?”
    â€œDidn’t say it was likely, but it’s a place to start.” He folded the list and slipped it into his pocket.
    â€œYou really are taking this seriously.” She stood and came face-­to-­chest with a wall of muscle covered in a plain black T-­shirt. She placed her palms against his chest and looked up at him. “Thank you for believing me.”
    â€œYou’ve never lied to me.” He covered her left hand with his right. “And it’s not like I have a lot going on right now. I’ve got the time to play detective.”
    Her free hand moved as if needing to touch more, to feel his skin. She traced the curve of muscle through his shirt. She reached the neckline and traveled over his collarbone to his throat. He’d possessed a powerful body before he’d been shot. And while he’d lost weight during his recovery, he’d clearly spent the months since his release working out. She could feel the power beneath her fingers.
    She glanced up. His beard appeared wild. But ­coupled with the long hair, the facial hair seemingly softened the football star turned soldier.
    What would it feel like to kiss him?
    His beard had blown past the scratchy phase weeks, maybe even months, ago. Not that his facial hair stood between a kiss and walking away. She couldn’t escape the fact that this man wasn’t right for her. As soon as he found her attacker and made sure she was safe, he’d leave again. He always left.
    But then what was the harm in kissing him now?
    This time, she knew going in that he wasn’t permanent. She’d spent so long believing she could have a future with this man. But over the past six years, she’d come to terms with what she needed from a relationship—­permanence and trust. If she ever pulled herself together and broke free from this nightmare, she could find a man who could deliver both—­and maybe the family she craved. If she found him, she could fall in love again. Right now, she was too broken, living in fear of the dark, her shadow, her own closet . . .
    And so was Dominic.
    OK, he probably wasn’t terrified by the thought of opening the door to his closet to pick out shoes. And if the bogeyman—­or the guy from the park—­tried anything with him, well, Dominic would likely take him out. She had a feeling he could do it with his bad hand tied behind his back.
    Still . . .
    After all this time, maybe they were finally in the right place, at the right time in their lives, to be just enough for each other in the present.
    â€œDon’t take this the wrong way,” she said, keeping her voice low as she ran her hand over his