Unguarded by Tracy Wolff

that it was true. She’d spent the past couple of years without much of an appetite, and now suddenly she was starving almost all of the time.
    â€œNow that I think about it, I’m not sure I should feed you,” he teased. “The last time I did, you ran off five minutes after dinner was finished.”
    She flushed. “I’m really sorry I did that. I just—”
    â€œHey, no sweat. I was just messing with you. I know this great Japanese place a couple of blocks away. Are you up for it?”
    â€œTry to keep me away.”
    They feasted on sushi and tempura, chicken teriyaki and fried rice and for dessert, green-tea ice cream. Amazingly, Rhiannon ate every bit of the food that was put in front of her. It all tasted so good, though she wasn’t sure if it was the food or the warmth and amusement in Shawn’s eyes as he asked incessant questions about her family and her childhood, then teased her about her answers. It turned out he was the youngest in his family, the exact opposite of her, and that he had a big sister who pretty much felt it was her job to keep him in line—even now that he was almost thirty.
    She found it kind of interesting to see things from the other side. She was so used to being the one who watched over her siblings that she’d forgotten how they sometimes viewed her with as much exasperation as she viewed them.
    It had happened a lot less since the rape, as her family had a tendency to walk on eggshells around her now. But she had memories of being driven absolutely insane by her younger brother and sisters. It was vaguely comforting to realize that Shawn had the same reactions, though for very different reasons.
    After she’d eaten as many bites of her ice cream as she could manage, Shawn escorted her out into the street. She resisted the urge to twirl around like a little girl in a princess dress, but that was exactly how she felt—like Cinderella at the ball, right before the clock struck midnight. A part of her was even waiting for the shoe to fall…
    â€œI had a great time tonight,” she murmured as the strolled along the still-busy downtown street.
    â€œYou say that like you think the date is over.”
    â€œIsn’t it?” she asked uncertainly, discomfort overwhelming her lazy pleasure as she imagined what Shawn could have planned for the rest of the night. She might have decided she was ready for casual dating, but she wasn’t ready for anything else. Not yet, certainly, and maybe not ever.
    â€œDon’t look so freaked out. I promise, there are no animal sacrifices or other illegal acts on the agenda for the rest of the night.”
    â€œWell, that’s a shame,” she replied, regaining her composure. “It’s been a while since I’ve been to a good animal sacrifice.”
    He laughed. “Now you’re scaring me. ”
    â€œDon’t worry.” She reached out, patted his arm. “I’ll be gentle.”
    â€œOh, I’m not worried.” His eyes went two shades deeper and suddenly the air between them was infused with sensual tension. She wanted to pull away, wanted to get closer, but didn’t know how to do either. In the end, she stayed where she was, her gaze locked with his.
    Shawn leaned in slowly, obviously giving her plenty of time to stop him—or to flee, as she had once before. But it turned out this time she wasn’t going anywhere. Her need to be close to him outweighed everything else, even the fear that still ruled so much of her life. But this time, her feet were planted on the ground and the spinning in her stomach had a lot more to do with excitement than it did with fear.
    Rhiannon braced herself for the feel of his lips onhers, for the riot of emotions that had bombarded her last time. But at the last minute, Shawn turned his head and brushed his lips across her cheek. She didn’t know if she was relieved or disappointed.
    Probably a mixture