It wasn’t what she wanted to do. What she wanted to do was have another unforgettable round of sex with Shane Livingstone but she didn’t want to come across as too clingy or demanding. She didn’t want to assume anything more than them having a one-off sexual escapade, otherwise she risked setting herself up for disappointment.

They still had to work together and she didn’t want her emotions trashed.

She glanced at the clock on the stove. Three a.m. She shivered and stuffed the pizza box into her refrigerator. Then she dragged her laptop onto the counter and plugged it in, turning it on and quickly setting up the web crawler searches she’d meant to initiate earlier.

A noise on the stairs had her looking up.

Shane stood in the shadows wearing a pair of boxers and nothing else. “You okay?”

Her mouth went dry at the sight of him. She nodded mutely. He came to stand behind her and the feel of him hard against her backside had her closing her eyes with delicious want.

His hand slipped under her shirt and cupped her breast. “Finished?”

Again, she nodded mutely.

He closed the laptop with his other hand.

She leaned her head back and his teeth sank gently into the sensitive flesh where her neck met her shoulder. His large hand spanned her stomach, then slid lower. She moaned as he sank his fingers inside her.

A shiver ran over her shoulders and down her spine to the tips of her toes. He withdrew slowly. She turned around and found his eyes intent on hers in the ambient kitchen light.

“I woke up because I was hungry.”

She blinked in surprise and expected him to step away to grab some food. Instead, he bent and suddenly she was upside down with her butt exposed as she was carried up the stairs. She squeaked.

He laid her carefully on the bed and came down beside her, pushing her hair back as he stared down into her eyes.

“Guess what I was hungry for?” He smiled slowly, that southern drawl making a rare appearance and curling her toes.

Her heart hammered. “Pizza?”

He chuckled and she felt the sensation reverberate through her entire body.

“Nuh huh.” He leaned down and kissed her. “You.”

19

Shane sipped his coffee and watched Yael as she peered intently at her computer screen. She hadn’t looked at him since they’d arrived at task force headquarters at 0700 this morning.

He wasn’t sure if she regretted last night or was having second thoughts about him in general. Or if she was trying to keep their private life separate from work, which he was all for, naturally.