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"Hold up!" Jagger’s yell was les For the barest second, I thought about running, but it wasn’t an option, not if I wanted to figure this out The door swung open and Jagger appeared, his eyebrows shooting up at the sight of ht and close-lipped "Is, uet the words out ofhis nager sh his shock "Yeah, yeah, come on in"

I followed him down the hallway and made the turn thatroo to believe who’s--"

"Holy shit" Josh cut hi, which was unfortunate for the co-ed who had been perched on the arht her just before she hit the floor, and then set her aside "Ember?" His eyes raked up and down my frah them Glad I could stoke the fire he had foroh, yes it was Tweedledee and Tweedleduer hit the mute button on the TV, and whatever slapstick co fell silent For aat him For the last few months, I hadn’t let myself eneral direction when he said so at hia shirt Neither was Jagger, but nothing affected me like Josh’s bare chest He was still cut like a dreaer, more defined, especially the lines that ran into his black basketball shorts And his tribal tattoo wasn’t just black anyh it and around it, all originating froue, or think about how badly I ached to kiss him "New ink?"

Ten feet separated us, but we ether, or ten thousand miles apart, it was the sa here?" Tweedledu her arh her neckline

"Sorry, I didn’t estured to the room--"date I just need to ask Josh a quick question"

"You cairl fired back

I looked to Josh, but he looked too awestruck to answer, refusing to take his eyes frohbor, and--"

"And she’s done explaining herself to you," Josh interjected, finally co to life "E around the words, made ht about the way his bed had pounded against my wall He’d ed my waist "You didn’t tell me how close you were to my dad"

His jaw flexed, and his face paled "That’s not really a question if you already know the answer" His hand raked over his head, through his short hair, a style I no he kept for the Guard "But yeah, ere friends"

"What’s with the records? Why would you ask o to Evans Hospital here?"

He sed "Did you read them?"

I shook my head "No, they’re yours I saw the date and stopped"

He walked in through his bedroom door and motioned me inside, but I wasn’t sure I could walk into that rooe of you" The sone ale ofafter him Then she leaned in close to whisper so only I could hear "The body on that man is just"

I shook her off and walked toward him before she could finish If I had to choose between the lion’s lair and the snake pit? Well, at least I knew the lion I glanced around, noting that nothing had changed He’d even put the picture fro on the bed and instead chose to stand while he ruray handled filing case

He rested it on the bed, opening it with a click "I have to say, I never thought I’d get you in here again, but if I did, I never iined it would be like this"

I concentrated on the ers and the play of muscles up his ar" My voice sounded breathless, even tothree inches frohed, which didn’t help my state; it only turned s of yours haveabout the way you loved to wrap the out the records fro to find out so"

I scanned the top "You were hurt in July, two years ago?"

"Yeah, I was stupid and gave the Guard the only hard copy I had Then when they updated their cohanistan I needed them for the docs here to clear me to play for UCCS Your dad was deployed, and I knew that hospital would have a copy somewhere I was just lucky your dad knehere to look"