On Chief Pittman’s orders, the deputy on night duty was waiting for Wilson in the parking lot and escorted him to the night deposit drop-off at the bank.

Wilson waved his thanks and drove off. The grand opening of the Crown had been a huge success. But like everyone else in town, he was curious about the identity of the new owner.

* * *

The drive home was comfortably silent for Sully and Melissa. She was wondering if she even remembered how this went, and Sully was wondering how he would stack up beside the husband she’d lost.

Once inside the house, Sully set the security alarm while Melissa went upstairs. She stepped into her darkened room to leave her purse and jacket, and was kicking off her shoes when there was a sound behind her.

Sully was standing in the doorway, silhouetted by the hall light behind him.

“The house is secure,” he said.

Seeing him there and hearing his voice made her ache.

“You do realize I have no freaking idea how to be seductive,” she said.

He walked to her, then took her in his arms.

“You still don’t get it, do you? You turn me on with little more than a look. Your laugh makes my pulse kick, and your tears destroy me. I don’t want a striptease. I just want you.”

Melissa put her arms around his neck and leaned into him.

“I’m already yours,” she said.

When Sully began unbuttoning her blouse, Melissa unfastened her jeans and let them fall to the floor. Her blouse landed on top of the jeans, followed by her bra. She stood before him wearing nothing but a lacy pair of black hipster briefs, and watched as he came out of his clothes until he stood naked before her.

For a few moments, neither moved. Then Sully pushed the briefs down her hips. She stepped out of them and walked straight into his arms.

“So damn beautiful,” he whispered, and then took her to bed.

She stretched out beneath him, welcoming the warmth of his mouth on her lips. She locked her hands at the back of his neck and pulled him closer as their kisses grew longer, the intensity deepening by the moment.

When he shifted from her mouth to her body, she felt a sense of urgency in his touch. She’d forgotten the pleasure of that quickening in her belly and the growing ache for more.

She could feel the warmth of his breath upon her skin, and the pounding beat of his heart beneath her palms. When he gently pushed his knee between her legs, she moved to let him in.

The joining was so much more than she’d expected. Her eyes were awash in tears before she knew it. So long. It had been so long. And when he began to move, she wrapped her legs around his waist and fell into the rhythm of love.

Sully had lost all sense of time, but he could feel the urgency in her body as her muscles began to tense beneath his touch.