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He looked at her for a longbreath "Okay, fine Apparently some word of my…indiscretions has leaked out"

She crossed her arms "And?"

"And it’s distinctly frowned on for a professor to sleep with his TA"

"Iine that"

"Hey," he said stiffly "It’s not like I’ with my actual students They’re TAs And they come on to me"

"Uh-huh And now your reputation’s on the line"

He opened his mouth but was interrupted by a knock at the door Sheher between hio," he said "We’re not done"

"Oh, we’re done" Holly tried to shove past him, but he held her trapped

"I need you, Holly"

"No, you need soether so you can fix your precious reputation That’s not going to be htened his grip on her "I told the review board that ere reconciling"

This momentarily shocked her into immobility "Oh my God You have a case? You’re in that much trouble?"

"You have to fix this for me," he said, the façade dropped, replaced with sheer desperation

The knock caainst the countertop, which bit into her back "Holly--"

"Get your hands off htly "Now"

Instead, he dipped his head, nuzzling at her neck "We can h"

This was true--anything could work if it anted enough Look at her dad and Deanna Or Kate, going after her own happiness Even Ada to push for ht Derek, but I don’t want it, not with you"

"Holly--"

"No, Derek I don’t love you You can’t make someone love you the way you want to be loved, no matter how badly you want it to be so Trust me, I know"

He stared at her "There’s someone else You love someone else"

"Yes, I love soain, she shoved at hi into her ar her, and for the first tio, Derek"

"No You’reFurious at him, at the situation, she si hiround like a sack of wet concrete Holly whirled to run out of the kitchen and gasped

Adam stood in the doorway, soaked to the skin, eyes hard and cold, body tense Milo was at his side, alert, his fur standing straight up at his neck, eyes on Derek

But it as in Adaht Holly’s attention--a bouquet of wildflowers They were dripping water like he was, a wonderfully brilliant rainbow of colors that were so beautiful it only further infuriated her because itshe was feeling in that moment, which explained her juvenile reaction She snatched the bouquet fro me? More stupid flowers? What is this, a bad romantic comedy?" She threw the bouquet at Derek’s feet and stoh clenched teeth, still cupping his family jewels

Oh God Holly turned back to Adaet past the adrenaline rushing her syste he’d been standing there and what he’d heard Herto remember exactly what she’d said You can’t make someone love you the way you want to be loved…Trust me, I know…I love someone else And to be honest, I always have…

Oh God She had to figure by the light of barely banked anger in Adam’s eyes that he’d heard it all, every bit of her dirty little secret E her purse, leaving both men in the kitchen as she ht, into the rain It didn’t seem so bad now Orinside the kitchen She thought she heard Ada She ju the door as she pulled out of the driveway She was on the street before it occurred to her that leaving Derek and Adaht not be such a smart idea

She didn’t care She turned her concentration to the road because the night was pitch-black No city lights, no streetlights, nothing but the slick roads

And the wind beating at her Jeep

The rain see at the windshield, and she began to doubt her sanity for leaving the relative safety of her house She debated turning around, but at this point Kate’s place was just as close If she was ho Holly wanted to do was be the stupid chick who drove off the road trying to get to her phone, she pulled over to fuers closed around it, she made a sound of relief that was short-lived

Low battery

Daet her three-quarters through a nory? "Please work," she said, and hit Kate’s nu with relief when she answered "Hey, you’re ho like a baby"

"How does an ice-creaht like this, we need soe Be care--"

The phone died Holly tossed it aside and carefully pulled back onto the road The isolated road, with no other cars in sight

Driving straight into a storm

Seemed she was the stupid chick, after all

The road was slick, the water flowing across it in sheets now, past the rails on her right, down the e below She slowed doay down, not wanting to be a statistic It happened out here all the time The people of Sunshine were a hardy bunch, but they also thought they were invincible

She did not think she was invincible She had a healthy sense of preservation and a will to live for that ice-cream pity party with Kate, so she slowed down even e--the one that washed out every few years at flood tiust of wind hit and she fought the steering wheel as she headed into the next hairpin turn In spite of her low speed, the Jeep slid, and both right tires rolled off the edge of the asphalt She jerked on the wheel but her tires didn’t respond Adam’s words flashed in her head