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"It wasn’t your fault," Sheldon told him

Richart shook his head "I should have stayed I shouldn’t have teleported that last tiht I could take her away from there"

"If you had stayed, you would have died"

And Ami still would have wound up in the vaood at producing no-win situations "Go hoet some rest"

"I don’t think I should leave you You aren’t at full strength"

"Go hole roo in a while"

"What if you can’t teleport?"

"I’ll call you and you can drag your ass back and give , Sheldon grabbed a piece of paper and pen fro down Once finished, he handed the scrap to Jenna "Here’s a nu, call me"

"Okay" Jenna took his Second’s hand "Thank you, Sheldon"

Bobbing his head, Sheldon gave her hand a squeeze, scrutinized Richart one last time, then backed out of the room The front door opened and closed, then they were alone

Chapter Five

Silence descended upon the roos unsaid

"It belatedly occurs to an rustily, "that I should have asked you if you wishedclose behind him on the bed

Richart found himself at a loss He didn’t kno to do this How to reveal all of his secrets How to coax a hu A human whose scorn he couldn’t bear to face

"Why won’t you look at me?" she asked

Richart rubbed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, hoping it would help clear his head and ease the pain it housed "I’ve never done this before"

"Done what?"

"Tried to find a way to tell the woman I love that I’m not huht words to convince her not to fearher seeandshakily, he braced a hand on the wall

"Are you okay?"

He winced "My head is fucking killing ive me I didn’t mean to speak so crudely"

"I’ve said worse, stuck in traffic"

His lips twitched Only Jenna could rim It was one of the reasons he loved her despite all of thetheir path "You knohat the ironic thing is?"

"What?"

"If this battle had not taken place, I would have told you everything last night"

The bedding rustled as Jenna rose on the other side of the bed

"I know it sounds like I’ht off If we couldn’t be alone here, I was going to boot Sheldon out of my place and" He shook his head "I wanted so badly toso without first telling you the truth"

Jenna circled the bed and stood no more than a foot away from him "Is that why you held back whenever we?"

"Kissed?" He studied her beautiful face, following the lovely line of her neck down to her full breasts "Touched?" Despite the lethargy that plagued him, Richart felt his pulse leap and his body harden asher bra, and filling his paling the cloth up and closing his lips over the tights buds Hearing her htly in response

Squeezing his eyes closed, he turned his head aside