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Margo snorted

"The woman thinks I walk on water I don’t understand it, but--"

"Rowdy"

He smiled "Secondly, I had a shit childhood Youinto detail, but understand that it was pretty bad"

She rolled in her lips and dared a look at him So close that she could count the eyelashes on his beautiful eyes, she whispered, "I’ is, I think you know so about that For you it wasn’t the same You had a house and clothes andparents But it wasn’t fun for you, either It wasn’t the way it should have been"

She definitely couldn’t coround "I don’t see how--"

"When I couldn’t smother away the bad memories, I tried to fk them away"

Wellthere was a confession More attentive, she listened

"For thewas the best way I knew to block a bad memory I could so easily lose myself in a woman"

Just as she lost herself in Dash "Rowdy"

He pressed a finger to her lips and continued "A nice lady or a bitch A beauty or just so Didn’t matter if I liked her or not because all I wanted was a lay"

She removed his hand "A quick lay?"

His shtmares with a quickie, now can I? But the point is that I used women"

She wasn’t exactly surprised Rowdy’s sexuality was a blatant part of him, pretty much up front and in your face "I doubt the ladies coed "Mostly they just complained when it ended But my point--because I do have one--is that you and I are kindred spirits"

Fearing he ht, she tried to joke her way around his understanding "Actually, I’ you’re into soether different Not entirely about sex, butthe responsibility for a while"

Her blood surged and her eyes narrowed "Did Dash talk to you?"

Pitying her, Rowdy shook his head "You know better--and it’d piss Dash off to know you even suggested such a thing"

Blowing out a breath, Margo dropped her head back onto his thick biceps It felt kind of nice--co, warm, safe--to be held by Rowdy Yates She could see why his sister, Reese’s wife and Rowdy’s wife had all so easily fallen under his protective umbrella

But she was different For her entire life she hadn’t needed anyone No as she ready to give up that persona Not yet

Not with Rowdy

She turned her head "So what are you saying?"

"My life changed so much for the better when Ito hurt her I love her More than life More than I even kneas possible"

"You still have nightmares?"

"Sometimes The shit I reo away But to deal with it, all I need is Avery, not so with this, she shook her head "And you think all I need is Dash?"

His expression gentled and he tightened his hold "I think for a badass cop s in taking control with an iron fist, at heart you’re a coward"

That awful accusation hit her like a slap Stunned, and then infuriated, she said, "I’ her off, "if you’re not a coward, if I’s--then you’ll go and talk to Dash"

She prepared to la She even had her mouth open to do just that

But Roatched her, his brows pinched with the seriousness of his clai to see if she’d own up, or deny itlike a coward

"Damn"

The stern expression eased He even smiled She saw it in his eyes, how he expected her to ently "There’s that backbone of steel"

Stupid, lame, crybaby tears blurred her vision

Rowdy pulled her closer against his hard chest, his hand on the back of her head, his fingers in her hair,her scalp He didn’t tell her not to cry He didn’t tell her everything would be okay

Roas , I can proht every instinct known to man to be there for you in whatever way you needed, and still you cut hile word out for fear it’d be a squeaky, choking sob, she shook her head

"No?"

She shook her head again She hadn’t cut hi was possible Not talking to hi her job, while dealing with the seriousness of a iven in to the fear She’d hidden away