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"You have blood on your shirt A palm print" He frowned, peered down at his hand, then peered at her shirt When his gaze finally uish--before it went blank

He started to close the distance between theround, re in place "Did I hurt you?"

He didn’t know? Couldn’t remember?

What the heck had just happened?

If he was a cop, ht of the blood had taken hiroorse for some reason She wrapped her aro hoo"

Maybe I should Or ress She’d just seen a side of him she’d never seen before One that didn’t just hint at vulnerability but screah it had scared her--there was no way around that fact--it was kinda like catnip to her She wanted to curl into his lap and purr against his throat, tell hih thiswhatever this wastogether

"I’e your wound," she said

"No"

"Yes," she insisted "Don’t argue You’ll lose I’ll meet you in your bathroo after Brook Lynn walked away, trying to put the pieces of what had happened together He’d been reht

He’d thought he’d heard a noise behind hilanced over his shoulder He’d thought he spied abehind the bushes Jase had stepped forward, intending to give chase, only to realize it had to be a deer He caught glilanced down to see a well of blood in his hand, and he’d flashed back to all the times he’d been jumped Sometimes with fists, sometimes with shivs In nine years he’d endured a total of twenty-three stabbings across his torso and a few s He’d lost count of the nuhts he’d participated in, only knew he’d won more than he’d lost He’d endured several broken bones and had sufferedother things Things he rarely ever allowed himself to remember

Held downtoobeing ripped

His breath sawed in and out faster, hotter Brook Lynn must have come upon him while he’d been trapped inside his head He remembered the softest of touches on his shoulder, the softest of voices saying his naotten in prison The contrast had been enough to pull him out of the abyss At least partway

He’dpushed her

The iue him

He stumbled to the side until he caainst the brick Little tre beads of sweat

He couldn’t face Brook Lynn, and he certainly couldn’t let her help hiation, and she deserved better

West and Beck were right Jase had judged her froood for hi else his friends had nailed? Jase had feelings for her Feelings he could no longer deny