Murder Deja Vu

had almost robbed him of that.
    He remembered back, twenty-one years. That first week. Then his heart turned hard, and he forced the memories from his mind.

Chapter Five
Life’s Outline

    D ana spent most of the next week finishing the first draft of her novel. Engrossed in her story, she didn’t hear Reece enter her study. She’d removed her sweater as the day warmed and felt his hands resting on her bare shoulders. They were rough to the touch but gentle in pressure. She turned and looked up at him. She knew now what it meant to say that eyes smiled. His did. She stood, expecting him to kiss her. He didn’t.
    His gaze took in every feature of her face, and heat radiated through his hands to her shoulders, leaving her limp under his touch. He proceeded to undress her. She offered no resistance. When he finished, he shed his clothes in a few effortless movements. He never touched her in a sexual sense but took her hand and led her to the bathroom and the large tiled shower. He tempered the water and they stepped inside, letting the hard spray pelt them.
    Placing his palms on her cheeks, he bent down and brushed his lips to hers while his hands glided from her cheeks into her hair. Her insides almost caved from feelings she couldn’t explain and had never before experienced. They soaped one another, examining and touching each other’s bodies for the first time. His was as hard as carved stone. A long, deep scar cut a path down his left side, from below his armpit to his waist. She wanted to ask how he got it, but this wasn’t the time. They rinsed off. He toweled her dry, then himself, and she took his hand and led him to her bed.
    Reece had been right. He was gentle beyond words, making love, not having sex. Giving, not taking. Every move, every touch seemed choreographed, but they weren’t. It was just the way he did things. Fluid and elegant. She struggled not to compare him to Robert, who took her when he wanted, but she lost the battle. Robert never cared that she gave him nothing in return; Reece welcomed that she fell into the moment with no inhibitions. She wondered how he’d endured in a place near hell. What he had left to give.
    “I couldn’t wait any longer. I’ve wanted you every day, every hour.”
    “Right now I don’t care if I ever go back to work.” She ran her finger down the side of his face.
    “You know I speak my mind, Dana, so here it goes. You took me by surprise. Before you, I couldn’t conceive of being involved with any woman. I mean a deep involvement. Truthfully, I couldn’t imagine any woman who knew my history would want anything to do with me. She’d always have doubts. I understand that. People who knew me before still have misgivings, and that hurt will stay with me forever.” His voice cracked on the last word. He reached his hand around her neck. “I don’t know why you didn’t run the other way, but I’m glad you didn’t.”
    She steadied her gaze on him. “It was the animals.”
    “The…animals?”
    “I couldn’t believe anyone who took care of animals the way you do could ever hurt another living thing.”
    He looked at her a long time, steady and penetrating. “I’m not sure that’s true. I often wonder what I’d do if I came face to face with the person who framed me.”
    How could Reece not wonder about that? How could any man not question what he would do when facing the person who destroyed his life? “You’d do the right thing.”
    He pulled her to him and spoke in her ear. “I hope you’re right.”
    “So, where are we?” she asked.
    “I want to know everything about you.”
    She pulled back. “Does that work both ways?”
    He didn’t answer immediately. “My life is divided into three parts. The first is almost unbearably mundane. A boy to young man who did everything expected of him, always centered on a goal, never minding hard work or sacrifice. The second part was simply… unbearable. If you want to know, I’ll tell you, but a little at a time. Not because I don’t want you to know, but because it’s equally unbearable to talk about. Do you understand?”
    “Yes. I do. And the third part?”
    “That seems to be dividing into two parts.” He smiled. “It could be a story outline. Roman numeral three: Part One—the last six years. Part Two is starting now. We’ll have to wait to see how that turns out.”
    She kneeled over him and kissed him. “I want to know. All of it.”
    “Not tonight. I’m afraid of going