Obeying his request, Amara slid to the floor in front of Reece. She removed her gown, tossed it aside, and pushing his knees open, she moved in between. Slowly, deliberately, Amara eased the tab of his zipper down and over the thick shaft stretching tight the front of his jeans. Then, she grasped the waistband and pulled both his pants and briefs down his legs and off, leaving him just as naked as she was. Wetting her lips with her tongue as if he were a sensual feast she was about to devour, she encircled his hard length with her soft, slender fingers and squeezed his erect flesh. A drop of pre-come appeared, and Amara used her thumb to spread the silky bead of moisture over the broad tip and along the ridge of his shaft. His stomach muscles flexed, his member pulsed in response, and a lustful groan rumbled in his chest, encouraging her to continue. The sweetest, most seductive smile appeared on her lips."Now it's your turn to watch."

The words written on the napkin hit her in the stomach with the force of a thousand heavyweight boxers. Cold sweat went down her spine and her heart stopped beating for a few instants. "Oh, God…" Amara croaked and dropped the ominous note as if it were toxic waste. Her entire body shook uncontrollably, the tremors starting deep and working their way up to the surface. The words ‘be more careful of your surroundings’ echoed strongly in her mind, and an image of the man at the restaurant saying them formed in her head. Had he followed her here to where she worked? And if so, why? The questions came fast and furiously, but unfortunately, there were no answers. Her head spun, an awful pressure grew in her chest, and an unexplainable fear clawed inside her as if attempting to break loose. Amara swayed on her feet, desperately trying to tamp down those alarming emotions, afraid if she dared to set them free, they'd strangle her.

It was nine-thirty the following morning before Reece heard the upstairs shower turn on and assumed that Amara had finally gotten out of bed. As for him, he'd been awake since before his alarm clock had gone off at five. He'd taken his own shower, had quietly gotten dressed for the day, then left Amara burrowed deep in the covers while he headed downstairs, to his home office. He wanted to get some work done before she woke up and he finally explained her past relationship with that bastard called Don Anderson. Last night, the woman he had in his bed had been completely and utterly insatiable to the point of exhausting them both, Reece recalled with a smile. They'd made love three times, and once their passions had cooled, peace and calm had settled over Amara. When she'd snuggled up to him and asked him to just hold her, Reece hadn't been able to destroy the bubble of intimacy with a serious discussion about her stalker. He knew there would be

By the time Reece lifted his head and grinned down at her, Amara was completely breathless, aroused, and flushed from his unexpected, spur-of-the-moment public display of affection.“What…” she mouthed and stopped. As she met Reece's tender, affectionate gaze, her heart swelled with… love for him, so full it felt near to bursting with emotion. And for the moment, for the night, the feelings between them were all that mattered to her. By eleven that night, the wedding revelry had died down considerably, leaving the last of the die-hard party guests to bring the evening's celebration to a close. A couple of dozen people remained, milling around and conversing with friends, and taking advantage of the music the band was still playing. Since Bryce and Claire had slipped out of the reception an hour earlier to get a head start on their wedding night, Reece had taken it upon himself to issue goodbyes and thank-yous to the guests as they left the dwind

From a very early age, he'd learned to guard his thoughts and feelings, protect his emotions from potential pain, and form no attachments other than to his immediate family. Reece had broken every single one of those rules with Amara, who'd gotten under his skin and filled an emptiness in him he hadn't even known existed until her arrival, until the first moment he’d seen her. And for the first time ever, Reece wanted a woman in his life permanently… He was in love up head over heels and he was willing to risk everything to give up his solitary lifestyle and make a forever kind of commitment to Amara, who was just as much of a lost and lonely soul as he'd been. But first, he had to tell her the truth… and have as much faith in her as he could. Uncertainties and doubts attacked Reece's empty stomach, invading his system like angry bees, making him all too aware of everything Amara stood to lose, too. Inhaling a steady breath, he squeeze