Now I was smiling, feeling oddly good. It had been years since I’d believed I had the right to speak freely about Clare or had even a faint hope this case might get solved. And the fact that Alan had remembered her didn’t upset me. It was vaguely comforting. Not everyone had forgotten.

This newfound lightness made me want to have a drink. I set my cup down and rose slowly. He didn’t speak as he watched me come around the counter.

Human contact might distract me, and I didn’t think I’d ever had sex totally sober. All my interactions had been lost in a haze of booze and drugs. Sure, there’d been physical pleasure, but never truly an intentional connection.

Leaning in, I kissed him gently on the lips. “Stop me if you think I’m overstepping.”

His hand rested gently on my hip. “Are you sure?”

I kissed him again. “Yes. That a problem?”

“Not yet. Try again.”

I moistened my lips. My heart beat wildly, and my skin tingled. I kissed him again, and this time pressed my breasts against the smooth cotton of his dress shirt. His hand came to the small of my back and pulled me toward him. Not insistent or sloppy, but careful and testing.

When his hand slipped under my T-shirt and slid up my side, I sucked in a breath.

“That okay?” he asked.

“It is.” My voice sounded raspy. “Been a while.”

“I’m in no rush.”

I cleared my throat. “I assume you have a bed.”

“I do.”

It was after three when I woke beside Alan. My body felt liquid and boneless, and I could’ve spent the afternoon here. I was considering round two when it suddenly occurred to me that Jenny Taylor, the nurse who’d called 9-1-1 after my car accident, might recognize David’s picture. If he’d been the man at my accident, that would be more reason for Richards’s warrant.

I kissed Alan on the lips. “Can I see you again?”

He cupped his hand on the back of my neck. “Why not stay for a while?”

I kissed him again. “I can’t. But rain check?”

“Not going to play junior detective, are you?” He held my face in place.

“Nothing crazy.”

I kissed him again, felt his hand slide to the side of my face as I reluctantly pulled away. I dressed quickly, aware he was watching. “See you soon.”

He sat up, stood, and crossed to me. “Counting on it.”