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There was so on in his head that she had no line to

Conor needed a hug

Like that would solve anything More likely he’d push her away Wiseher hands deep into the pockets of her robe, she turned for the kitchen and that tea, trying to ignore the painful squeeze her heart was giving

They’d once shared a great night together that she’d enjoyed ht possible Probably because she’d wanted nothing else from him than some fun But that was it End of Except there was now a baby lying between them There was no room for her heart to have its say

Listening to her inner voice would undo all the effort she’d et back on track It’d also take e than she possessed, and would mean a breakdown of all the strictures she’d placed on herself to keep safe

‘Ta her watch the kettle He inhaled, sighed out the breath ‘Thanks Again’

‘No probleretted

In a low, rolling version of that bone- accent Conor said, ‘Don’t be afraid to show hts’

Slowly turning, she stared at hiainst her ribs ‘I’m not,’ she muttered, and had to suffer the disbelief in his eyes Fair cop ‘Okay, I’ve learned that showingusually has severe repercussions’ When his mouth opened to spill words—a question?—she rushed in to cut hiht’ Probably never ‘We’re both in need of sleep, not long, convoluted conversations’

Damn, but her head hurt A steady throb pounded behind her eyes,her heart There was only one cure Bed Alone So she needed to drink her tea to help obtain that oblivion, and see Conor out the front door before hitting the sack Not necessarily in that order either

Why was the water taking for ever to boil?

Conor’s eyelids eighed down as he tried to open his eyes ‘Where the hell am I?’

He scoped the rooht, saw the creahed Tamara’s place Now he could feel that leather beneath his backside where he was sprawled along thehim When had Taht of hi when they’d finished their meal and dumped the plates in the sink No, he hadn’t even done that one toafter that Except the ease hich he’d shifted from the chair to the couch and laid his head on a cushion

The ease that had settled over hih Ta here when they had a massive problem to deal with

Careful He’d be taking risks soon Risks he’d spent the last fourteen years fighting Risks that had had hi despair He couldn’t i children Children who ht inherit his cardiac proble up their children alone because the big one had got him

Conor sat up Threw the blanket aside Falling in love wouldthe rules that ran his life, kept everyone safe So it wasn’t happening

A vision of Taeous in her thick, faded navy-coloured robe with her dark blonde hair gone wild fro correctly when it had kept hih on the desire that had kicked up at the sight of her It would’ve been the worst move possible, and there’d have been no thanks from Tam

Don’t call her that The shortened version of Ta about And wanted to know No, heBut to him she was Tam He just had to keep that to himself

Tio hoether collection of furniture that wason, not settling down

Nothing like this war nest created hat he suspected were top-of-the-range furnishings Not that he knew a lot about these things but this home seemed classy That sideboardin its sirand way Was this why she didn’t have a lot of spare one wild? If so, only when it came to her home No money asted on clothes

Who are you, Taton?

Deep down he kneas never going to find out His teeth ground as he leapt up to stretch the kinks fro about her Which would bring a load of problems best left well alone It’d be easy to search on the web, but he didn’t feel comfortable with that That’d be a shallow act, and if Tamara couldn’t find it in herself to tell him then best he left it alone

A carved black clock with a gold face that had to beup his shoes, he ht? Sound asleep? Or was being overtired keeping her wide awake? He turned the other way