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"I do," she whispered "I do want you to be here"

"Good," he said "And if keeping our clothes on will prove to you that there’s more to this than that, then ill step back and start over slower I won’t lie and say it won’t kill me, but I’ll happily take the couch if that’s what I need to do"

She dropped the sheet and wrapped her arms around him, her soft curves pressed to his chest "Only if I’m on it with you"

His resistance lasted all of a few seconds before his ar down on hers, tasting her, drinking her in like a man weeks without water And as she moaned into his mouth, as possessiveness he’d never felt for another woh him, he didn’t question the need to make her his He simply knew she was the one woman he had to have, the one he’d never found until now The one as going to hate him before this was over The one ould rip his heart out And worst of all he was going to be the bastard who deserved it

Chapter Eleven

Monday , after a weekend of pure bliss with Royce, Lauren stood in the kitchen holding a stea cup of coffee, dressed in a tan fitted skirt and cream silk blouse, ready to start her eek As much as she’d loved her escape with Royce, she’d bypassed work for ettable , and now she was behind

Royce appeared in the archway, his dark hair tied at his nape, his jeans and t-shirt molded to deliciousyou to work," he said

She should have been irritated about the command, but a few of his bedroom orders flashed in her mind – harder, faster, lick me – and her mouth went dry Lauren set her cup on the kitchen counter "You don’t have to take me to work"

"Yes, I do" He leaned on the archway, his shoulders taking up the entire tiny space

She studied hi, and nerves knotted her stoes I can’t do ht"

"You have to think about this, Lauren, and you have to look over your shoulder And I’ll be looking too"

"You can’t watch ? We didn’t get another call, or another calendar sheet, this weekend Maybe it’s over Maybe this person got their laughs andwith me scared the to get you to let down your guard"

"You don’t know that We don’t know anything at all And you’re going to make me crazy"

He closed the distance between them and pulled her into his ars safe until I get some answers I’ll drop you off at work and pick you up That way I have an excuse to take you to dinner," his lips curved, "and have you for dessert"

"Bribery isn’t going to hed "Bribery, huh?"

She couldn’t laugh She couldn’t do anything with the invisible vise tightening on her chest "I’ve been working criminal cases for years I’ve had threats I did with those what I told you I do with everything else Threats, bloody pictures, and randos They are the sainary place in my mind, a box that I seal and don’t open unless I have to It’s how I keep going"

"I know," he said "If anyone gets that, it’s me If I had any other choice, I wouldn’t push you on this There’s soone down that I don’t like I need you to be on alert, and I need you to be cautious, until I figure out why"

"Dae I know to be careful I’m always careful"

"Curse me if you want," he said "Yell at h "What is it aboutmen? I’m drawn to them" She stepped out of his reach "Drive ht her ar unfair but I just feel like everything is spinning out of control I need soure out where , held hers, his expression unreadable, before he let her go And God, she was so confused and conflicted, because she hated he let her go, when she’d just told hi to work, Lauren sat behind her simple steel public servant’s desk, in her box of an office She and Royce had barely spoken on the way to her office and that had her just as crazy as everything else He’d made her put his number and both of his brothers’ nu No kiss goodbye Just a quick ‘I’ll call you later and check in’

The interco her edginess She punched the button on her phone "There is a Jonathan Wilkins here to see you," ca year old assistant, Alice Harper She cleared her throat and lowered her voice, "He’s very detero on trial fortowards a confession "Send him in" Lauren leaned back in her chair and waited for her visitor but she didn’t, and wouldn’t, get up Not with this particular visitor, whoo that sitting behind a desk was as good as towering over a man It proclaimed ownership of the roo It worked with the more dominant types