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half smile. It was important that someone somewhere in the world loved her. “Love you.”
    “I love you, too, Laurie girl,” he said softly before he stepped back from the car.
    She started the engine and pulled into the empty road. There was barely any traffic, and she doubted the trip home would be eventful. Regardless, if she didn’t call within twenty minutes of leaving here, Gich would call her. Sort of nice… the actual feeling of being loved.
    The image of Jack popped into her mind. She was tempted to ask Gich about Jack, but what would be her reason? If Gich learned about her… uh… moment with Jack, would he get angry, or would he be happy that she had fun—at least twenty minutes of it? She preferred that her personal life stay her own as long as it could.
    Making out and fooling around!
    As she turned onto the road that would take her over the Coronado Bridge, her mind spun. If I could do it all over again, would I?
    The sensation of his mouth on hers… His strong arms around her… Those rock-hard abs… Dammit! It felt incredible!
    Could I rewrite the ending?
    Unfortunately, she didn’t think there would ever be a do-over for her and Jack. Nope, that boat had definitely sailed.

Chapter 3
    Sometimes it is entirely appropriate to kill a fly with a sledgehammer.
    —Major I. L. Holdridge
    “Today, we are going to begin our group therapy with a hug. Everyone put your arms around the person next to you and hug tight—squeeze your neighbor like he’s a lifeline.” Dr. Debbie “Dismal” Mucan was so proud of her activity that she embraced the person on the right. The fact she was stacked like a double-barreled gunboat was a plus for the guy grinning over her shoulder. Probably the best “feel-up” he’d had in months, too.
    Jack sighed. Being here sucked! And he was not a hugger.
    Fucking unreal! He wanted to utter the acerbic thought but used his great restraint to hold it in. The only expression he allowed himself to register was a slightly raised eyebrow and a frown. He was a man who could morph into anything that was required of him.
    The guys on either side of Jack looked skeptical, too, shaking their heads and pushing their chairs even farther back from the group circle they all sat in. When the scraping of the chair feet and groans of the chair legs stopped, the ring of patients looked like a disconnected and oddly shaped trapezoid.
    “Now, we’re going to take the interaction to another level. Anyone who is not interested in participating or who is unable to contribute anything positive, you’re welcome to leave,” Dr. Mucan commented sharply, pushing her glasses back up her nose.
    Six men rose instantly from their seats. Jack was out the door before the comment was even cold.
    Hooyah! Get me the hell out of here!
    He moved swiftly down the hall, over the steps, and out the door. He looked up into the hot San Diego sun, and for the first time in twenty-four hours, he smiled. Strike that, it had been twelve hours since he willingly grinned. Because at almost precisely that time last night, his cock had been almost inside the prettiest brunette he’d ever seen.
    “Dammit! Why did I have to think about her? Probably a setup.” He withdrew his phone to call Gich and ask him. But he just couldn’t imagine the man sandbagging him that way. And she seemed too pretty, too reserved to do it… for money. So why did she come on to him so freely?
    He looked in the mirror. No answers reflected back to him. He looked like… a dork.
    The BlackBerry vibrated in his hand, and he almost dropped it. The screen said it was his shrink. If he didn’t answer, the man would keep calling back. Persistent SOB.
    He pushed the button and waited.
    “I’m glad you answered. I can see you from my office, and I’d like to know why you aren’t in group.” Dr. Derek Johnson’s voice was clipped. “We spoke about this in D.C. When you arrived back here, you would be required to go to group three times a week