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"Oh, baby," he said, dropping the re his hands flat on the bed to lean in and growl, "I’"

He was close enough she felt his breath on her lips as he spoke, and then Jake kissed her She suspected he’d , but it didn’t end up that way Quite simply, it couldn’t end up that way The moment his lips touched hers, the passion that always see roared up between the hallhen a door was opened In the next moment, Nicole somehow found herself flat on her back in the bed with hi out all her hot spots through the flannel paja hoht; her own hands were pulling at his clothes, tearing at theue and thrust her own out to tangle with it

"Yo, Stephano!" Dante said from the open door "Your et off that poor girl or I’ll find a pail of water to duroaned into her led hirilled cheese and toe juice"

Nicole blinked with surprise "That’s whatwell"

"Yeah? So did one

Nicole stared after hilanced to the television She picked up the re interesting, but it was the middle of the afternoon on a weekday Talk shows see on talk shows She continued to click through the guide, but herHe was ot? And did he like his tomato soup made ater or milk? Her mother had always used milk and Nicole did as well It was too acidy for her taste with just water

Maybe she should just go out and see if he used water or milk She could always sit at the island and chat to hi, wouldn’t it?

"Ugh," Nicole muttered as she realized how pathetic she was The man had just left her and she wanted to follow hi a kid home from school How pathetic was that?

It was the nanos’ fault, she told herself Elaine had said so She wasn’t supposed to judge herself by normal--or mortal--standards This situation was neither norrin The woiven her permission to just follow her instincts and act like a ho’guilt free

"Cool," shethe sheet and blankets aside, Nicole looked around for her robe She’d donned it over her paja out of her street clothes at Jake’s insistence on arriving home Now she couldn’t recall what she’d--oh, there it was, she’d laid it over the end of the bed and then tossed the blankets over it to get up

Pulling it on, Nicole left the room in search of Jake

"So she now accepts that someone is out to kill her, but still doesn’t accept that it’s her husband," Elaine Notte lanced around to where his mother sat at the kitchen table with his brother, stepfather and the twins

"She doesn’t?" he asked with a frown "Still? After everything that has happened?"

"No, I’hts I’ve read she’s co these events, but she’s quite sure it’s not her husband"

"Ex-husband," Jake growled, turning back to give the soup in the pot a stir and flip the grilled cheese in the frying pan

"He’s not quite yet her ex, dear," his rowl He didn’t like the idea that any man had a claim to Nicole, no matter how short term or tenuous

"Well, it doesn’t matter what she thinks, so to stop now," Neil said quietly "I suggest the two of you stick close to hoestion "I was thinking of taking her out for dinner and a ht afterif I can drag her away froood idea right now, bro," Neil said and then pointed out, "She’sto kill her" When Jake turned a scowl on hih, I suppose if we caht be able to keep her safe between us all"

"I believe Stephano was thinking ," Roberto said with amuse," Dante said, sitting back in his chair with a grin "His head’s too full of nus"

"I date," Neil said defensively

"When?" Tomasso asked with amusement

"Last--" He frowned andhis head, he scowled and said, "I have a very busy life now that Stephan--Jake isn’t there to carry the daytilanced around with surprise "Didn’t Vincent hire a replacement for me?"

"Of course he did," Neil muttered "But the man isto ensure he doesn’t find out about us than I do getting work done It’s frustrating as hell" He scowled briefly, and then sighed and grimaced at Jake "Sorry Not your proble, but he was frowning now He hadn’t thought about how his leaving would affect his brother Or anyone else for that matter He’d been pretty wrapped up in his own hurts, real or iuilty He suspected it was a feeling he should get used to There had no doubt beenaway

"Back to the issue at hand," his mother said firmly "The best way to handle this is to hunt down her husband, read his mind to ensure he is behind all of this, and then take care of the problem"

"And hoould you take care of the problem?"

Jake stiffened and then whirled toward the kitchen door to see Nicole standing there in a fluffy white housecoat, and fluffier pink slippers, peering in at them all worriedly

Chapter Sixteen

"You shouldn’t be out of bed," Jake said with concern, turning off both burners under the food he was cooking and rushing over to urge Nicole back to the bedrooround and said quietly, "I need to know"