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"We’re on the same side," he said

"No I’ going on between you two, so physical and clearly out of control But when that’s done…"

He understood what she was saying He was temporary in Chloe’s life, and Tara was not "I just want to see her," he said "I want to see forbeat, clearly fighting the urge to tell his But I’ll be back in fifteenup the doorjamb with his shoulder The room was pitch-black, but if he strained, he could hear her breathing and just that sound soothed him As a few minutes passed, he slowly felt some more of the tension drain out of his body

Earlier, in his shower, her breathing had started out quiet like this, but then she’d gone up in flames for him He’d loved it, loved the way she’d panted forat hiht to his head,

And then in the very next beat, when she’d started to suffocate, all he’d wanted to do was breathe for her God, he could still taste the bitter helplessness, and he hated, hated, that she’d suffered That she’d al oddly wobbly, he straddled it Reaching out, he ht froh to see her by

Chloe lay on her side, a hand tucked beneath her cheek Her lips weren’t blue He wasn’t sure if he’d ever get that ihtmares

The covers had slipped to her waist She wore a thin camisole top, and one of the straps had slipped off her shoulder, nearly exposing a breast The thin ht on her nipple, and his h on her waist, and with the blanket at her hip, several inches of smooth skin was bared He watched her sto

She’d showered He could smell the scent of her shampoo and soap, and he leaned in for a better whiff Yeah, he’d coer up her are the strap of her ca in her sleep, Chloe rolled, flopping to her back, covering her eyes with a flung-up arht air, the nipple puckered into a tight peak

He bit back a groan and closed his eyes Not looking didn’t help, so he stood and pulled the covers to her chin, hiding her fro from the spot until he heard Tara return, and then he left like the hounds of hell were on his heels

Chapter 13

"S you

can do with your lips"

Chloe Traeger

Chloe aith a start and sat straight up, startled by her cell phone vibrating at her bedside table "Sawyer?" she whispered The sun was shining in through the shades, the ones she’d shut the night before

But she was alone in the roo out a breath, she lay back and grabbed her phone "Hello?

She’d es and listened to soe was the sae, she finally got a voice "Hey, sweet thing" Todd "We need to talk"

No, they didn’t Delete She sat up and looked around for Sawyer But of course he wasn’t here Why would he be here? Just because yesterday they’d--and she’d--and he hadn’t--

Don’t think about it

Happy to be the Queen of Denial Town, Chloe flopped onto her belly and closed her eyes, but instead of going back to sleep, she relived yesterday with aching acuity Sawyer giving her a ride, stopping to change Lucille’s tire, his handstaut over the bunch and play of the muscles in his back and shoulders

Mmm, those muscles But it had been the fact that he’d helped Lucille that had grabbed her by the heart He wanted her to think he was so badass, but the truth was, he was that good guy Lucille had accused hiood for the likes of Chloe Sawyer’s world was black and white, and if any gray popped up, well then, he arrested it

A lot of her life had been spent in the gray Nothing illegal At least not too illegal She may not have been raised the way ht thing for the right reasons That’s who she was At least, that’s who she tried to be

And she wanted to be loved for being that person

She could play with Sawyer all she wanted but the fact was they were too different, and eventually it would go bad between them Even if he could put up with her asth she couldn’t have sex without a tactical plan--he wouldn’t be able to put aside his code of conduct, not for the long haul

He was bound by duty He hadn’t caught her and Lance freeing the dogs, or trespassing, or any of the "gray" area things she did, but what if he had? What would it do to him if someday he had tosleep was nothing but a distant et up After a long, hot shower that only brought more memories, she dressed and went outside

And came face-to-face with her Vespa

Confused, she pulled out her cell phone and called Lance "Hey You okay?"

"That’sjust as wheezy as she’d been yesterday Her heart kicked hard He’d had a long hospital stay last month, complicated and awful, and he’d never quite recovered

She was deathly afraid this was as good as it got for hi transplants "I’ "I’ood I’m better"

She wanted desperately to believe that "Did you fix and bring home my Vespa?"

"No Sawyer said he’d take care of it"