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It seemed like an eternity, but thirtytub, letting the warmth soak away her fear and discoer to banish the er to be finished so she could si

Think nothing

Rinsing her hair, she relaxed, sliding down until her head rested against the side of the tub, shutting her eyes and e her mind

God, this is heaven, she thought, lulled into a delicious half-sleep Heaven

“You look like a beautiful mermaid” Slayde’s deep voice resounded in her ear “But the water’s growing cold Besides, we’ve got to get you to bed”

Courtney blinked, wondering when Slayde had come into the room She’d certainly never heard hi damp strands of hair off her face

“I’ll sleep here,” she mumbled

A chuckle “Not unless you want to shrivel away to nothing” He lifted her fro her to the bed

His warmth felt wonderful Courtney hed with contentainst his solid strength Instinctively, she snuggled closer, rubbing her face against what she discovered to be his bare, daht,” she announced, half to herself “You had a bath, too”

“Um-hum” The husky sound tickled her ear “Then I donned my breeches and caht” He sed, hard, his voice growing oddly choked “Are you hungry?”

Awareness won out over fatigue, and Courtney’s lashes lifted, her eyes luazed into his “No” She lay a treainst his jaw “That’s twice you’ve saved my life,” she whispered

Torment slashed his features “I didn’t think I’d reach you in tiled hair “In that split second when I saw the pistol barrel gleahts that kept running through my mind were that I couldn’t reach you…” He drew a deep, shuddering breath “And that without you, there’s nothing”

“Slayde” She caressed the warmth of his skin, twined her arms about his neck

“Nothing, Courtney” He kissed her, first tenderly, then with an urgency like none he’d ever known “God help me if I’d lost you God help me…”

Fiercely, Courtney returned Slayde’s kiss, tears burning behind her eyes as she felt, and shared, his desperation Their love for each other was a race of God and the space of a heartbeat, could have been snatched away