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“We’ll argue about this e’re inside And stop biting me, woman”

She froze Of course they were still outside She felt the breeze in her hair She heard the sounds of the city She just hadn’t been able to face it yet, and part of her still couldn’t She didn’t want to be outside, on the ledge, inches fro experience of her life Her shaking increased, and she held hihter

“I need to get you inside” His voice was soft She could hear an apology in it

“I can’t” It was stupid and illogical, but it was also the truth She couldn’t leave his hold She couldn’t look out into the night She couldn’t stand on the ledge She just couldn’t “I really can’t”

She shook her head hard before burrowing into his shirt, breathing in the fresh scent of air-laundered cotton along with the musky aroma of man Not any man This man His scent was imprinted on her now Even blindfolded, she would know him

Mace

Her arrogant, strong, sexy, lying Viking of a man

“You don’t need to do anything,” he said “I’ll hold you Just like this And thread you through theYou don’t even have to turn, just lift your legs over theledge when I tell you We can’t stay out on this ledge forever Especially with a caht at us”

With his words, she heard the helicopter rotors “Not Enforcement?”

“No I think they would have tried to help by now if it’d been Enforcement”

“My fall was on the news” It wasn’t a question; there was no way footage that dramatic didn’t ht The world was used to seeing her as the confident, put-together face of Co woman who almost fell to her death

“I hate to shatter your delusions, but your fall wasn’t on the news My heroic save was on the news”

“Idiot” She sniffed, and then another awful thought occurred to her “Is the bat gone?” She couldn’t look around to see if it was still there She couldn’t open her eyes at all

“Fleay,” Mace said in a strange, tight voice “Probably hunting some dinner” He shuffled around until her back hit theledge “Lift your knees up high, and we should be able to get your feet through the ”

Keiko took a deep, shuddering breath, curled her fingers tighter into his shirt, and released her legs from his waist