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“What for?”

“Well...” He shrugged. He slid one leg on, then the other, and pulled the zipper up. “I don’t want anyone getting the wrong idea.”

Her eyes narrowed. “The wrong idea about what? Does it bother you that they know we had sex?”

“What—no! That’s not it at all.” Lips pressed, he crossed the room to the bed and sat on the edge of the mattress. “This...this meant something to me, all right? I don’t want to share it with anyone but you.”

Touched by the admission, she smiled. “You getting soft on me, Flint?”

“Not in a million years.” He lowered his head and covered her mouth with his, the kiss achingly tender. Then he got off the bed and reached for his shirt. “I’ll be back as soon as I talk to Austin. Don’t get dressed. We’re not finished.”

Chapter 16

THE NEXT MORNING, NATElay awake in bed, with Dorcas nestled against him and ten thousand thoughts pinging around in his head.

Hindsight being twenty-twenty, he shouldn’t have slept with her. It was unprofessional, a breach of boundaries, and yet another sterling example of his piss-poor impulse control. It was difficult to maintain objectivity when you got involved with the person you were protecting. But try as he might, he couldn’t muster a single ounce of regret.

However, he was fully aware of the fact his family was going to give him a royal rash of shit about it. And if he hurt Dorcas in any way, shape, or form, they’d take turns kicking his ass from here to Key West and back. Not that he had any intention of causing Dorcas harm. He was just painfully aware of the consequences if he fucked things up.

He glanced down at her, asleep at his side, her black hair a wild tumble against the cream-colored pillow, and he felt an ache in his heart that he couldn’t find the words to describe. He’d never thought long-term about a woman before. Never trusted himself not to screw it up. Hell, even now, he’d put good odds on it. He’d be lying if he claimed that didn’t scare him. But the thought of not having Dorcas in his life scared him even more.

She made a low sound, and seconds later, her brown eyes fluttered open. For the briefest of moments, her body tensed as if shocked to realize she was in bed with him, but then she relaxed, her body softening and her mouth curving up in a sleepy smile that made his body hum.

“Morning.” He craned his neck to kiss her, and the hum turned into a buzz.

“Morning yourself. What time is it?”

“A little after seven.”

“No wonder I’m hungry.” She shifted a little, and then propped her chin on his chest. “What do you want to eat?”

He grinned, and she rolled her eyes, which made him grin even more.

“That’s not food.”

“That’s up for debate.”