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"You shouldn’t be standing around when there’s a slow song, Peanut," Grant said He undoubtedly wore hissmile

"I’m here with Jared, Grant," I sneered

"Oh, c’rinned "Just one dance?"

"No"

He laughed and shook his head "You look," he gave me a once-over, "incredible Red is…"

"Thank you," I said, looking in every direction but his

"Are you sure you--," he said, trailing off "Jared! Nice to see you"

The pleasant expression on Jared’s face as he handed me the smal , plastic cup faded abruptly when he turned to Grant "I wish I could concur,"

Jared said, noticeably restrained "You ht have better luck with the interns," he nodded to a dark corner of the rooht be more susceptible to your persistence"

Grant’s se "Happy Holidays to you both"

"Merry Christinning to stare, so I looked to the floor, atte to downplay the spectacle Jared hadto keep my head down

"I didn’t want him to be under the impression that I liked him"

"You made your point Now, can you please be the reserved, control ed Jared I know and love? I need to earn the respect of the people here"

"I’ my hair

"Nina?" a voice call ed from across the room I winced at the horrid sound, and then turned to see Sasha barreling toward me with someone in tow

"Practice what you preach," Jared said with a contrived s smirk twisted her face in a way that estured to the brawny, dark- headed man behind her

"I’d like for you to meet my date, Ryan Scott Ryan, this is a fel ow intern of mine, Nina Grey"

I couldn’t hide the instant shock and dismay that came over me

Ryan held out his hand "Intern? Doesn’t she run the coht "Er…not yet"

I took Ryan’s hand "I believe we’ve ued

Ryan glanced at Jared, and then back at me "Could I…steal you for a minute?"

"No," Jared said without pause

I chuckled nervously, and then peered up at Jared from under my lashes "Sweetheart, I’ll just be a ue

"Wel ," Sasha said to Jared in her high-pitched, irritating voice, "I guess it’s just you anddirectly at Sasha

Ryan held ht we had a deal"

"A deal?" I hissed "I agreed that I owed you for helping me fool Jared I didn’t say I would help you talk to Claire Ahed "Wel , I’ve got a lot on ht now My partner wasto do with the other police deaths over the last year I think they’re al connected I need to talk to her before I can get , Nina

Real y big, and I can’t focus on it if ating the police murders?"

Ryan’s features were so stern I was suddenly nervous "Not official y Anderson and I were both on the case before he was kil ed I wasn’t sure before that they were connected, but now that Kit’s dead…I know Even the one’s that appeared to be accidents"

"Listen--," I began, but Ryan cut me off

"No, you listen I’m in a lot of trouble No one else at the station knoe were up to, and if they did, they’re not going to let a rookie take the case They kil ed ure this out soon, you can kiss oodbye This is serious, and I need to be focused, and Claire’s eyes above me in that hel hole is al I can think about"

"Are you finished?" I said, irritated

"No," he said, frowning "And, just so you know: I’m real y, real y sorry"

"For what?" I said, returning his expression

Ryan grabbed each side of ue was inside my mouth, and he kissed me so passionately, it was beyond obscene in front of everyone I worked with, not to mention my fiancé

Before the embarrassment soaked in, Ryan was thrown across the roo just before he crashed into the DJ station

Thethe air for the screams and audible panic

"Jared, stop!" I shouted, watching hi to stop any bloodshed, but before I reached Ryan, Claire appeared in front of hi her brother

Jared stood ry adrenaline running through his veins "He did it…on purpose," Jared huffed

"And you played right into his plan," Claire said, livid She turned to Ryan "Kissing ethim up by his tie

Ryan choked a bit before loosening up the knot around his neck, and then smiled "I did what I had to," he said to Claire, and then looked to Jared, "I’m sorry"

"I don’t care what you’re reasons are, don’t ever touch Nina like that again I can’t kil you, but I’ll rabbed hts of stairs, and out to the parking lot

When we reached the Escalade, I covered ry, but when he looked at ot you," I said, trying not to laugh out loud

Jared shed aloud, uncontrol ably, more than we had ever done before By the time ere finished, I was breathless, and the ht

We drove hoht Ryan final y getting face time with Claire should have been a disaster, but a sense of relief surrounded us, as if our group was final y complete I had no idea what Claire would tel Ryan--howClaire’s Taleh, and the fact that he was now in love with her, was proof that ere supposed to be in each others lives

Jared’s prediction ide of thesince we’d e flakes of snow fal ing graceful y from the sky Each fluffy white piece drifted doard as if it were orchestrating its own syround was already covered in at least two feet of snow, and the gray clouds above didn’t foretel anything but more of the same