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Rina settled onto the facing sofa and watched as he drained thein a series of slow pulls “More?” she asked as he put thedown on the coffee table between them

“No, thanks I suppose I should head back into town, to ave a massive yawn “Sooner, rather than later”

“You could stay here,” Rina offered, even though she had no idea if the cottage boasted ht occurred to her Wouldn’t he expect to sleep in the same bed with her? What if he wanted to be intimate—to seek comfort from the shock of his brother’s near death in her arms? He was her sister’s fiancé—wouldn’t that be normal under the circu him to stay?

Rey shot her a heavy-lidded look “Are you sure?”

Oh God, what had she done? She could always plead a headache, a period, or tiredness herself, she supposed But what if this ridiculous attraction she felt for hi she knew she shouldn’t?

Reason overcame fear He was shattered, and she knew firsthand the physical toll emotional exhaustion took on a person She doubted he’d have the energy to do anything more than hold her while she slept A prospect that she had to ado beyond that Above all, he was her sister’s fiancé—she could never betray Sara’s trust like that Ever

“Hey, I think one del Castillo in the hospital right now is enough, don’t you?”

He smiled a sweet, crooked smile “Two, if you count Abuelo at the convalescent horeed with a smile “They say three’s a chars fros? Did he often sleep over?

“I always keep a set ready in case I stay with one of my brothers,” he explained, in response to the obvious surprise on her face

“I’ll, uo use the bathroom while you settle in, then”

Rina bolted for the bedroom and shoved her suitcase in a sh her sister’s chest of drawers for a nightgown, praying she still possessed at least one or two that were halfway decent If he had slept here before, he’d know about things like that, wouldn’t he?

She fervently wished, not for the first tiers closed around an old, oversize T-shirt She lifted it froh, she surh, which was even more important Rina bunched the fabric in one fist and made it to the bathrooh the front door

The old h the tiny cottage like a knell of soainst the sudden knot of tension that lodged in the base of her throat What she wouldn’t give for a chance to talk to Sara right thisthe bathroom door shut behind her and reached for the toiletries she’d scattered around the bathroom before her shower It only took a couple of minutes to wash her face free of makeup and brush her hair She took her time over her teeth, even as she promised herself it didn’t make any difference It wasn’t as if she and Reynard del Castillo would be indulging in anything other than sleep tonight

By the time she pulled the soft, worn T-shirt over her head, her heart was beating erratically If she didn’t get a hold of herself soon she’d be the next one in hospital Rina forced herself to breathe slowly; her fingers curled tight around the cool, white porcelain pedestal basin as if it was her only anchor in the world She could do this All she had to do was fall asleep Should be si ridiculous like seven or eight in the —her body clock was so out of whack she should be on the verge of falling asleep on her feet

But instead all she could think about was how it had felt to be pressed hard up against the strength of Reynard’s body How his scent had filled her nostrils Not just the scent of the rance he wore, but him The e Any poor judge, she reminded herself But the desperate truth was that she craved to be held like that again—to be made to feel precious and treasured Safe Wanted