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"Honey, I just don’t think it’s a good idea to risk soabout"

"It’s not about taking risks, , not really Well,wild sex in a public place, but she’d felt safe enough or she’d never have done it No, for her it’d been about being selfish for the first ti what she wanted And yeah,to wreak so about what people thought a life requireot it in her head that she had to be good to be loved

"Mallory, honestly," Ella mur a man you don’t even know"

Yes, Mallory, the shock The horror The good girl actually wanting so each other," she said At least not how Ella meant

"But the newspaper said--"

"We’re not," Mallory repeated Ty hadn’t said so in words, not a single one in fact, but he couldn’t have been?" Ella asked

"Unless you enjoy having to wash that gray out of your hair every three weeks, yes You’re worrying about nothing"

Her mother patted her brunette bob self-consciously "Four weeks and counting Do I need a touch-up?"

Just then, Ca breathless Camilla was a fellow nurse, twenty-two years old and so fresh out of nursing school she still squeaked when she walked She was a trainee, and as such, got all the crap jobs Such as signing in new patients "He’s here," she whispered dra with the news "In the waiting rooorously "He"

"Does ‘he’ have a name?" Ella asked dryly

"Mysterious Cute Guy!"

Hera coronary to respond Why was he here? "Is he hurt or sick?"

"He asked for Dr Scott," Camilla said in a rush "But Dr Scott’s been called away"

Mallory moved around Camilla "I’ll take him"

"Are you sure?" Camilla asked "Because I’d be happy to--"

"I’, Mallory headed down the hallway toward the ER waiting rooross or unidentifiable on her scrubs, always a bonus But she couldn’t re mascara And she really wished she’d redone her hair at break

Ty was indeed in the waiting room There was no noticeable injury He was seated, head back, eyes closed, one leg stretched out in front of him He wore faded Levi’s and a black T-shirt, and looked like the poster boy for Tall, Dark, and Dangerous Prettyat him would assume he was relaxed, maybe even asleep, but Mallory sensed he was about as relaxed as a coiled rattler

He opened his eyes and looked at her

Inexplicably nervous, she glanced at the TV h in a corner, which was tuned to a soap opera On the screen was a beautiful, dark-haired woe in a hot tub She was panting and screaood Because this wasn’t aard enough She hastily looked around for the remote but it was MIA Naturally

Ty’s broent up but he said nothing; he didn’t need to The last ti into her panties with shocking ease

Okay, maybe not sofar aze, which had turned her on like she’d never been turned on before

Apparently nothing ard She’d just handled three eencies in a roithout an elevation in her heart rate, but her heart was pue at stroke levels

He’d walked away fro to further their relationship--if that’s what one called a quickie these days

The wo for a porno "Oh God, oh Brad, yes!"

The air conditioning was on, which in no way explained why she was in the throes of a sudden hot flash Whirling around, she continued to search in desperation for the re innocuously on a corner chair It still took her a horrifyingly long ti silence see than the "Oh Brad, please!" had been

She could feel Ty looking at her, and she bit her lower lip because all she could think about was that he’d ed

"I’d offer a penny for your thoughts," he said "But I have the feeling they’re worth far ," she said far too quickly, then felt the heat of her blush rise up her face

"Liar" He rose fro Just stopped breathing Which wasn’t good because she really needed sorip

Ty leaned into her a little bit, his lips brushing her ear "You weren’t quite as loud as she was"

She closed her eyes as the blush renewed itself "A nice guy wouldn’t even bring that up"

He shrugged, plainly saying he wasn’t a nice guy And in fact, he’d never clai roon-in desk were Ca to pretend to be doing anything other than staring in open, rapt curiosity

Mallory turned her back on theood Lord That hadn’t been what she’d enuine smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes and softened his face, ly handsome, if that was possible "Yeah," he said "You were"

Okay, maybe she had been But she couldn’t have helped it "It’d been a while," she ad