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with Dylan ten years down the road, just like they did with Donovan Murphy.
    “You forget that I was only one room away when you fucked him in our tiny apartment with the thin walls,” she said seriously.
    “Are you telling me he did more for you than Donovan did for me?” Shannon said, looking genuinely shocked by the thought.
    “I promise you, there's no comparison.  It was so raw, so animalistic.”  She ran her hands through her hair, trying to work through her frustration. 
    “Damn,” Shannon gasped.
    “Now can we get back to work,” she said, eager to change the topic.
    “I guess, but I don't know how you expect me to concentrate on our research after that,” she said, strolling towards the jeep.
     
    Grace decided just then to do what she always did, put her work before romance.  The only way, she knew, to get him out of her head would be to throw herself into the research.  It had always been her priority and that would be the best way to put it behind her.  Eventually, she would be able to look on her night with him as a wonderful memory and if she got the chance to sleep with him a few more times, then all the better. 
     
    Still, she knew that she should not hold on to that possibility.  If she did, she would be chasing the high of sex with Dylan for the rest of her life.  She needed to get back to her usual life and stop obsessing about it.  It had been less than 24 hours since she slept with him and it was all she had thought about since.

 
     
     

CHAPTER THREE
     
      It had been over a month since Dylan had left the animal preserve.  Grace had successfully thrown herself back into her work and she felt as though she was on the verge of getting back to her old life.  From dawn to dusk, she and Shannon observed the behavior of the local lions and at night, she hooked her laptop up to the generator, processed her photographs, and wrote detailed notes about the events of the day.  Keeping herself busy was helping. 
     
    She had almost no time to think about Dylan and his rough hands and soft mouth until she crawled into bed at night.  It was then that she could not keep her mind from returning to their brief time together.  No matter how exhausted she was at the end of her day, she could not help but imagine his hands on her again.  When she closed her eyes, she saw his face above hers, eyes dark with passion.  She could feel his breath against her neck and his hands exploring her.  She knew that she should not give in to the fantasy, but it felt so good to let herself relish in her memories.
     
    It was a month later when everything changed.  She woke up feeling as though she were going to die.  She was so sure that she had food poisoning that she did not even bother to get dressed.  Instead, she curled up in her bed and waited for the end.  It didn’t take long for Shannon to show up, concerned about her when she wasn’t coming out to start their daily research.
     
    “You look awful,” she said without thinking.
    “I feel like death. I have been throwing up all morning. I must have food poisoning.  That's what I get for trying to cook an authentic local meal,” she groaned, not even lifting her head from the pillow.
    “All morning?” Shannon said, looking worried.
    “Yes. Why are you looking at me like that,” she said, unable to sit up without vomiting.
    “How long has it been since you slept with that photographer?” she asked, without an ounce of kidding.
    “Around a month. Why in the world are you asking me about that now when I am on my death bed?” she said, wishing that she would just pass out and find some peace in sleep.
    “Think about it,” she urged.
    “I'm too exhausted to think about anything.”
    “No, you need to focus,” she said, sitting down beside her on the bed.
    “Focus on what?” Grace murmured as she snuggled her pillow.
    “Really think about it,” Shannon pushed.
    “My head hurts!” she whined.
    “You slept with him a month