“True,” she agreed, trying to convince herself it was possible that Abram had called anonymously.

“You tired?”

“Yeah.” She covered a yawn. “It’s been a long day. I think I’ll head to bed. What are you going to do? Are you going to work?”

He rested his forehead against hers. “That depends.”

“On...”

“Whether or not you’ll let me join you.”

Twenty-Five

Seth had told himself he’d leave Tia alone. He’d said he didn’t want to hurt her, and it was true. But having her in the house with him made it almost impossible to keep his distance. She was all he’d been able to think about today. He would’ve blamed that on the drama Kouretas had caused, except he hadn’t been able to focus on anything else even after he heard from her and knew she was safe and hadn’t succumbed to Kouretas’s pathetic attempt to strong-arm her. If he could focus on something else, he would’ve gotten some work done.

Instead, he’d surfed through TV stations while waiting for her to return. And now that she was home, they were in bed together—within a few minutes of her walking through the door.

He told himself he’d get it all figured out in the morning—somehow regain his footing. He couldn’t be expected to think coherently right now. The concern he’d felt today had wound him up, and now that he had her naked body beneath him there was no going back.

She threaded her fingers through his as he settled between her thighs and, closing his eyes in relief, pressed inside her. He’d been without this kind of intimacy for too long, he decided. No way was he going to be able to give it up again, not until Tia left Silver Springs and the temptation went with her.

He dipped his head and kissed her, pulling her lower lip into his mouth for a moment while luxuriating in the taste of her. He planned to take his time tonight, make it last as long as possible, but she surprised him by shifting so that she could be on top.

Once she took control, such a devilish smile tugged at the corners of her mouth that he couldn’t help grinning back. He loved that she was enjoying herself and that she willing to be bold about her own wants and needs. And the sight of her straddling him, with her hair falling over her bare breasts, drove him crazy. She rested her hands on his chest as she began to rock, nearly bringing him to climax, only to stop at the last second and start again, which took him even higher. She did that twice, and might have done it a third time, but he heard her gasp as though her own climax had taken her by surprise.