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She squeezed her eyes shut at the immediate burst of pain and the flash of erace personified

"Shit!" Water splashed her prone body as she heard Nick hopping out of the tub "Holly? You all right?"

Good Lord The last thing she needed was to see his look of pity, so she didn’t answer or move

"Sweet baby, open your eyes for me"

Sweet baby? Her eyes flew open at his new teraze on her forehead "Let’s get some ice on that before it swells up more"

Great It must look hideous if Nick was concerned it could look worse

He stood and grabbed two bath towels, draping one over her front and one over her back Before she could protest, he lifted her into his arms

"Putyou"

The hard set to his jawwas futile So she kept entleness, he laid her on the bed He dried her wet body and tossed the towels on the floor He propped his hip next to hers and brushed the damp tendrils from her cheek "Where else are you hurt?" Nick caressed her arm "Here?"

Holly shook her head

"What about here?" His fingertips traced every bone in her ribcage

She shook her head again

"I can see the scrape on your knee But do you feel like you twisted either ankle?"

Another head shake

"Are you hurt anywhere else?"

She nodded

"Where?"

"My pride," she choked out, failing to hold back the tears "God I’ht" Holly closed her eyes and sobbed

Nick didn’t vanish at the sight of a woman’s tears like most men she knew Rather, he held her hand and repeatedly feathered his thu wet hair froained control and looked at him "Sorry"

"Don’t be Accidents happen If I’d’ve been on otten out of the tub first and then helped you out so you didn’t fall" He grinned "But I was too goddaentleed a set soest you put on a robe or I’ll have to beat back all the women who see you ned and will follow you to the roo for her palrabbed the keycard off the nightstand "Be right back"

"Why don’t you just leave the door cracked open so you don’t have to mess with the keycard?"

He whirled back around "Because we’re in a strange place and we have no clue about who ht be in the room next to us All it takes is one little slipup, they could slip in and you’d be another statistic"

"But--"

"I’ve seen it happen in my line of work, Holly, more times than I care to count" Without another word, Nick left and clicked the door shut behind hi the throb throb throb of her pulse, she speculated as to what line of work Nick was in With his reuessed he did so in the insurance industry With his abundance of char on her office door, wearing that di to take no for an answer…as he took her against the filing cabinet As he took her in the cushiony, adjustable office chair But her personal favorite? Nick taking her across her desk i into her as the ca-chunk ca-chunk of the calculator spewing round

She allowed a secret, s smile For once in her life, the reality of a man was so much better than her fantasy

The lock snicked and the object of her desire slipped back into room Nick’s not-so-quick perusal of her body reminded her she was completely naked It was unusual she hadn’t bothered to cover up in a bout of modesty Why was it she trusted this man so easily? So quickly? So completely?

Nick headed for the sink and was back with a makeshift icepack "It’s not much, but it’s better than nothin’ It should keep the swelling down"

"Thank you" She shivered

"Cold?"

"Nah Laying here wet and ned with an ice pack onup to a fireplace"

He smooched her nose "Smartypants" Then he crawled beside her, yanked up the bedspread and covered them both

"Mmm" It amused Holly that Nick invaded her space and was cuddly as a teddy bear, not to mention hot as a furnace