Free In Broad Daylight by Marie Ferrarella

Patrick was married and expecting his
    first little Cavanaugh.

    Yes, Dax thought, he was lucky. They all were. A simple roll of the dice and fate could
    have given him the life of the woman next to him.

    And yet, Brenda seemed unscathed by it. Sharp, dedicated and passionate.

    It was the passion that was arousing him now, he realized. Passion in anyone always made
    them appear more alive, more vivid. In a woman as beautiful as Brenda York, it was
    especially alluring.

    He rose to join her. "So, is there anyone special in your life right now?"

    Brenda nodded. He felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, as if he'd lost
    something. But that was ridiculous, he told himself, because he hadn't had anything to
    begin with.

    "A classroom full of special someones," she told him.

    Somewhere deep inside of him, a ray of hope nudged its way forward. "You're talking
    about the kids in your class."

    She smiled and for the first time, he saw a light enter her eyes. The sexual pull he felt
    was almost overwhelming.

    "Yes."

    "I was talking about someone taller." Initially, when he'd come to the school, she and
    Harwood had seemed rather tight. "The headmaster—"

    Her eyes widened at the suggestion. "Matthew? No. Oh God, no. He's just a very kind
    man."

    He'd picked up something in the headmaster's manner toward her. It had made him
    wonder if they'd had a prior or present relationship. "Looked as if he'd like to be kinder if you let him."

    Was it that evident? She felt protective of the man who had given her a job when others
    wouldn't. She'd been more than a few credits short of her teaching credentials when
    she'd come toHarwoodAcademy. He'd allowed her to teach while working on her degree.

    "Maybe, but I don't have that kind of relationship with him. That would be mixing
    business with my private life."

    "And you like the lines to stay clear." It wasn't a guess. He could tell by the way she spoke.

    "It keeps things simpler."

    What he was feeling right now wasn't simple. It was very, very complicated. Although he
    liked women in all sizes and shapes and had a social life that would have contented any two
    normal men, he'd always been careful not to step over a line, not to mix his professional
    and private life.

    But right now, he was entertaining thoughts that definitely crossed all the lines.

    "It's getting late." He nodded toward the printer. It had stopped humming several
    minutes ago. "Have you finished doing what you came to do?"

    By her count, she'd printed up a thousand flyers. She took two boxes that the initial
    paper had been packaged in and deposited the eight-by-ten-inch sheets into them. It was a
    start. "Yes, for now."

    "Good." Stacking one box on top of another, Dax picked them both up. "I'll walk you to your car," he told her.

    The entire time he'd spent with her at the school, she couldn't shake the feeling that she
    was keeping him from something. Maybe he'd driven up here for a reason other than the
    one he'd given her.

    "You don't have to."

    He was already standing in the doorway, waiting for her to join him. "I don't have anything
    pressing to do at the moment."

    Closing down the computer and switching off the printer, she picked up her purse and
    then joined him. "You're just afraid I'm going to stay here."

    "Maybe," he allowed.

    Waiting for her to cross the threshold, he shut the light off.

    The night was warm and musky, one of those spring evenings that acted as a preview to
    the summer that was barely waiting in the wings. The dusk that had been there when she
    arrived had given way to a velvety night.

    The full moon shone on the lot, casting a pool of light on the asphalt. It illuminated their
    way far better than the two street lamps located at the far end of the sidewalk.

    Like two strangers seeking company, his car was parked beside hers. Dax watched her
    open the passenger door. She indicated that he should place the two boxes of flyers on
    the seat.

    He set them down on