Simon Says Die

teasing her until she parted her lips on a soft sigh.
    He swept his tongue inside, and pulled her closer. At her lack of response, he finally pulled back in frustration. She stared up at him, blinking like an owl.
    Then she burst into tears.
    â€œAh hell.” He pulled her against his chest, feeling like a jerk. “Not exactly the reaction I was going for.” He rocked her against him, not sure what to do. He’d never, not once, seen her cry like this. Even the tears she’d shed back at the police station didn’t compare to the flood of tears streaming down her face now, as she took in big gulping breaths between sobs.
    The whole idea of her breaking down like this seemed foreign. She was a rock. If anything, she seemed too strong sometimes. He didn’t have a clue how to comfort her.
    A slow song flowed out of the speakers across the room. In desperation, he stood with her in his arms, kicked the coffee table out of the way, and set her on her feet. He put his arms around her, hugged her against his chest, and started swaying to the music.
    Relief swept through him when she started swaying too. He took one of her hands in his and moved around the room in slow circles. Her sniffles gradually quieted until they finally stopped.
    When another slow song came on, she tugged her hand free and reached up to lock her arms behind his head. Her eyes had lost their glassy look and were focused on him now, as she moved with him.
    â€œI didn’t know you could dance,” she whispered.
    â€œI can’t. I’m totally faking it and hoping you won’t notice.”
    Some of her spark was coming back into her eyes as she gave him a small smile. “Oh, I don’t know. I sense some raw talent here. You’re better than you think.” She sniffed again, and lowered her head against his chest.
    Her fingers started playing with his hair, stroking his neck, sending heat racing down his spine. He cleared his throat and tried to concentrate on the music so that he wouldn’t step on her feet.
    She moved closer to him, the heat of her belly cuddled against his groin. He stumbled but quickly recovered, trying to think of something, anything , but the warm woman pressed against him. The dancing had calmed her, and woke her up from that scary trance she’d been in earlier. He didn’t want to do anything that might make her go back to being the quiet, lost woman she’d been a few minutes ago.
    Because that had scared the hell out of him.
    One of her arms slowly slid from around his neck, her fingers brushing down his chest, across his abs. He sucked in a breath when she hooked her fingers in the waistband of his pants.
    A trickle of sweat ran down the side of his face, even though the room was on the chilly side because he’d forgotten to turn up the heat when they came in. Madison couldn’t possibly know the effect she was having on him, could she?
    â€œAre you okay?” Her lips moved against his shirt, her hot breath washing through the opening between the buttons and rasping across his skin.
    He tensed and held his breath before slowly letting it out. “Of course.” His voice came out rough and raspy. He cleared his throat. “Why?”
    She slid her finger through his shirt opening and touched his skin. “Your heart’s racing a lot faster than it should for a slow dance.”
    â€œIt’s a bit warm in here. I’ll check the thermostat.” He pulled back.
    Her hand tightened around his waistband, and she tugged him back against her. “Here, I’ll take off your shirt. That should cool you off.” An impish light gleamed in her eyes.
    He grabbed her wandering hands as she started unbuttoning his shirt. “Mads, don’t.”
    She frowned. “Why not?”
    He swallowed, hard. “Because you’re not thinking clearly right now. You’re under a lot of stress.”
    Her mouth curved up in a delighted grin. “I know a great stress reliever.” She grabbed the edges of his shirt and yanked it open, sending the buttons flying.
    Now this was the Madison that Pierce remembered.
    Grabbing her hands, he stopped swaying to the music. “I’m very glad the real Madison is back, but I’m not going to do something you’ll regret later.” He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “No matter how much I want to.”
    He retreated several more steps, but she followed him, her