Flash

had a small ball of cotton in hand and was dampening it with the contents of the bottle.
    He grimaced when she dabbed his lip. He was proud of the fact that he managed not to say ouch.
    Olivia stepped back and recapped the bottle. She eyed his chest and ribs with an expression of deep concern. Then she made a twirling motion with her hand.
    "Turn around."
    "Why?"
    "I want to see if I did any serious damage with that planter."
    He started to grin and then winced when the burning sensation lanced his lower lip. "Don't worry about it. You didn't hit me that hard. I may have a few bruises on my ribs tomorrow, but not because of that damned planter." He reached for his shirt. "It's only a few minutes after one. If I hurry, I can still make the last ferry."
    "No."
    He paused, one arm in one sleeve. "What?"
    She watched him with her deep, luminous eyes. Then she gently touched the side of his face. "You were in a fight tonight. There may have been more damage than you realize."
    He raised his brows. "I doubt it. Like I said, a few bruises…"
    "I don't think you should go all the way back to Bainbridge tonight." Her gaze was very steady. "You could be suffering from shock and not realize it yet."
    "Trust me, I'm not in shock."
    "I really wish you would stay here where I can keep an eye on you."
    He realized that something very important, something that could well turn out to be momentous, was happening. Don't read too much into the situation, he warned himself. Don't say too much, you'll screw it up.
    He cleared his throat cautiously. "You could be right. I, uh, think maybe I am in shock."
    Her brows knit together above the frames of her glasses. "Do you think you should go to the emergency room?"
    "No." He eased his arm very carefully back out of the sleeve. "I think I should go to bed. And so should you. You're the one who has to spend all day tomorrow preparing for the Camelot Blue event."
    "Don't remind me." She smiled, apparently satisfied with his decision. "I'll let you finish here in the bathroom. Take your time."
    He held his breath as she quietly closed the door behind her. Then he turned to his reflection in the mirror. Don't get the wrong idea just because her nurturing instincts got the better of her tonight, he told himself.
    But when he climbed into the pale mint-green sheets a short time later he was still focused on a lot of wrong ideas. Or were they the right ones? he wondered.
    He listened to Olivia moving about in the bathroom. After a while she turned off the lights and walked into the darkened bedroom. A white cotton gown drifted around her thighs. He decided that she looked sexier in it than a centerfold model looked in lingerie from Fredericks of Hollywood.
    She went to the windows and pulled the curtains open. The jeweled lights of the city glowed behind her as she came to the bed.
    Jasper was violently aware of his erection. What the hell was his problem tonight, he thought. It was not as if they had not already made love on more than one occasion. So what if he would be spending the night this time?
    But he could not escape the feeling that what was happening between himself and Olivia this evening was fraught with meaning.
    He just wished very badly that he knew what that meaning was.
    Her scent clouded his brain when she climbed into bed beside him. She leaned over him and brushed her mouth across his.
    "You're sure you're all right?" she asked.
    "Yeah." He ignored the dull ache in his ribs and reached for her.
    "We both need our sleep." She eased gently away and settled herself on her side, giving him her back. "Wake me if you get worried about your ribs."
    "I'll do that."
    Between his erection, his bruises, and the fraught-with-meaning thing, he knew he could look forward to a very long night.
    He savored the warm pleasure of having Olivia's body close to his and forced himself to concentrate on the problem of the missing blackmail files.
    But for some unfathomable reason, it was the memory of his close call on the Pelapili cliffs that tugged at him. He had been luckier than Gill, he reflected. He had managed to evade the vehicle that had tried to run him off the road.
    It was only a coincidence that the weapon of choice in both instances was a car. It had to be a coincidence. What possible link could there be between the two events?
    The search for an answer kept him awake for a long time. Eventually he fell into a restless sleep
    Somewhere in his dreams he found himself walking down endless