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He raised his head slowly Breaking off the kiss required a serious act of willpower

"Definitely not just friends," he said

He turned aent down the steps, and got into his car

A short time later he drove into the newly paved, heavily landscaped parking lot at Dreamscape and slotted the BMW into the elanced at his watch as he got out It was after eleven The restaurant had been closed for over an hour The vehicles that reuests There were a number of them

Dreamscape had been an immediate success from the first day of operation In addition to tourists, the inn drew a steady clientele froe

He walked up the steps of the wide veranda that surrounded the lower floor of the inn The front door opened just as he reached out to lean on the little bell

"Heard the engine," Rafe said "Figured it was you" He stood aside to allow Nick into the front hall "Want some coffee?"

"No, thanks Just had soed fro, Eddie"

"Hello, Nick Come to collect your boy?"

"Yes"

"Hoas the hot date with the charave hi look and closed the door "That bad, huh? You knoondered if she was really your type"

"No co on a no-kiss-and-tell policy"

"Hey, we're fa to show a little brotherly interest in your personal affairs, that's all"

"Brotherly interest, ht of Hannah appearing in the opening that led to the central corridor and the solariuot here," she said

"It's not that late," Nick said, feeling oddly defensive "Just because you old o to bed early doesn'thours"

"Good point" Rafe raised a brow "It isn't evenhere this early? I told you we'd be happy to let Carson stay the night if you got lucky"

Hannah turned on Rafe with a withering glare "You told hi so extremely tacky?"

"He's a Madison," Nick reminded her "He was born tacky We can only pray that your classy Harte genes will overpower his unfortunate genetic inheritance when you two decide to start ave him an odd look Rafe's ot the feeling he wasthe joke

"Well?" Hannah said in that tone of voice thatthe subject and everyone else had better go along "Hoas the date with Octavia? Did you have a nice time? Where did you two have dinner?"

He studied his sister There was so different about her lately He hadn't been able to put his finger on it but it was ale definitely agreed with her, he thought But, then, with the glaring exception of hieneral

"Her place," he said neutrally