Detective Paul Jensen has the hots for his downstairs neighbor. After barging into her place wearing nothing but leopard-print underwear to save her from a would-be attacker, he might just get his chance with her.

Ever since her good-for-nothing husband ran off with a woman half her age, Celeste Kolowski emotionally shut down. But now, sexier-than-sin Paul from upstairs offers the one thing she's craving-a night of passion. He's too young, too handsome, too experienced, and her adult daughters have a crush on him. So why does her heart tell her to jump in and see what happens anyway?

She sat on one end of the sofa, tucked her legs beneath her, and cradled the warm mug between her hands. As if reading his thoughts, she raised an eyebrow at him. "If you're afraid I'm going to fall apart, you have nothing to worry about."

He shoved his hands in his jacket pockets and grinned as he sauntered over to the other end of the couch. "That's good to know." He sat down and watched her face for any sign that he made her uncomfortable with his nearness. Delayed reaction to having a man in close quarters.

Not even an eyelid flicker.

But her gaze did zero back in on his chest where his jacket gapped open. He supposed he could have put on a shirt before coming back to her apartment, but he'd been in a hurry to get that asshole away from her.

She licked her lips again, and his cock twitched. Damn, she was sexy when she did that. He should go. Obviously, she was fine.

"Why do you keep staring at me?" She set the hot chocolate on the end table then folded her hands together in her lap. It was something else he'd always found so attractive about her. She was...ladylike. In everything she did. Even wearing her hospital scrubs-which was what he normally saw her in-she carried herself just so. He'd never heard her cuss, never heard her raise her voice.

She cleared her throat, and he realized he'd been staring at the creamy length of her neck. Jerking his gaze up to hers, he covered with, "I was wondering if he hurt you when he ripped your blouse."

"I'm fine."

Beautiful is what she was. Her eyes were as blue and clear as tropical waters. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Her long lashes swept down as she blinked in slow motion. A slight tinge of pink colored her cheeks, but she recovered quickly. "It was a momentary lapse in judgment that should have never happened. Thank you for coming to my rescue."

A smile tugged at his lips. "You had things under control rather well by the time I got here."

She didn't smile. Didn't show much of any reaction, except a slight twist to her upper lip-a look of disgust.

Pulling his hands from his pockets, he turned sideways to face her better. "Celeste, you did good. I'm pretty sure that even if I hadn't come in, he was in no shape to continue. You caused some serious damage."

She looked into his eyes for a long moment before she turned her head and stared off across the room. "I invited him here to have sex. He expected it. I'm the one who changed up the rules." She shrugged. "Part of me can't blame him for getting angry."

"Whoa. Hold on now." He reached over and touched her chin. She turned to look at him, and he said, "You of all people know that it is not your fault. It is never the woman's fault. You're perfectly allowed to change your mind."

"Me of all people?" She frowned. "What's that mean?"

He sighed and took her hand in his, unable to not touch her. She was so petite, so tiny. When he thought of that asshole manhandling her, he saw red. Her hands were soft, her nails trimmed short and neat. He skimmed his thumb over her knuckles, noting that she wore no jewelry. "You deal with rape victims in the ER. What do you tell them?"

She sighed and tugged her hand from him. "I wasn't raped. And I learned a lesson."

He narrowed his eyes. "What lesson?" Sounded to him as though she were blaming herself. Maybe she wasn't as put together as she wanted him to think.

"I'm too old to get laid." With that pronouncement, she stood up, picked up her mug, and moved into the kitchen.

"Wait a second." He shoved up off the couch and followed her. "What exactly do you mean by that?" She was a vibrant woman, and he'd wanted to have sex with her for the last five years. Sure, she was a little older than him, but damn, she was fucking hot.

After setting her cup in the sink, she tugged her lapels closer together and crossed her arms over her chest. She met his gaze straight on when she said, "It's been eight years since my husband of twenty years left me for a girl barely older than our daughters. Sometimes I get lonely. I thought I could just have some casual sex and a little companionship for a night. But once he was here, this...this stranger, I couldn't do it."

Paul's heart melted. Completely. A puddle in his chest. But he didn't expect the words that came out of his mouth. "If that's what you wanted, you could have come upstairs anytime."

Celeste's mouth dropped open, but then she snapped it shut so fast her teeth clicked. "Excuse me?"

Open mouth. Insert foot. Well, now that he'd started it, he might as well finish it. "I've thought about you. I've thought about having sex with you. A lot."

"Oh, for crying out-" She shook her head. "You have young, gorgeous women in and out of your place constantly. As if you'd sit around thinking about your much older neighbor in a romantic way."

He did think about her in a romantic way. Constantly. And... He scowled. "I haven't had a woman in my apartment in several months."

She tipped her head to the side, and the smile she gave was fake and...condescending. "Come on now, Paul. These apartments aren't exactly soundproof. I know you have a healthy sex life."

"And because of the lack of soundproofing, I know you fly solo way too often."