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etching their way into her skin, and she shifted slightly, shaking one sore and aching leg to release some of the irritation.

“Come on, Dylan,” she murmured in the still air.

A tall shadow fell across her, and she smiled, looking up. Dylan was dressed in casual jeans and a crisp white T-shirt that accentuated her muscular build.

Her hair was wet, shining, and slicked back away from her face, bringing her chisled features into even greater definition.

Cat felt the effects of the cold shower evaporate in an instant as another surge of warmth rushed through her body, causing a distinct weakness in her legs

once again.

“Oh, what you do to me,” she breathed.

Looking down at the smaller woman, her hair still damp and slightly curling from her shower, her green eyes darkening with desire, Dylan knew that the

feeling was entirely mutual. She smiled and held out a hand. “Let’s get outta here.”

Relaxing against the soft leather seat of Dylan’s rental, Cat looked on as their hotel passed slowly by on the right.

“Um…Dylan?”

“Mm?”

“Our hotel’s going bye-bye.”

Dylan chuckled. “I figured we could use some time away from the press. It’ll be a madhouse there. I don’t know about you, but I’m about interviewed out

for the day.”

“True, but I was kinda hoping for another shot at a shower. I’ve got sand in places even I don’t want to know about.”

Dylan chuckled again, causing Cat to discover yet again how much she liked the sound of her laughter.

“Trust me.”

“I do.” Cat was smiling, but her eyes were dead serious.

Dylan’s gaze softened, and she took her eyes away from the road long enough to lift a hand to brush against the incredibly soft skin of Cat’s cheek.

“Thanks,” she replied softly.

“No problem,” Cat replied in an equal tone.

As Dylan returned her attention to the highway, Cat rested her head against the seat, feeling the ghost of Dylan’s touch deep in the marrow of her bones.

“Wake up, sleepyhead. We’re here.”

Cat blinked her eyes open, unaware that she’d even fallen asleep. Stretching stiff and aching muscles, she groaned softly, and ran a hand over her face to

clear sleep-hazy eyes.

“Where’s here?” she burred, voice hoarse from her unintended nap. “And how long have I been out?”

“About forty five minutes,” Dylan replied, coming around to the passenger’s side and opening the door for Cat. Reaching down, she eased the younger

woman from the car and steadied her as she steadied herself on her aching legs.

Cat looked around, taking in a deep, bracing breath of cool, pine-scented air. “It’s dark.”

“Mm. That usually happens at nighttime, yes.”

That earned Dylan a stinging backhand to the midsection, which she absorbed easily as she began to lead her sleepy passenger up the long, secluded

drive.

Cat’s eyes widened as a fairly large, low-slung house came into view among the towering pines. Through the huge glass windows came a flickering light

that could only be a fire in the hearth. She looked over at Dylan. “I—I’m not too sure I’m much for company,” she admitted softly.

Dylan raised an eyebrow. “I wasn’t aware I constituted ‘company’.”

“Not you, silly. Whoever’s got the fire going. They don’t just light themselves, you know.”

“Do tell,” was Dylan’s droll reply.

“I’m serious, Dylan.” She knew she sounded a bit whiney, but that’s what unintended naps did to her.

“So am I.” Relenting a little, Dylan grasped Cat’s chilled hand. “I promise you, no one is inside this house.”

Cat read the truth in the press of her hand, and nodded. Then she looked up in shock. “This is your house, isn’t it.”

Dylan grinned, reaching the mailbox and pulling out several envelopes and showing them to Cat. “I sure hope so, or else I’m paying someone else’s bills.”

Cat looked at the bills in amazement, then up into Dylan’s smirking eyes. “Wow. A house in Birmingham, one here. Are there any more hiding around?”

Dylan’s eyes lit with devilment. “Maybe,” she said with just a hint of coyness. Then, laughing, she released Cat’s hand and reached into her pocket for the

house key. Inserting it into the lock, she twisted, and swung the door wide, grasping Cat’s hand once again and escorting her inside.

“Jesus,” Cat breathed, looking around at the impressive accommodations. Directly in front of her was a sunken living room with all the high tech amenities

that a soul could want, fronted by an enormous fireplace that took the chill off the cool night air. “This place is gorgeous!”

“Thanks,” Dylan replied, turning the recessed lighting to a soft, warm glow. “I usually spend some time up here in the off-season. My caretaker looks after

it when I’m away.”

“Now there’s a job I wouldn’t mind having.”

Smiling, Dylan led Cat over to the large French doors, their view of the world beyond shaded by vertical blinds. “I know you were looking forward to a

shower, and if you really want one there’s no problem, but I thought I might be able to interest you in this instead.”

Flipping open the blinds, Dylan exposed a view of a sizable, terraced deck in the center of which was a very large Jacuzzi, lit from within and swirling and