If You Know Her: A Novel of Romantic Suspense

around her waist. “Why do you have my keys?” she asked as she lifted the coffee to her lips.
    “Ah, just forgot to give them to you. Tired, late. You know.”
    “Hmmm.” She sipped. The caffeine hit her stomach like a sucker punch, strong and powerful. “Tired. Late. Right. Thanks.”
    She slipped him a look and tried not to think about the way it made her feel when she saw him staring at her. Too hot inside, like she’d all but bathed her insides with the steaming coffee he’d brought her. Too damned hot.
    Swallowing a whimper, she looked away. “Well, thanks. Appreciate the coffee. You bringing my bike back.” She paused and shot him a look. “You didn’t wreck it, right?”
    “Nah.” He grinned at her. “I can handle a bike. She’s a nice one, too.”
    “Hmm. Well, don’t expect to ride her again. But still … thanks. For everything.”
For not pawing me last night even though I was pawing you—oh wait, no, why
didn’t
you paw me?
    She’d wanted him to paw her. Still wanted it. She was still aching, deep down low, aching and so damn needy it was almost pathetic. No. It was pathetic. She needed, wanted, and more than anything, she was dying to put the coffee down, go to him and wrap her arms around him, see if he really tasted as good as she thought he had. See if he felt the way she thought he did …
    Maybe it was all just a drunken fog and he wasn’t that special. She could find out and then move past it.
    Easy.
    Right?
    So easy.
    Even as she considered that idea, he jerked a shoulder in a shrug and said, “Yeah. Okay. Take it easy.”
    As he turned for the door, her heart leaped into her throat.
    “Wait.”
    With his hand closed around the doorknob, he looked back over his shoulder at her. Tawny hair fell into those intense eyes as he paused, waiting expectantly.
    Her mouth went dry. Wait—shit, what was she asking him to wait for?
    Her hands were shaking as she set her coffee down. Best place for it—the way her hands were shaking, she didn’t
need
to be holding the damn coffee. “Ahh, listen. About last night …”
    “Don’t worry about it,” he said, his voice distant. Polite.
    Hell. And what if I want to worry about it? What if I can’t stop thinking about it?
    “Um. Well, I just … I’d had a few too many beers, and just was … well …” Hell.
I acted like a damn tramp, and I don’t care and why in the hell didn’t you just give me what I wanted? What I still want?
    She swallowed, looking past him. “I …” She blew out a breath, but nothing was making this any easier. Nia didn’t have these kinds of problems, damn it. She didn’t. If she wanted a guy, she wanted a guy. Granted, she preferred to have some sort of connection first, a strong one—and she sure as hell felt one here, even if she didn’t really know him.
    When there wasn’t a connection and she needed some sort of release, she could handle it herself—no guy required.She actually
preferred
it that way. It was easier, safer, just plain better.
    But she’d already proved that wouldn’t work right now. She wanted
him
. Needed
him
.
    “Look,” she said, clearing her throat.
I can do this. I know he wants me. This is easy. Hell, he probably was holding on to my keys
hoping
for something like this, right?
“About last night …”
    “Nia, it’s not a problem,” Law said, his voice taking on a hard edge.
    Narrowing her eyes, she snapped, “Well, it sure as hell is one for me!”
    Law pulled his hand away from the doorknob and turned around, leaned back against the door. “Okay. Since you seem determined to lay into me about something, why don’t you tell me what the problem is, then?”
    “You didn’t finish it.”
    Oh. Fucking. Hell
.
    She hadn’t just said that … hadn’t just blurted it out like that, had she?
    Law stared at her.
    His brows drew low over his eyes. His voice was a low rasp as he said, “I didn’t …” He stopped, cleared his throat. “I didn’t finish what?”
    Nia wiped her hands down her robe, then reached for the belt on her waist. She was making a mess of this. She could talk to people. At least she could
usually
talk to people. Guys were easy for her; she could be glib and charming and if she needed sex, then she was okay
getting
sex, but damn it if she was okay with anything right now. Not her life, not how she felt, and certainly not anything that included Law.
    Untying the belt, she shrugged out of the robe and then stepped toward him.