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Nearly at the top, Regina began breathing easier This would soon be over Then his foot ripped her even tighter

"Shit!" he muttered as they dove forward

"Are you okay?" she asked anxiously, still holding on with all herout "I’o the rest of the way on my knees It’s just two more steps, okay?"

"Okay"

When they reached the top, hehi up He leaned over to let her off on the side of her good leg "Put your knee down first," he instructed her "Now slide offyour ankle down too hard Can you hold it in the air a bit and I’ll crawl out froasped as she let her body slide all the way down

While she was lying on her side with her leg in the air, he did just as he said he would and crawled out then turned around iht could not have been any crazier The last thing she expected to be doing tonight was lying there on her bedrooeant she’d so desperately tried to avoid all week--on all fours looking down at her

"You okay?" She nodded for a moment, unable to speak He stared into her eyes for a little longer before his concerned eyes ly tohim over her like this, so close to her as she lay there helplessly, and seeing the way he took in every inch of her in, the concern in his eyes --protest Instead, she lay there in silence, watching as his eyes didn’t just check her out for injuries They draped over her sloith such yearning Was that what she was seeing? Whatever it was it literally made her shiver Those intensely alert eyes darted back toin question "Are you cold?"

Regina shook her head, sing hard and chastising herself for not being unable to put even tords together As if he suddenly caught hi up on his knees and startling her in the process

"Let’s, uh," he said, sounding coet you up"

He reached out for her hands, and she took the her elboith one hand while still keeping his other hand in hers

She started to hop in the direction of her bed when he leaned over and picked her up "Don’t try and ithout your crutches," he said simply

If he’d actually been rattled as he’d sounded just h He was back to his no-nonsense self, and any sign of yearning was co now, it was anger His expression was coina wished she could pull that brave, playful, and outspoken girl out from deep within her She’d never been afraid to speak her rowing up because, while all three of them were known as the brainy ones in their school, she was the only one of the three who fit in with the popular crowd as well She wasn’t anywhere near as shy as her sisters had been, and she’d been an insatiable flirt

The old her would’ve put Brandon in his place a long tiina would’ve looked forward to having funhim uncomfortable in the elevator, not the other way around

As he laid her down gently on the bed, his face coain could feel his war he’d ht about now She knehat she’d seen when he was looking at her justto pretend he wasn’t feeling the incredible attraction she’d been feeling for him since the mo the old her rise froina lifted herself to her elbow and pecked him on the lips softly Brandon stopped cold and stared into her eyes, his breathing i her lips, and his eyes were instantly on theht"

She actually heard hi her heart speed up Nearly losing her courage, she fought to keep the old her around and brought her hand around his neck, kissing his lips again, only this tier She waited, but he didn’t kiss her back, and for an instant, she felt so irl with him at Gaslamp came to mind She’d alreadyband, but that could irlfriend or fiancée

Regina began pulling ahen his ar her to him, and he kissed her feverishly and so deeply like she’d never been kissed before She’d been kissed plenty, and she’d felt passion, but this was an entirely different experience for her The man was voracious the way he sucked her lips with such fervor She loved it She wantedother parts of her body, a moan nearly escaped her as he sucked her bottom lip even harder Just like earlier, he see his forehead against hers breathlessly