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after when he was within touching distance.
    He was working on an old case.  It was personal to him but she couldn’t get him to talk much about it. 
    As far as she was aware, it was closed years before when a young boy had been rescued from a rare female child molester and Hollow had fast-tracked his paperwork.
    That he’d reopened his files meant it involved other people in the case.  A fact that didn’t bother her.  She knew a recent trip had been to see her.  He wouldn’t discuss the details. 
    What bothered her was his pain and withdrawal into silence.  That meant it was time to stop being polite. 
    That shit never worked for her anyway.
    Standing, she walked naked across the room and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, draping herself over his back.  His warm skin felt incredible against her bare breasts.
    Everything about Hollow felt incredible.
    “Tell me what’s going on because you know I’ll understand.”  She planted a kiss on his neck.  “Does this involve Elizabeth Clayton?” 
    He stiffened a moment before exhaling roughly. “It does.  I need to know she’s okay.  Put measures in place to keep her safe.  She’s not like us.”
    “I know she isn’t.”
    “I’m not in love with her.” 
    “I know that, Hollow and it wouldn’t matter if you were.  I want you to be happy.”
    Bringing his hands up, he took hers and brought her around to sit on his lap.  Stunning eyes that never held true joy met hers.  “I wish I was able to love.  I so desperately want to love you, Tawny.” 
    Cupping his face in her hands, she smiled.  “If I had a choice, if it was possible for me, I’d choose you.”
    He held her so tight that she hoped for a moment that something inside her would open to him, heat in a way that wasn’t platonic or sexual.  It didn’t happen and she knew it didn’t for him either.
    Pulling back, he ran long fingers through her hair. 
    “You are beautiful and brilliant.  Perfect for me in every way.  I’m sorry.  I’m sorry I’m fucked up.”
    “You’re not fucked up.  Maybe one day, you’ll find the person who makes everything click.  I’m not that woman but I’ll always be a woman that’s here if you need me.” 
    She kissed him gently on the lips and her body responded instantly as he stood and carried her back to bed. 
    As her back met the mattress, she murmured, “I’m so fucking sorry you can’t be that man for me.  I want it to be you so badly, Hollow.”
    “I’m going to take you once more and then I have to let this part of you go.  You’ll never be open to anyone else while I have exclusive access to your body.” 
    Her eyes went wide and he smiled, smoothing her hair away from her face.  “Do you think I don’t know the woman  you are by now?” 
    When he slid deep inside her, he whispered at her ear, “Call me by my name, Tawny.  Remind me of who I am.” 
    At the peak of her pleasure, she did.
    
    She never had sex with Hollow again but they touched often and she continued to look forward to the time they spent together. 
    Being friends and colleagues with such a man came with strange connections over the years.  There would come a day when she would meet many of the people she’d only known as names on a screen. 
    Many of their connections would have been surprised to discover that the flaky redhead they all tolerated with grinning indulgence was actually a source of the solutions to some of their stickier issues.
    Being a fixer for the elite financed their philanthropic endeavors.  Problems that needed to be handled discreetly were brought to a man who did not technically exist but who had looked many of them in the eye at charity dinners, holiday celebrations, and political events. 
    For the assistance, they paid dearly.
    She sometimes referred to him as Bruce Wayne but in reality, he lived a multi-layered life that even Batman wouldn’t have wanted. 
    Her life grew equally complex as time went on.  She