"Help me get a dress on," I said, trying to will him into faster movement. The man was a slug in molasses on a cold day. I wanted to grab his shoulders, tug him in the right direction. But his shoulders were out of bounds.
He stood there, a dumbfounded look on his face. "All of this freakout is over her parents? Are they horrible people who hurt orphans or kill vagrants?"
I jerked back. "No! They're the salt of the earth. Very loving and cuddly." A smile pulled at my mouth. "Especially Momma. But you don't want to get on their bad side. I don't want you on their bad side. And if they find out that you were here last night, you'll never crawl out of the bad side." I cradled his cheeks between my palms. "They're important to me, Ryker."
He leaned forward, pressed his lips to mine. "Then
