“Oh, no, Jimmy!”

“The guy in her apartment that she’d been having an affair with took off running in his underwear like a punk-ass. The cops caught him, though. He didn’t get far. He was scared shitless. They got Jacob, too. He stuck around too long, then ran his car into a ditch going too fast around a curve. The cops got him as he was running away from the car. This place was a fucking circus. People opening their doors and screaming and yelling. No one was trying to help; they were just panicking. He just . . . killed her. Shot her dead. Damn psycho. They’d been married for three years.”

“That’s awful.” Reese’s voice was off. She was upset. And he was going to fucking leave her alone by herself while he cuddled up with his boyfriend?

“I’ve got to go get a shower and some tequila. Anything to wash this shit out of my head. You stay bolted up. You’ll be safe, though. The cops will be all over this scene most of the night. It’s fine. But if you need me, just call.”

I heard Reese stand up and follow him to the door. “I’m glad you’re OK,” she said, and her voice cracked.

“Ah, girl. I’m fine,” he assured her. “Just fucked-up in the head after watching that. I wasn’t close to Melanie. Hardly knew her, but damn, it doesn’t matter. Seeing a person die is tragic. So fucking tragic.”

They said their good-byes, and I could hear Reese locking the door as the bolt slid into place.

“Hey. Did you hear everything?” she asked me. There was a tightness in her voice. Like she was trying not to cry.

“Yeah. That’s messed up. But it wasn’t a random act of violence. So no one is coming back to fire any more shots. You’re safe,” I assured her.

She didn’t reply right away. I wondered if she was afraid to sleep now. After all that, she needed someone to be there with her and hold her.

“Go get ready for bed. Lay the phone down. I’ll wait. Then take me to bed with you. I’ll be right here at your ear. We can talk until you fall asleep. OK?”

“OK . . . you don’t mind doing that?”

I wasn’t going to be able to sleep tonight. I’d be worried about her. But she didn’t need to know that. “I want to. Now, go get ready for bed. I’ll wait.”

“Thank you,” she whispered.

While she got ready I put the phone on speaker and slipped it into my pocket, then headed inside. I put my beer can into the recycling bucket and washed up a few items in my sink.

Once I had that done, I went to my room. I brushed my teeth and stripped off the clothes I’d thrown on when I had been terrified for Reese and ready to go after her. Then I crawled into bed. Within minutes, her voice came back on the line.

“I’m back,” she said, and I could hear the covers rustling.

I put one hand behind my head and lay on my back, staring at the ceiling fan in my room. Images of Reese in her bed were affecting me. I should have felt really damn guilty about it, but I couldn’t help it.

“You want to read to me some more?” I asked, trying to think of anything to say to get my mind off what she was wearing.

“No . . . not really. My brain is too tired to read,” she said. She was moving around again. I could hear the muffled sounds of her sheets.

“What do you wear to sleep?” I asked her, before I could stop myself. I had to know. It was driving me crazy.

She let out a little laugh. “Nothing special. Just cutoff sweatpants and a tank top. It’s soft and old, and I love to sleep in it.”

I really wanted to see that soft, old tank top on her. The image in my head was wreaking havoc with my dick. It had stirred to life. But I had asked her what she was wearing, so I had brought this on myself. “What color is it?” I asked, wincing at my words. Dammit, what was I doing?

“Pink . . . or it was. It’s faded now. Not so pink anymore,” she replied hesitantly.

“Sounds comfortable.”

“Mmm-hmm,” was her only response. I started to change the subject for my own sake, but I didn’t get a chance. “Do you just sleep in your underwear?” she asked, so softly I almost missed her question.

I thought she’d known just how naked I slept after I’d come out into the hall wrapped in a sheet the first time we met. “No,” I replied, surprised that she’d asked me.

“Oh. I just assumed that since you came running into the game room in your boxers when I cut my hand, you must sleep in them.”

A grin tugged at my lips. I’d snatched those out of my duffel and jerked them on while running down the hall toward her that morning.

“I put those on before coming to check on you,” I explained.

A quick intake of breath was her only response.

“Sleeping naked ain’t so bad. You should try it sometime,” I teased, trying to lighten the mood, since she seemed at a loss for words.

Then she giggled. Mission accomplished. “I’m not sure I could do that,” she said in an amused tone.

I was sure she could. My mind was playing with images of her doing just that. Then I joined her in my imagination, and it got even more interesting. Those long legs and that little freckle tucked below her ass would be the first things I explored. An image of her on my bed, with her ass stuck up in the air so I could nuzzle and kiss that freckle, sent a hard throb to my cock.

I wrapped my hand around it and squeezed, trying to calm it the fuck down. It was hot to the touch and wasn’t going to cool itself anytime soon. Especially with Reese’s voice heating me up.