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.Tonight.Tomorrow night.All the nights for the rest—”Leaving one hand around his neck, she reached out and covered his lips with the tip of her index finger.“I’ll go get dressed and pack enough for tonight.I won’t argue with you, Mitch.I need you.But, when this business about the break-ins and the threats is over, you and I have some important things to settle between us.”“I thought we did that last night.” He kissed her finger that hovered over his lips.“Last night was special.I’ll never forget it.”“Hey, you make it sound as if it’ll never happen again, and I’m here to tell you that—” he jerked her back into his arms, pressing her against his aroused body “—last night was just the beginning for us.”Twenty minutes later after phoning Nikki to tell her about the break-in last night and that she’d be late for work, Emily stood at the kitchen counter in Mitch’s beachfront cottage.She’d convinced Mitch to leave the cooking to her.Deftly mixing together the ingredients for pancakes, she began preparations for their breakfast while Mitch showered and shaved.She wasn’t a fool.She knew only too well that she and Mitch didn’t have a future together.But she also knew that by allowing Mitch to stay in her life, now, when she truly needed someone for support and caring and protection, she could help ease his guilty conscience.He so desperately wanted to do something for her.This way, he could.Once the police caught the person responsible for the break-ins, she and Mitch would have to face the truth about their relationship.The ringing phone jarred Emily from her private thoughts.Leaving the wooden spoon resting in the pancake batter, she wiped her hands off on the dishcloth she’d laid over her shoulder and reached out for the wall phone near the back door.“Hello.”“I knew it! I told myself you weren’t foolish enough to trust that man, but there you are at his house,” the agitated masculine voice said.“You could have called me yourself and told me what happened instead of having Nikki call.But then, I suppose you knew how upset I’d be.When Nikki told me that you were staying with Mitchell Hayden, I couldn’t believe it.Emily, have you lost your mind?”“Good morning to you, Uncle Fowler.And yes, I’m just fine.Thanks for asking.”“Don’t be sarcastic with me, young lady.I don’t think this situation is at all amusing.I find it terribly disturbing!”“I agree, Uncle Fowler.Those two hoodlums who broke into my house last night disturbed me.As a matter of fact, they scared the living daylights out of me!”Fowler cleared his throat several times.“Well, yes, I suppose they did, and I’m so very sorry that you had to go through that, my dear.But the facts remain the same.Mitchell Hayden cannot be trusted, and I believe you’re being unwise to stay with him when you could come home to me.Or you could stay with Nikki.That man will only hurt you again.”“Uncle Fowler, I wish I could make you understand how I feel about Mitch and why I trust him.” Emily paused when she heard Fowler’s groaning huff.“He rescued me from those boys who broke into my house.He doesn’t want to hurt me.Don’t you see? He saved me.”“He could have hired those boys just so he could play hero,” Fowler said.“I warn you, Emily, don’t trust the man!”“What’s happened to change you so? Up until recently, you’ve been my biggest supporter.You’ve always believed in me and encouraged me—”“You’re the one who has changed—since you became infatuated with your husband’s murderer!” Fowler’s voice trembled with emotion.Emily clutched the phone with white-knuckled tension.Willing herself to stay calm, she took a deep breath.“Mitch didn’t kill Stuart.He made some mistakes.He believed in the wrong people.But Mitch has paid dearly for what happened.”“I can’t believe I’m hearing you correctly.What sort of spell has that man cast on you?” Fowler asked.“As long as you’re being this unreasonable, I’m not going to discuss Mitch Hayden with you.”“Don’t you realize that I have your best interest at heart? I can’t bear the thought of your wasting yourself on a man like that.The man is using you to regain respectability.If Stuart’s widow can forgive him, then—”“Please, don’t do this to me.You know how much you mean to me.Don’t make me choose between you and Mitch.”Mitch, freshly shaved and showered and neatly dressed in clean jeans and cotton shirt, walked into the kitchen.He halted behind Emily when he realized she was on the phone.“He really has you fooled, doesn’t he?” Fowler’s voice rose to one octave below a scream.“Whatever’s happened to make you trust this man so? My God, Emily, you haven’t slept with him, have you?”“That’s none of your business.”“You have!” Fowler said, his voice loud enough to hurt Emily’s ears.“He’s brainwashed you.I beg you not to trust that man.Run from him.Get away, before he harms you.Please, let me come and get you.Let me take care of you.Keep you safe.”Emily shook her head, not knowing whether to feel sorry for her uncle or to be angry with him.“Nothing you say or do is going to convince me that Mitch is a threat to my safety.”Mitch reached around her and grabbed the phone out of her hand.Gasping, Emily jumped out of the way and stared at him with round eyes, startled by his actions.“Jordan, this is Mitch Hayden.I just thought you should know that if anyone wants to get to Emily, they’ll have to come through me first.”Mitch slammed down the telephone receiver, then turned to Emily.“Want me to help you with the pancakes?”“What?”“Pancakes.Breakfast.Remember, you didn’t want scrambled eggs or an omelette.”“Oh.Right.” Mitch’s words to her uncle kept ringing in her ears.Over and over again she heard him saying, To get to Emily, they’ll have to come through me first.“You—you get the coffee ready.I’ll make the pancakes.”He kissed her on the cheek, then swatted her on the behind.She gazed at him as if seeing him for the first time.When he smiled at her, her heartbeat accelerated.She smiled back at him.“So the police don’t have a clue who hired those boys to break into your house, huh?” Handing Emily a glass of iced tea, Nikki Griffin sat down beside her on the tan-and-blue striped sofa.“Not a clue.” Emily sighed.“But I.well, there’s something that I haven’t told anyone.Not the police.Not even Mitch.”Nikki sipped on her tea, then set her glass on the cocktail table in front of her.“What’s going on? Why are you keeping secrets from the police?”“It may be nothing.Really.Just a silly suspicion [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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