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As she watched, he settled hi a cool, cal of the innerit on her shoulders He did the same with his own and moved to the entrance of the caves

And stopped

She came up beside him "You don’t have to do this"

"Yeah, I do"

She stared up into his face Grie S&R with this sort of PTSD reaction to tight places?" she asked

He paused, and she wasn’t sure he was going to answer

"I don’t," he finally said "Or I haven’t been I work the incident co the search teaht, on the rescue for that kid, you weren’t at home base," she pointed out

"No By sheer du terrain when the call came in The kid had been last seen on the east bank of the Black Forest River His brother kept saying they’d been by the big rocks near the river caves But the only rocks out that way are on the west side"

"By the caves out there," Holly said

"Yeah We just happened to be close by and were able to respond within ht," she said "You went after the boy, even knowing you o in a cave?"

"Yeah, well, luckily I didn’t have to, or we aze "You did so superhero-like," she said "It was all over the news You shi and were able to hold on to hirabbed hio into the caves"

"Well, if that’s all…" Turning to face him, she slid her hand up his chest and around the back of his neck, tugging his face down to hers She brushed her lips over his and then lingered

He pulled her in without hesitation, took herkiss "Not that I’," he said when they broke apart, "but as that for?"

"An apology," she said

"For?"

"When we first started out yesterday, I didn’t like you"

His htly "I tell you one sob story and you feel sorry enough for e your mind?"

"Is that what you think?" she asked "That I feel sorry for you?" Silly, proud ain Gentle

And then not so gentle

"I feel a lot of things for you, Ada I don’t feel is sorry for you Clear?"

He raised a brow at her bossy tone, and she was gratified to see a light of good hu he was hu to be okay She’d host of a s," he said

And she believed it

They moved just inside the entrance to the caves, the cool wind at their back Holly took her cue from Adam, and when he stopped, so did she She was just about to once again offer to go in on her ohen he spoke

"He’s not here"

She bit her lower lip and stared into the dark opening

"It’s not because I don’t want to go in there," he said "Which I don’t, by the way I’d rather have my nuts cut off with a rusty knife" He pointed to Milo, as sitting relaxed at Ada me no one’s in here"

Holly’s stomach cramped "But what if whoever’s in there isn’t alive?"

He paused, and she got the feeling he was choosing his words carefully "Milo’s also a cadaver dog"

Her stomach dropped "Oh?"

"Dead or alive, he’d know"

She let out a slow breath and Adaaze "We’re going to find hiain "Just not here"

"Then where?"

He turned and looked out into the gray, foggy"Where we should have checked first," he said "The place he first showed oes to disappear"

"Where’s that?"

"Fallen Lakes"

"No," she said, shaking her head "He won’t be there That’s where Deanna dulanced at her, brow furrowed "What?"

"Yeah, he took her up there last week They had soht and…" She broke off at the look on Ada the loss of that relationship all week, not that Holly had been exactly sympathetic It had been hard for her to be when she distinctly ree to her irlfriend, Deanna, quite possibly the only person he’d ever really let all the way past his tough cowboy exterior And suddenly, it made perfect sense "He is," she breathed "He’s at Fallen Lakes"

Adam nodded "I’d bet on it"

She looked up into the sky "Think the storet there" He was looking at the screen of his phone, thu, that is"

She didn’t bother to roll her eyes They headed back to the ATV in silence Holly’sresentret, and a whole bunch of other repressed e that he was that sao

And in some ways he was He still could think faster on his feet than anyone she knew He was strong of body and mind, and he never, ever backed down But he wasn’t the saerous rebel she’d once been so desperately in love with, and so desperate to save Clearly he still had his ghosts, but he’d grown into a flesh and bones ood one

And suddenly she had a new proble Adalasses this time And she liked this man

A lot

She could fall hard for him, if she let herself Luckily she understood him now and kneouldn’t want that She shouldn’t want it, either After all, her parents’ e had been smoke and mirrors Her entire life had been sood at that, at building unrealistic expectations But she was over it She wasn’t living that way any that way Life wasn’t perfect and she kne it never would be She had faults, and she wanted to be with soenda Adaain, the man he was now?