...Rhys woke at dawn, the premonition of trouble sitting on his chest like an oversized house cat. Sophia slept, sprawled over him, her knee covering his genitals. Memories of the night flooded him. Never had he known such a sense of completion. He wanted her again and again and again, until his body gave out—again.

First, he needed to go relieve the pressure in his bladder. Like now.

He gingerly lifted her limbs, slid out from under the covers, and slunk off the bathroom, taking extreme care not to ram his toes into anything hard. Coming out, his eyes adjusted to the gray light filtering into the room. Cold sweat broke out on his body as he peeked through the crack between the drapes.

The authorities had found them. A police cruiser sat parked behind Sophia’s car, blocking it in. Two uniformed officers stood at the ready. One talked on an old-fashioned two-way radio. The other scanned the area, his hand on his weapon.

Damn. Gardner IV must have finally gone back to her place. Even that dullard would see the broken mirror and her torn slacks and put one and one together and be able to jump to three.

A second vehicle glided to a stop behind the first, and two more policemen climbed out of the vehicle, weapon holsters unsnapped. Worse and worse. Just bloody wonderful.

Rhys had only one option. Well, two, but letting them arrest him wouldn’t work. What would happen when he vanished without a trace from a holding cell one bright, sunny day? He went back to the bed and crawled back under the sheet.

He had to put his arms around her one more time before he sent her back to her life. He gathered her close. “Sophie, wake up, beautiful.”

She opened sleepy eyes and blinked. Gods, she looked like a woman who’d been fucked—and well—all night long.

He lowered his lips to hers and poured everything he had into the kiss. All the wonder of the night spent in her arms, all his longing for a life with her. All his regret.

She clung to him, returning his kiss with awakening passion and her own longing. He pulled away.

“Sophie, the authorities are outside. You need to get dressed and walk out of here like nothing ever happened. Tell them you needed to get away for a night, and you’re going home.”

Her face paled. “I won’t leave you! What will you do? Where will you go?”

“You have to leave me. I’ll be fine. I’ll go out away from civilization and put down a marker. Hector will find me and get me home.”

“I can’t go home. There’s nothing there for me.”

He hesitated. More than anything, he wanted to be with her. But what had to be, had to be. They had to go their separate ways. It was the only solution—for her. She deserved better than him.

“There’s no time and no choice. Go home, beautiful. Go back to your life.”

“No. We’ve got to think of something else.” She pushed him away.

He mourned the loss of her touch, for his arms that would be empty for the rest of his life without the chance to really know her.