My eyes widened as I read the tag. “Nurse Feel Good?”

“It reminded me of when you took care of me when I was sick.” His face was unusually flush, like he’d actually been embarrassed to give it to me.

“You want me to wear this?”

He bit his bottom lip. “Not now.”

I looked down at the tag again. “Panties not included. Something tells me that’s because I’m not supposed to wear any?”

“Look…I know I may never actually get to see you in that. Honestly, I just got really turned on in the store thinking about you in it. I had to buy it. A guy can dream, right?”

He was getting turned on thinking about me, and I was getting really turned on thinking about him getting turned on thinking about me.

I cleared my throat. “What are you going to be?”

Winking, he said, “It’s a surprise.”

We had about an hour before the trick or treaters were set to start arriving. Justin hung the orange lights along the window and put some lit carved pumpkins outside along the steps. He dimmed the main lights in the house and lit candles. It was a cross between spooky, romantic and cozy.

“Living in the city, I really missed Halloween,” he said, ripping open bags and filling the bowl with candy. “You don’t get trick or treaters at the apartment.”

I smiled inwardly, noticing he’d bought extra of my favorite candy bars from when we were kids, Almond Joy.

“I’m gonna go upstairs and get Bea dressed, get into my costume, too,” I said.

“Alright. I’ll go change after you.”

Upstairs, I slipped into the slinky black outfit which looked like it could have been spray painted onto my body. Placing the mask on, I looked at myself in the mirror. It was pretty damn sexy, actually. It was no wonder why he’d chosen it. My own knee-high black leather stiletto boots completed the look. Bea was standing in the crib looking amused at seeing her mommy in this getup.

After getting her into the furry bumblebee costume, we returned downstairs.

Justin’s eyes popped as he looked me up and down. “Wow. Look at you. I definitely picked the right costume.”

“Not very scary. More sexy.”

“Well, you’re scaring me stiff.” He wriggled his brows before taking Bea from me and kissing her on the cheek. “You are officially a bumblebee now, Bumblebee.” Carrying her over to the window, he said. “Look at the lights, Bea. I put them up for you.” He’d gone off with her, his voice no longer audible as he whispered in her ear while showing her the decorations. He took her outside to look at the carved pumpkins.

I just stood back and watched them, wondering when exactly we’d become a little family. Was there an exact moment when we had crossed over? As much as I wanted to deny it as a self-protective mechanism, the past four months with Justin had felt more like a family experience than anything else in my entire life ever had. Scary or not, it had happened—both of us unable to admit it to each other. It had just evolved naturally without discussion. But while Bea was my entire life for at least the next eighteen years, was Justin only temporarily playing house? That remained to be seen.

Justin walked over and handed her to me. “I’m gonna go change. Be right back.”

The first group of trick or treaters arrived before Justin returned. Carrying Bea in one arm, I grabbed the large bowl and headed to the door to give out the candy.

As I was waving them off, I felt the warmth of his body behind me.

“I’m back.”

When I turned around, the sight of him nearly knocked the wind out of me. Justin was dressed in all black. He was supposed to be a SWAT team officer. A short sleeve black shirt displayed his muscular arms. A black vest with the words SWAT in white covered the shirt. He was wearing sleek black pants and heavy combat boots. It was one of the hottest things I’d ever seen.

“Oh my…” My body was burning up beneath my tight spandex getup.

“You like it?”

“Yeah…I love it.”

“They didn’t have a ton of costumes left in my size. It was either this or a clown. I didn’t want to scare Bea.”

“This was…yeah…a very good call.”

“I’m glad you think so,” he whispered close to my neck.

We only got a few trick or treaters, but it was still exciting anytime anyone knocked on the door. I was grateful that Roger was out in Irvine visiting his daughter, so that I didn’t have to deal with any potential awkwardness between him and Justin. If Roger were home, he might have stopped in to say hello. We hadn’t gone out again since the jazz festival. Things between Justin and me had evolved a bit since then.

It was almost time to call lights out. Cheri from next door had stopped in to see Bea in her costume. As I lingered at the door after saying goodbye to her, I looked over at Justin and Bea in the kitchen. As I watched him rocking her to sleep, a realization hit me. Whether I avoided a sexual relationship with him or not, my heart was already invested. In my mind, he belonged to me. So avoiding him physically out of fear just meant that I was missing out on something I desperately needed and wanted. Whether we had sex or not, if he left, I’d be just as devastated. Looking over at him in that sexy as hell SWAT uniform, I just knew I couldn’t let fear prevent me from experiencing it any longer.

I walked over to the both of them and kissed Bea’s head softly. When I looked up at him, he was already looking down at me with an intensity that almost seemed as if he knew exactly what I’d been thinking just seconds earlier. He cupped my entire face in his hand and pulled me firmly into his lips. It was the first time we’d kissed since the moment right before my date with Roger. This kiss was different than that one; it was tender.

My whole body felt limp as he spoke gruffly over my lips, “Why don’t you put her to bed.”

I simply nodded. My legs felt wobbly as I walked up the stairs. In my room, I carefully removed Bea from her costume so as not to wake her and placed her in the crib.

As I took off my Catwoman leotard, I stared over at the Adam and Eve bag taunting me on the bureau.

Should I?

I thought about his admission that he’d fantasized about me in it and decided to shock him by putting it on. I placed the sheer material over my head. My swollen breasts were completely exposed with only the red crosses barely covering my nipples. It seriously looked obscenely hot; he was going to freak.

Slipping my own red thong on, I was already wet just thinking about his reaction. Tonight, I was going to be able to touch him, taste him, do all of the things I’d dreamt about. Goosebumps covered my entire body as I tiptoed down the hall.

His door was halfway open while he stood shirtless looking out the window as the moonlight shined on his gorgeous silhouette. Justin had been waiting for me.

He’d kept the black trousers on from the SWAT getup. They hugged his round ass so perfectly that my mouth watered from the urge to bite it. I’d admired his beautiful body like this so many times before from afar, yet I knew this time was different.

“Hi,” I said, prompting him to turn around.

As he took me in from top to bottom, Justin’s breath hitched, his hungry eyes soaking in every inch of me. “Fuck,” he growled under his breath. “Holy shit. You’re wearing it.”

He slowly approached then took my face in both of his palms. I was shivering with need. He slid his hands down then traced his index finger down my neck, over my breasts and stopped at my navel. His eyes looked like he was in a trance as he examined every inch of my body, which was completely exposed through the sheer fabric.