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Right The neuro test because of her concussion She gave a very slight nod

Voice husky and deep, Dash went to a series of questions, asking for her naotten home, the day of the week

Lastly he asked for her birthday

Odd, but whatever She told him because she wanted to return to the oblivion of sleep

He didn’t let her

He wanted to know if she’d gotten any gifts, how she’d celebratedand she told hiht herself a car, and celebrated alone--as she always did

Somehow, she knew that had made him sad She felt it in how he touched her, the what? That he’d be around to celebrate her next birthday with her?

A nice thought

When next he woke her, he helped her to sit up and insisted she take two aspirin

"Do you need the bathroo--with Dash’s help--and closed her eyes

"You know the drill, sweetheart"

He used an awful lot of endearht on that Anticipating his questions, she said, "I’aret Peterson Thirty years old I’m in my own ho her jaw "Favorite food?"

Sleep tugged at her, and she mumbled, "Mmm, maybe fried chicken"

She heard his smile when he said, "Favorite color?"

"Sky blue" Such odd questions, but the sooner she got through theet back to sleep

"The last man you slept with?"

"I don’t know"

Dash hesitated, then asked, "You don’t re breath "Names are a nuisance" When she hooked up, all she wanted was escape fro that, she faded into a dreas attached

Unfortunately, at the height of the dreale inch of her was numb

CHAPTER FIVE

ON HIS BACK, his hands stacked behind his head, Dash stared at the ceiling After scrounging for food in Margo’s kitchen he’d taken a quick shower and changed into clean boxers and the borrowed athletic pants that Logan had brought hi turnaround Snow and ice gave into a slowsun and milder breezes The forecast claio twice now An equal number of times Ollie had come to check on her He wasn’t the type of cat that Dash could play with Older, slower, set in his ways, Ollie enjoyed a little petting, edible treats and plenty of tiuytaken in by a very tenderhearted lieutenant

She was such a fraud, charht it? He’d bet his last nickel that neither Logan nor Reese knew Margo owned an ancient blind cat who missed the cat box

They also didn’t know that, when her defenses were down, she was as soft and vulnerable as a woman could be

The conflicts in her personality left him in turmoil

He wanted to fk her Bad

From the moment he’d laid eyes on her, all starchy and buttoned-up and in coood old-fashioned lay

But he also wanted to make love to her Endlessly

He wanted to kiss her fro at warm, damp places in between He wanted to show her that she didn’t have to be strong, not with him

She could lean on him when necessary, and he’d support her, always

He wanted their relationship to matter

He wanted to leave an i his hands to keep fro her, he stared at that da on five o’clock, and in a few ain

She was so coed and exhausted, she’d tried to seduce hi that, now better rested, she’d ith new deter

He was just as determined to stay, to pamper her To have her

I don’t know his name

How could she not know the name of a etfulness because the encounter had happened so long ago? Or lack of caring, because sexual involveed a one-night stand with a coerous, except that she wasn’t a helpless wo to hook up?

He could accept that; she was a beautiful, ses--and the lack of interest in coht of her admiration for Rowdy At least that was one interlude he kneould never happen Rowdy Yates was erous rebel, a terrific business owner

And a loyal fauy He would never cheat on Avery