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“Because you matter very much to her”

“My personal life is—”

“A concern to her, as a friend, Delia”

The quiet censure in his tone ive up “Okay, I know it I don’t have to like it”

“I think things should be smoother now She had her say, I had mine, and we both felt better for it And when I explained to her that eren’t having sex, she—”

“What?” The word squeaked out as Peabody ju crystal danced on the white linen cloth “You told her that? That? Good God Why don’t you just strip me naked and push me into the squad room?”

“I wanted her to knoe had a friendship, not a professional agree his misstep too late, Charles rose, lifted his hands “I didn’t mean to embarrass you”

“You tella professional for what, nearly three months, and haven’t done theabout that?”

“I didn’t realize you’d wanted sex to be part of our relationship” He spoke stiffly now “If you had, you had only to ask”

“Oh yeah, right I say, how about it, Charles, and I’m a client”

The muscles in his belly went taunt as wire “Is that what you think?”

“I don’t knohat to think” She dropped into her chair again, briefly held her head in her hand “Why did you have to tell her that?”

“I suppose I was defending h admission to s “I didn’t think beyond it I’m very sorry” He moved his chair over so that he could sit close and take her hand “Delia, I didn’t want to spoil our friendship, and for the first stages of it, I was hung up on someone who couldn’t, ouldn’t be with h that I care very much about you If you want more…”

He lifted her hand, brushed his lips over the inside of her wrist

Her pulse gave a little dance It was only natural, she supposed Just as it was natural for her blood to go warm, very warm, when he shifted that skilled mouth from her wrist to her lips