"I really can't stick around," I said, but I stepped through the door anyway. She had half a dozen candles lit on the end table beside her couch, and there was a mussed blanket on the couch next to a paperback novel.

Shiela's long, dark hair was piled up into bun and held in place with a couple of chopsticks, leaving her ears and the smooth skin of her neck intriguingly bare. She was wearing a Bears football jersey made of soft cotton that hung to her knees, and she wore pink slippers on her feet. The jersey was loose on her, but she had the curves to make it look more appealing than it had any right to be. I could see her calves, and they did a wonderful job of blending softness and strength.

Shiela saw me looking, and her cheeks turned a little pink. "Hi," she said, her voice quiet.

"Hi," I said back, and smiled at her. "Hey, I thought you had a party tonight?"

She shook her head. "I was walking. I didn't want to walk in the rain, and I couldn't call anyone to get me a ride, so I'm home." She tilted her head to one side and frowned at me. "You seem… I'm not sure. Tense. Angry."

"Both," I said. "There are some things happening."

She nodded, her dark eyes serious. "I've heard that there's something bad brewing. It's what you're working on, isn't it?"

"Yes."

She fretted at her lower lip. "Then why are you here?"

She looked beautiful like that, in a sleepshirt in the candlelight. She wasn't wearing any makeup, but she looked deliriously soft and feminine. I thought about kissing her again, just to make sure that the first one hadn't been some sort of anomaly. Then I shook my head and reminded myself that tonight was about business. "I just needed to make sure that you were all right."

Her eyes widened. "Am I in some kind of danger?"

I lifted my hand placatingly. "I don't think you are now. But I was followed today. I had to be sure that you were safe. Have you seen anyone? Maybe felt nervous or anxious for no reason?"

"No more than any other day," she said. Thunder rumbled, and the rain kept drumming on her windows. "Honestly."

I let out my breath and felt myself relax a little. "Okay, good. I'm glad."

Thunder rumbled again and we both just stood there, staring at each other. Both of us glanced, just for a second, at the other's eyes, then pulled away before anything could happen.

"Harry," she said quietly. "Is there anything I can do to help you?"

"You already have," I said.

She took a step closer, and her dark eyes looked huge. "Are you sure?"