Lawton subtly straightened and turned fully to face her, all traces of indolence gone. “You had an accident?”
Oh dear, he’s getting the wrong impression! “Oh no, not me. It was my father and my fiancé—they were killed in a traffic accident last March.”
He stirred as if he had started to reach out and then thought better of it. “I’m sorry. That must have been rough for you.”
The low rasp of his voice felt like a touch, a work-roughened hand gently laid upon her skin. For a moment, she could not reply to his quiet condolences, too caught up in the sound and feel of his voice.
Melissa returned to reality reluctantly, memories bringing a haze of moisture to her eyes. “Yes, it was. I was devastated. The worst was when I had to go and identify them. I had nightmares about that for weeks.” Sh
