“Our story begins eight years ago when Ms.Jacobs was living in London with Mr. McAllister.However, she had to leave the country urgentlydue to a family emergency.”“Considering the ‘he-was-dead’ defence, I’msure this will be hugely entertaining.” Lily didn’tsee it but she heard the scoffing behind Nate’s attorney’stone, that would be attorney number twoor Sarcastic Attorney. Her startled eyes moved tothe man who, she noted distractedly, was staringat her with extreme distaste.“Well, I’m not sure one would describe losingboth of one’s parents in a plane crash as ‘entertaining’,”Alistair noted blandly.”

“After that, Lily was recuperating and thendealing with significant financial hardships. Thebirth was described to me by Lily and also byher obstetrician, who I spoke to myself yesterday.The doctor, in his own words, remembers whathe describes as that ‘hideous day’ like it was yesterday.The labour, intense and excruciating, lastedfor days. In the end, in extreme distress atthe length of the labour, the baby nearly died.Lily did die. She was flatline for two minutes andthirty-eight –”Alistair didn’t get the opportunity to finish hisgrand statement because Nate surged out of hischair so fast, it flew on its wheels and shot acrossthe room, slamming into the wall.“Mr. McAllister…” Alistair said warninglybut Nate was coming swiftly around the table,coming at her.At this sight, Lily, too, jumped out of her chairin a panic, her numbness not that complete, andbacked away in self-defence as Nate came at her,came at her with purposeful, long strides. Shebacked up jerkily, one hand behind her, one handin front, retreating until she hit the wall. Beforeshe knew what he was about, his hard chest cameup against her hand, pushing it back and his bodypressed against hers.Terrified and confused at this sudden change,she looked to the right and to the left, anywherefor escape, anywhere but at Nate.And to her shock, his hands caught her face,resting one on either side, gently trying to forceher to look into his impossibly dark eyes.“I didn’t know,” he whispered and the absoluteache dripping from his first words said to hersince she found out he was alive cut through herthin shield of numbness like a razor.She attempted to pull her face free but hishands tightened.“Lily, I didn’t know,” he repeated, and shecaught his eyes and they were glittering dark withsomething that she couldn’t read, somethinghideously painful and she had to get away fromit. Was desperate to get away from it. She neededto flee.She tried to look over his shoulder but he wastoo tall, too close. Things were happening in theroom, there was urgent talk, maybe even a tussle.But all she could see was Nate.”

“Baby?” he called and he felt her eyes on him.“Yeah?” she replied, her sweet voice soft, another tone he was getting used to and this was because the last couple of days it had started to come at him often.“Do me a favor?”“Sure.”“In a second, I’m gonna pull over, get out my gun and give it to you. When I do, shoot me with it.”“What?” she whispered.“I’m facin’ another hour and a half of your music. I’d rather be dead.”Silence then, “Shut up.”

“There was… uh, in my book, you know,” her legs moved against his and she finished so low he barely heard her, “a really good sex scene.”

“She stared into his eyes and announced, “A good-bye kiss.”It was at that Raid stopped dead. “What?”“Raiden, the gig is up,” she declared, and Raid closed his eyes.Jesus, how could the woman be so infuriating and so fucking cute all at once?He opened his eyes and asked, “The gig is up?”She leaned into him and hissed, “Yes.”Fuck, he wanted to kiss her.He also wanted to shake her.“Baby, it’s jig,” he corrected, and her head jerked, which made that mess of hair on her head jerk, which reminded him he wanted his hands in that hair.Then elsewhere.He needed to speed this shit up.“Sorry?” she asked, sounding confused, and he looked from her hair to her eyes and saw she was, in fact, confused.Yeah. Infuriating. And fucking cute.“The jig is up, not the gig,” he told her.Her eyes narrowed. “Seriously? You’re correcting my street lingo?”“Think that street lingo was the street lingo about eight decades ago, Hanna. So now it’s just lingo.”

“Coming back for Comic-Con. Now that the seal has been broken and we all know each other as in know each other, expect you and Chace to meet me there,” Benji told me and my mind filled with thoughts of Chace at a Comic-Con.Because it did, I burst out laughing.Chace’s eyes came right to me and seeing the look on his face, openly happy, I sighed again but this time on the inside.I grinned at him but murmured, “I’m not sure that’ll ever happen.”“I am,” Ally replied and I tore my eyes away from my husband…My husband.I looked to her. “No way.”Ally looked to me. “That man would do anything for you. Even commune with a bunch of geeks.”Well, I figured she would know. Since she had one like mine.I grinned at her.”

“He backed me into a wall, caging me in, got in my face and explained he is most definitely into me.”When I was done speaking, her lips were parted and her eyes were glazed.“KC?” I called when she didn’t say anything.“Shh,” she shushed me. “I’m having an orgasm.”