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"Then why do I feel like such a failure?" She blinked back the tears and drew the stiff quilted bedspread around her legs "I loverabbed her shoulders, his strength so welco apart "This is adrenaline letdown talking It’s been one of those razor’s edge days Hell, my heart is about to pound out of my chest too"

The tears burned hotter and fuller "I think I’m done, Jose The life of a field operative is short for a reason and I’m afraid I’ve pushed the odds to the limit with this mission"

She needed objectivity and she didn’t have it She couldn’t live with the fear that she’d begun losing it after the split with Jose, because that wouldthe integrity of her work Jose started to interrupt, but she needed to talk this through To get it all out there

"I’ for Interpol… or ether,sense "Only a small fraction of us do ork in the field like this I’m done, damn it I’m done"

"You say that like you’re serious"

"Because I a up in places from a decontamination shower "I also understand you’re not ready to dry off your feet Maybe you never will be"

He scowled "Are you bootingother than lashing out, the pain inside her expanding until she had to have relief "I’ to really understand now You never wanted this to work between us, not really"

"I offered towith her blood pressure "Offered? Actually, the way I remember it, I proposed to you But hey, let’s not quibble when you were so generous Other than the fact I want kids and you won’t even consider it"

"And I want this fking genetic curse to end with

Of course he had almost been taken out by a horrific weapon of mass destruction But the day had hardly been a picnic for her either The fury inside her roared louder "Then adopt"

"I swear to God, if you recite another study about the power of believing in yourself, I’ to lose it Damn it, you knohat happened withhere? Her anger deflated in a flash as she thought about the night he’d told her about his nephew, about the horrific accident "Shhh… Shhh" She leaned forward on her knees, her fingers over his lips "You’re right Let’s not talk about that I don’t want to hurt you, and heaven knows I don’t want to fight with you It ht now is e a hint too tightly, and kissed her fist, hard The ache in her chest pushed the tears the rest of the way free, in big gulping sobs Jose hauled her to his chest and she let the tears flow out, along with so led emotions The horror of a cruel world The betrayal by her h chasing ghosts Through believing in drea to die in soodforsaken country alone, like herwith anyone in order to keep the job safe Anony to be another statistic spit out by a code-breaking progra the chance at a real faripped Jose’s shoulders tighter, her nails digging deep as she soaked his shirt with her pain She hurt so da her fro her spine, her braid brushing his wrists He tugged the band loose and threaded his fingers through, loosening the thickher scalp Her body e of her pain found another channel, another outlet

Desire

Jose felt the sensual shift in her, and God, he wanted her too Always

But he wasn’t so sure this was the right tiht reason "Stella, you’re…"

"Daled back to stare at hi "Don’t tell me about adrenaline letdown or misplaced emotions I do the sa and psych briefings I get it And I don’t care I need this I need you"

She grabbed the he her mouth to his heartbeat He’d always taken such care with her, working his ass off to give her all the romance, finesse--hell, foreplay--that he could ht now, control was tougher than ever to find He’d been through hell today too Not because he’d feared dying, but because he’d been scared as hell he ht not make it in time to save Stella So damn all the reasons why this was a bad, bad idea

They were here, together, alive, and they both needed this They needed each other

Stella nipped his earlobe Hard "You’re falling behind here Help otten his shirt off and ell on her way to tugging down his ca below his belt Stella’s touch, her words, the woman herself set him on fire He peeled her tunic away and worked her jeans free, until they kicked the pants over near their shoes by the door Her hands stroked his body with the faritted his teeth to fight back the urge to come in her hand