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the stud.
    Yeah? Then how come you don’t hear India shrieking with orgasmic pleasure? She would be if you were in her bed.
    For Christsake. He’d gone from perverted to pathetic. And the sad thing was, he wasn’t only thinking about tonight. He was thinking about all the nights, over the last few years he’d been pining over a woman who’d never see him as anything but a drunk on the lifelong road to recovery. Or worse, her good friend.
    Enough was enough.
    Wincing, Colt rolled to his feet and snagged his iPod from the dresser. He cranked it to high and lowered onto the bed, placing his www.samhainpublishing.com 37

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    feet by the headboard. Nine Inch Nails drowned out everything and he was able to sleep.

    Early the next morning, Colt stumbled out of his room. Despite his intent to crawl in his truck and head home, a shower was a necessity.
    As he crossed the living area, he noticed India’s bedroom door was ajar. He peered through the crack and saw India sprawled in the middle of the bed. Alone. Alone and apparently buck-assed nekkid.
    Red satin sheets were twisted around her long legs and long arms, covering her torso, but hinting at the curves beneath.
    Colt didn’t gawk at her body to see if she was, in fact, pierced everywhere she’d hinted at being pierced. A man could only stand so much temptation. He backtracked to the bathroom.
    The hot water lasted all of five minutes. And did the woman own every blasted lotion and potion known to mankind? He counted fourteen different health and beauty product bottles—after he’d knocked them all into the tub. Twice.
    Still, he felt a million times better after an ice shower. His injury itched, so he took that as a sign of recovery.
    He needed his caffeine fix and didn’t want to stop at the Conoco and chance running into a member of his family. He plugged in India’s fancy coffeemaker and dumped a capful of coffee beans into the grinder. While that machine whirred, he washed the glass coffee pot and the plastic filter basket. It took four cupboards 38
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    Branded As Trouble
    before he found where India had moved the box of paper coffee filters. He filled the water reservoir, reassembled the various parts and hit start.
    Colt picked up the trash in his prison room while he waited for the coffee to brew. When he returned to the kitchen, India stormed out of her bedroom.
    Pity she’d put on a robe.
    “The one day I get to sleep in and you’re up at the butt crack of dawn making enough noise to wake the dead?”
    “Oh, I see. It’s different when you’re disturbed out of your beauty sleep. Sucks, huh?”
    “Funny.”
    “Besides, all I did was make coffee.”
    “Then explain what you were doing in the shower? ’Cause it sure as hell sounded like you were throwing rocks.”
    “If I didn’t know better, I’d think your poor head was hurtin’
    and it was a hangover talkin’.” Colt clucked his tongue. “Maybe you oughta get to bed earlier if you’re so cranky in the mornin’.”
    “How do you know what time I went to bed?”
    “I dunno, maybe it was the slamming door at midnight that tipped me off. Or maybe it was your headboard banging against my wall until the wee hours. I got tired of it around one a.m. and listened to my iPod.”
    “But Blake finished—”
    “Huh-uh. I don’t wanna know about Blake’s big finish because I had enough of the pre-game.” Colt sidestepped her.
    “You think I slept with him.”

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    He shrugged, determined not to let it show how much her horizontal mattress mambo with his cousin bothered him.
    “Hey.” Her hand circled his wrist and India yanked him around to face her.
    Colt looked into her angry eyes. “What?”
    “You are a judgmental jerk, Colt McKay.”
    “Me? I didn’t pass judgment. I just pointed out the obvious.”
    “Obvious?”
    “Hell, I didn’t even mention the candles and soft music and the laughter that preceded