The Devil She Knew by Rena Koontz

far away. If she stood on the top step, she might reach it, but there was nothing to balance her from there.
    “Whoa. Please be careful,” Clay said, coming into the room.
    “I can almmmooost reee-ach this but … ”
    “Stop before you lose your balance.” Clay walked up behind her and put his hands on the ladder. “The wall will keep you from falling forward, but you could tumble backward. I’ll brace you from behind, but be careful.”
    The ladder swayed slightly when he stepped on the bottom rung and then two strong hands took a firm grasp of each of her thighs. She braced her hand on the wall for balance and tried to dismiss the electrical charge shooting up her legs. Through her jeans she could discern all ten of his fingers supporting her and she imagined what it would be like to have them creep north, slowly to her …
    “You okay up there?”
    “Um, yeah. I got it cleaned.”
    “Thanks. I won’t move. Start stepping down, carefully, please.”
    She began her descent, cautiously lowering her left foot to the next rung, then easing her right into place, acutely aware of Clay’s hands running along her sides as she descended. By the third step, the tops of her legs and her butt skimmed Clay’s chest.
    “One more,” he uttered in a raspy voice.
    She led with her right foot this time, brushing his thigh and sinking into the circle created by his arms when she settled her other foot. Unless he moved, she could go no farther. Heat from his body caressed her back and his breath brushed her left ear.
    “Don’t do that again, please. I don’t want you to get hurt,” he whispered with his nose buried in her hair.
    Cassidy tightened her grip on the ladder and closed her eyes. If she leaned back the tiniest smidge, she’d have total contact with him, against his chest, wrapped in his arms.
    His mouth remained at her ear. “We both worked hard today. If things were different, I’d suggest we take a shower right now.”
    Goose bumps pimpled her skin and her stomach somersaulted.
    “Maybe another time,” he suggested. Then he pulled her backward into his embrace, lifted her feet off the ladder rung, and stepped down to the floor. His grip eased and she stepped out of his arms.
    “All we have left is to shampoo the carpet. That won’t take me long. What if we get cleaned up and go grab something to eat, then we can swing by Fortieth Street and get the rest of your things.”
    Her pulse pounded in her ears. Despite his attempt to sound casual, his cheeks were flushed.
    She cocked her head. “Are we cleaning up together or separately?”
    Just as she’d hoped, she caught him off guard. His head snapped up, his eyes widened, and his cheeks transformed into red beets.
    She raised both hands, laughing. “Just kidding.”
    He grinned. “Too bad. I wasn’t.”
    He folded the ladder as he spoke. “How about I knock on your door in, let’s say two hours, maybe a little longer? Does that work?”
    Cassidy narrowed her eyes as she watched him gather the remaining cleaning materials. “It’s Saturday night. Don’t you have a date with Amber?”
    He stopped and turned. “What?”
    “I only have dirty clothes, a handful of linens, and some pantry items at the other apartment. I don’t need them tonight. Wouldn’t you rather spend time with Amber?”
    He squinted, staring at her lips as if she spoke a foreign language and he had to read them for translation. “Why would I do that?”
    She swallowed, suddenly uncomfortable, overheated, probably by all the work she’d done and antsy, most likely because she wanted a shower. Clay stood staring, waiting for her response. His love life was none of her business. But her heartbeat quickened and her lips locked, making it difficult to ask a question she didn’t really want to know the answer to.
    “Cassidy? Why do you ask if I’d rather spend time with Amber?”
    “It’s just that, um, I know you don’t have all your weekends free and I thought, well, you