“O-okay. That’s fair.” As soon as she was naked, she’d let him know what else she’d said to Eddie.

But then his mouth crushed hers, and she stopped thinking altogether.

He didn’t have the patience to take off his own clothes, but he stripped her, then slammed and locked the bedroom door in case any little Calebows decided to come visit their Auntie M.

“On that bed. Right now.”

Oh, yes. As fast as she could get there.

“Open your legs.”

Yes, sir.

“Wider.”

She gave him a couple of inches.

“Don’t make me have to ask you again.”

She slid up her knees. It would never be like this for her again. Never again would she feel so absolutely safe with a dangerous man.

She heard the sound of his zipper. A rough growl. “How do you want it?”

“Oh, shut up.” She reached out and opened her arms. “Shut up and come here.”

Seconds later she felt his weight settling over her. He was still angry, she knew that, but it didn’t stop him from touching her in all the places she loved to be touched.

His voice was low and husky, and his breath stirred a lock of hair near her ear. “You’re making me crazy, you know that, don’t you?”

She pressed her cheek to his hard jaw. “I know. I’m sorry.”

His voice grew softer and tighter. “It can’t—we can’t keep …”

She bit her lip and held him tight. “I know that, too.”

He might not understand that this was going to be the last time, but she did. He drove deep and high inside her, just the way he knew she liked. Her body arched. She found her rhythm and gave him everything. Just once more. Just this one last time.

Usually, when it was over, he drew her onto his chest, and they cuddled and talked. Who’d been more magnificent, her or him? Who’d made the most noise? Why Glamour was superior to Sports Illustrated. But this morning they didn’t play. Instead, Kevin turned away, and Molly slipped into the bathroom to clean up and dress.

The air was still damp from the storm, so she pulled a sweatshirt over her shorts and top. He was waiting on the screen porch, Roo at his feet. Steam curled from his coffee mug as he gazed out into the woods. She huddled deeper into the warmth of the sweatshirt. “Are you ready to hear the rest of it?”

“I guess I’d better be.”

She made herself look at him. “I told Eddie that even though you were selling this place, you were still emotionally attached to it, and you couldn’t stand the thought of something happening to the lake. Because of that, you were in denial about it being contaminated. I said you weren’t deliberately deceiving him; you couldn’t help it.”

“And he believed this?”