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Two hundred and twenty dollars’ worth of cookies, not to ht And what about the lipstick incident on her bathroom mirror? Could that have been Chase, too? But ould he do that to Dee? Deirdre

His jaw clenched even as he thought of her bastard of an ex-husband Jacob forced his later First, he had to settle Emily

She slouched outside the door to her suite, the baby monitor clutched in her hand He didn’t need to step any closer Even in the dih the accusation in her eyes, along with unshed tears She didn’t understand why he’d turned in Chase

How many more times would Chase let Emily down before she realized she deserved better? But then even Dee, an adult, had been blinded by love Love for another ive his kid sister a hug she no doubt needed

Jacob stepped forward, but E the door quietly--but firmly Maybe she would be calht Jacob shrugged through half the kinks in his shoulders and clied up them earlier

As much as he’d lost, she’d lost more He sliced away his own needs, safer for hih the motel door and found her curled in the corner of the sofa staring out theHe tossed his coat onto the coat tree

Dee gnawed on a fingernail "I should have gone with the cops"

"You know there’s nothing you can do at the police station tonight They have the number here Maybe they’ll have soled her ar little circles in the condensation on theOutside, snow began spiraling fro storm "Blane could be anywhere by now"

He knew that, but she didn’t need it confir blind before Not now"

Dee exploded fro I have to find theer"

She ripped a coat off the rack A surplus of adrenaline oozed from her "My son’s out there somewhere He’s only four He can’t sleep without his airplane blanket and a story before bed He’s never been separated frohts at Blane’s, and Evan has a life-threatening peanut allergy I can’t just wait here and do nothing I never should have let that cop persuade ht"

He shouldn’t have been surprised by her frenzy She’d held it together throughout a hellish night Froh to know the adrenaline letdoould crash into her soon

Two long strides and he caught her He grabbed her ar you can Filing a police report Calling everyone you could think of who ht have had contact with your ex-husband"

"It’s not enough" She tried to wrench her wrist free, then flailed with her other Her pitch rose, approaching hysteria She jerked, scratched, kicked with surprising strength "Jacob, da"

He trapped both of her wrists and gave her a light shake "Think Even if I gave you the keys to the truck and a full tank of gas, what ht?"

Reason returned to her eyes just before they flooded with tears She sagged like a rag doll in his grip "There really isn’t anything I can do, is there?"

"No, Dee, I’ainst his chest "Oh God, Jacob, this is socould hurt that entled his hands along her hair again He gritted his teeth against the need to bury his face in her neck "I know"

"Hold ainst his chest

She squirnore his reaction to her soft body wriggling against his As much as he wanted, needed, burned to lose hi, she needed sorappled at his shirt, his shoulders, his hair, dragging his head down to hers Tapping the last dregs of his self-control, he held hied him closer "KissThe wrong tiht wo It’s adrenaline talking"

Fire snapped from her eyes, full force and full of will "Adrenaline? Is that what it was yesterday? Or every day we’ve been together and I wanted this?" Her pupils widened until her eyes turned near-black, like heavy stor to reet Please, for just a few hours, help et"

Good intentions fled All his honorable platitudes seeht, and he couldn’t think of a single rebuttal His fingers flexed around her wrists as he stared into the tear-misted eyes of this wo it He hadn’t been able to walk away from her the first time he saw her any etting through to him? If he turned her down, she would--

Do what?

Shriek her frustration at hi for one night, for a lifetime even

But the very trait thatthat caused hiet what Blane had done to her and their child Just for tonight until she could do so to find Evan

"Jacob," she ers as she shoved his buttons free, working her way froe uniform All those necessary layers of cold-weather wear kept her froroaned her frustration His hands covered hers