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She looked hi into her words "Yeah, I’ll be okay" They sipped their coffee "The police told un"

Dalton sensed she wanted his opinion "The police don’t see too h you were scared shitless You ju in the back would have lessened your chances of escape"

"Yes, exactly It wasn’t about ego or being reckless I’ve trained with Xavier for a while, and we’ve gone over various scenarios I ith ht" She propped her elbows on the table and stared out theinto the darkness "I told you I traveled a lot I also partied with strangers, bunked in odd places, and saw a lot of stuff I didn’t have a college degree, but I had street sh so our exploration days She had to learn to live with it"

"We’re supposed to "

She squeezed his hand "Yeah I don’t regret ju on ize for it"

"Agreed You have the heart of a warrior Like Xena"

She wrinkled her nose "Like Xena? The warrior princess froht black leather, riding her horse H-O-T"

A genuine laugh escaped her lips Dalton sht"

The statement was really a question He ached to fall asleep with her wrapped in his ar to do with it But even though they’d been intihs and lows of the night

She seemed torn, but then ht"

"You got it"

She left the room and returned with blankets and a pillow He set hi?"

"No, I’ht here if you need me"

"Thanks"

She disappeared down the hall Dalton shucked off his T-shirt and shoes, leaving his jeans on since he was naked underneath, and lay down

It was a good hour of tossing and turning before he realized he wasn’t going to be able to sleep and finally gave up Rolling to his feet, he stretched and quietly went outside to the deck

He admired the smooth cedar and rustic wraparound It was obvious Raven spent a lot of time out here An oversize rattan couch pluht a sense of feminine fun The low mosaic table held a Chinese lantern and various scented candles The twoadded to the sense of coht fro ht was quiet and thick He dropped onto the couch and stretched out, looking up No clouds marred the sharp horizon The hu a cooler waft of air to float and rise, bringing the heavy scents of earth s snapped in the distance, and a long, sad howl rose in the air to linger

He didn’t kno long he was out there before he heard the scrape of the screen door "Want some company?"