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"I…I’ood at this…I don’t knohat else to say," he told her "I’ll ask you again, see it from my side"

She nodded and smiled slowly "Just say that you know that I don’t lie, and that you’ll believe in me in the future That ork"

"I know that you don’t lie I’ll believe you in the future," he said, his smile broad

"Thank you," she said softly They stood there for a , and yet…

"I played a pirate about to be hanged today," she told hi"

"You haven’t invited me up"

"Co special between the, or the intangible bit of aninetism, chemistry, or whatever it was thataard in her room, and there was no pretense between either of them When she walked into the shower, she kneas behind her She turned into his ar that he was there, hard-bodied, rock-solid, vibrant, hot and real Thoughts and fears left herency of touch, running her hands down the wet sleekness of his flesh, his sex, along his spine and buttocks, and feeling the deep thrust and hot persistence of his kiss, his tongue and his hands upon her

They made love with the rush of the water and then, still enwrapped and absorbed in one another, they found towels and made their way to the bed Once there, he started with a kiss again, hovering over her, golden eyes burning into hers, and then that kiss, histo her throat, where he paused, feeling the thunder of her pulse, and h her as he teased a breast and trailed his kisses onward again His caresses were slow, a touch of agony in the midst of exhilaration and wonder He touched and teased, drawing to a point of complete intiy and deether in a storht her to a point of cli in his ar, his kisses tender

Eventually, their bodies cooled Their hearts beat at norer a cacophony in the rooe I don’t want to get up I’s to do, and I don’t ever want to leave this bed"

She laughed "Of course you do Eventually, you’d get bored here"

"When the sun froze over," he told her

She stroked his face "That was good That y"

"Excuse me, that was real and heartfelt"

"We could order food to be brought here," she said

He nodded and turned fro "We’re supposed to go over to Ted and Jaden’s workshop--the doctor of forensic anthropology arrived, and she’s been studying the trunk as we found it She’ll give us what she can before she does all the tests on the body Anything in the sea that long--even ile"

"Of course," Vanessa said She hesitated, wondering why she was so uneasy about the trunk

Pandora’s box? If so, it was already open

And yet, it hadn’t been so actually evil that she felt, just as if the chest was going to be a catalyst, and she wasn’t sure if she liked what it ht cause to come about

"Do you not want to come over there with me?" Sean asked

"No, no, of course I want to co" He stood, his back to her "You know, I think you should get the tail end of your things out of here for good"

She rose as well, co around to look at him "You want me to come over because I’ll be safer? Or because you want me there?"

"I’d say both, and that’s pretty obvious," he said She slad to be invited

Ecstatic, actually!

And it was true that she didn’t want to be here alone She had horrendous nightureheads in the water, and on top of that, she kept thinking that she saw Carlos Roca and an unknown pirate who looked at her--and then faded into the air

Really They were going to have to lock her up soon

"It’s late," he said huskily "Let’s grab pizza downstairs and then get over to Ted and Jaden’s"

Dr Tara Aislinn was in her reeted Sean and Vanessa with real warue, Ned Lathaer to be there They had studied the chest and the victim within but hadn’t taken the body from the chest They had come down in their van and, with per the chest and the body to the lab in Gainesville

Liaone, Sean discovered They were late, of course, really late, but in his mind, that was fine He hadn’t been in a serious relationship in a long time; he didn’t think he’d ever been in a relationship where he’d felt so lost and empty when it seemed that it had ended David and Liam were capable, as were Jaden and Ted, and he knew that he’d never understand half of what the scientists could learn froht direction without hi theht out of the water," Jaden told hi thehed softy "Just that we have arrived and are taking the chest and the body, and that we believe that the chest is early eighteen hundreds, and that a unique set of circumstances have preserved the body of a wohteen hundreds, as well More details will follow after we have conducted out tests"