“I can’t help it.”

“Look as much as you’d like. You can touch, too. I need a little time before there will be any action, but it shouldn’t be long.”

She put her hand on his rear—his naked rear—and he just stood there. Emboldened, she traced the muscles in his back before circling around to the front where she ran her hands across his chest. He felt good. Warm and strong and masculine.

Without warning, he pulled her in front of him and turned her so they were both facing the large bathroom mirror. Her hair was a mess, her makeup was smudged, but what really got her attention was the satisfaction in her eyes. She looked like what she was—a woman who had been completely pleasured.

“Nice,” he murmured, moving her hair so he could nibble on her neck. “Very nice.”

“It is. Are we going to do it again?”

He met her gaze in the mirror. “Are you saying that it’s better with me than by yourself?”

She smiled. “Yes, I am.”

“I’m glad.” He straightened and took her hand. “Come on. While I recover my strength, let’s see how many more times I can make you scream.”

“A man with a mission. I like that.”

Thaddeus pushed the button to dial Unity. He wanted to see her with an intensity that made him feel like a kid again. Anticipation quickened his breathing, which made him feel ridiculous, but there was no getting around the truth.

She got to him. The kiss they’d shared had kept him up nights and he wanted to repeat it. He wanted to do more, but knew that wasn’t likely. Not for a while. Unity was still feeling her way.

But he wasn’t. The more he spent time with her, the more he liked her. He liked how genuine she was, how she wore her heart—and her pain—on her sleeve. He liked looking at her and being with her and thinking about her. He’d been with a lot of women in his life, but she was different. She got to him in a way no one had before.

“Hello?”

He smiled at the sound of her voice. “It’s Thaddeus.”

“I saw your name on the screen. Hi.”

“I thought maybe we could do something on Saturday. Hang out for the day. I doubt you want to give rock climbing another try but maybe we could go for a day hike. Or we could come back over here.”

He told himself to stop talking. He sounded too eager and hopeful. He was the man—he should be cool.

“I can’t,” she said, her voice soft.

“I’m free Sunday, if that works better.”

“It’s not the day.”

She hesitated and in that pause, he knew. It wasn’t about availability. It wasn’t the day—it was him.

“I don’t want to see you anymore,” she told him, then winced. “I’m sorry. That came out more harshly than I meant it to. I like you, it’s not that. We’ve had fun and it’s been great, but I just can’t go out with you. I’m not ready to date anyone.”