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He pushed off, shifting to the balls of his feet when he saw her eyes narroith purpose Then he let out a sigh and jammed his hands into his pockets "Bloody hell I love you"

She'd been poised to spring Those two sentences, said with equal parts frustration and weariness, arrowed straight to her heart He stood there, his hair tousled frole, his eyes deeply blue and filled with annoyance and love

Everything inside her shifted, then settled into the pattern she supposed it was fated for "I know I'h her hair, distracted enough not to see the flicker of surprise on his face "I don't like yourtoo hard before I was a hundred percent You've been telling e for days, and I didn't want to hear it"

"Why?"

"I was scared" It was hard to admit it, even to a man she knew she could tell every secret

"Scared?" He crossed to her, sat down, and took her hand in his "Of what?"

"That I wouldn't be able to go back, not all the way back That I wouldn't be strong enough, or sharp enough to be back on the job And if I couldn't" She squeezed her eyes shut "I've got to be a cop I have to do the job If I can't -- I've lost myself"

"You could have talked to me about this"

"I wouldn't even talk to ers over her eyes, irritated that there were tears brewing behind the paperwork, court dates This is ot off disability leave If I can't handle it"

"You are handling it"

"Whitney ordereds down my throat"

"Well" He gave her hand a sy But I believe, in both cases, it was ayou to rest, rather than a criticism of your abilities"

He took her chin in his hand, rubbing his thumb over the center dent "Eve, there are tily unaware of self You push yourself to the wall on every case The only difference with this is that you were physically shaky to begin with You're the same cop you hen Ithought"

"Yeah, I' on that" She studied their joined hands "But I'ers linked with his, she lifted her head, looked into his eyes "I don't want to be I like who I am now Who we are now"

"Good" He leaned over to kiss her "Because we're stuck"