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seeped into her, wiping away that last vestiges of chill.
    "But I think we didn't do this right." He tilted her head so she was looking directly into his eyes.
    "W-What do you mean?"
    "I mean, I was supposed to be taking care of you. Making you feel better." His fingers tap danced up and down her spine.
    "Uh-uh. You're always making me feel even better than good. Tonight I wanted to know that I could do that for you. That your pleasure came from me."
    He looked hard into her eyes, as if trying to see to the very bottom of her soul.
    "Don't you know that you make me feel good just by being with me? Anya, the best I ever had doesn't come close to how good this is. And only with you. Virgil Branson is an animal, a bug, and we're going to squash him. I won't let you think less of yourself because of him."
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    Desiree Holt
    The knot that had tightened in her stomach when the phone call came, that seemed to reach upward into every part of her body and coil her more tightly than a spool of wire, unwound with a distinctive snap! She inhaled Gus' wonderfully familiar scent and placed feathery kisses on his chin and jawline.
    "What would I do without you?" she sighed.
    "That's something I don't intend to find out." He rolled her onto her side, spooned her against him and pulled the covers up over them both. "Sleepy time, darlin'. I have a feeling tomorrow's going to be a busy day."
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    Escape the Night
    Chapter Four

    Despite all the activity of the night before--of all kinds--Gus was up at six the next morning, too jittery to stay in bed. He showered and dressed as quietly as he could, tucking the covers around Anya's chin and brushing a kiss across her forehead before heading for the kitchen. In sleep her face was unguarded and vulnerable and his heart ached for what she was going through. When he found the son of a bitch who'd sprung Branson they'd have a hard time keeping him from taking the guy apart with his bare hands.
    It still amazed him that so much had grown between him and Anya since the night she'd called him, frantic for help. Her story had made his gut burn with anger at people like Branson who were nothing more than flesh peddlers. She'd been the key to unlock the case he'd been trying to build against Branson, an unexpected gift dropped into his lap.
    And out of that had come a relationship that reached into the darkest corners of his soul and gave them light. It had taken a lot of patience to build her trust, and even more to teach her that erotic love in all its forms was pleasurable to participants. Anya had been sexually uneducated and frightened to death after her experience with Branson. But they'd come so far now.
    Thinking about last night he smiled to himself, remembering the feel of her mouth around his swollen cock. Gone was her shyness, replaced by a woman whose appetites had grown to match his own. With the unpredictability of his job, not to mention the darkness he worked with constantly, he'd never expected to have this kind of relationship. And he was going to make damn sure nothing happened to her. A freshly brewed carafe of coffee stood in the machine on the counter. John Randolph came in through the back door just as Gus finished filling a mug for himself. 35
    Desiree Holt
    "Everything okay out there?" Gus asked.
    John nodded. "Quiet as a tomb. How's our girl?"
    "Sleeping. I want to give her as much rest as possible. Any word yet from the boss?"
    "He called about an hour ago." John filled his own mug. "Said they have a lot of loose ends but nothing concrete. He sent a team to the prison to interview everyone up there. Especially the people in the infirmary. And he's got Jimmy working on the people in the visitors' logs."
    "I'd like to kill the asshole myself," Gus muttered. "Branson and whoever helped him." He took a long swallow of the hot liquid. "Want some breakfast before you turn in?"
    "Sure, if you're cooking."
    "Keeps me busy." Gus told him, and foraged in the cupboard for pans. He had just