He already was. If she didn’t manage to slow things down, her overcharged system was likely to explode. “Two steps back,” she said on a long breath, and took just that. His hands remained at her waist, but at least she could breathe again. At least she managed two gulps of air before she looked into his eyes and the breath backed up in her lungs again. “Too much, too fast, Muldoon. I’m not a spontaneous type of person.”

What she was was a volcano ready to erupt. He was damn sure going to be there when the ground started to shake. But he didn’t intend to scare her off, either. “Hey, you want time. I can give you an hour. Two, if you really want me to suffer.”

She shook her head, edging back to the table. “Let’s just say I’ll let you know if and when I’m ready to take this any further.”

“She wants me to suffer,” Zack said under his breath. When she didn’t sit, he reached for his wallet. “I take it we’re leaving.”

“An early evening,” she reminded him. And she wanted badly to get outside, where the air could cool her blood.

“A deal’s a deal.” He tossed bills onto the table. “Why don’t we walk back? A little exercise might help us both sleep tonight.”

A twenty-block hike, Rachel mused. It couldn’t hurt.

“Cold?” he asked a short time later.

“No. It’s nice.” But he slipped an arm around her shoulders anyway. “I don’t often get a chance to just walk. Mostly it’s a dash from my place to the office, from the office to the courthouse.”

“What do you do when you’re not dashing?”

“Oh, I go to the movies, window-shop, visit the family. In fact, I was thinking it might be good for Nick to go with me one Sunday. Have some of Mama’s home cooking, listen to one of Papa’s stories, see how my brothers harass me.”

“Just Nick?”

She slanted him a look. “I suppose we could make room for Nick’s brother.”

“It’s been a long time since I—since either of us had a family meal. How about the cop? I can’t see him piping us aboard.”

“I’ll handle Alex.” Now that she’d suggested it, her mind began to turn quickly. “You know, Natasha and her family are due to visit in a couple of weeks. Things will be crowded and crazy. It might be the perfect opportunity to toss Nick into your not-so-average-family type of situation. I’ll see what I can work out.”

“I know I thanked you before, but I don’t think I know how to tell you how much I appreciate what you’re doing for him.”

“The court—”