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and unexpected wave of jealousy rose up when it dawned on him that she could have a husband or a boyfriend. Why wouldn’t she? The woman was simply gorgeous. Yet the notion of her being with another man bothered him. He had no idea why. It just did.
    He swore under his breath when his gaze skittered over the trail of blood that trickled down her temple. She was hurt, and he was sitting here staring at her like a creep.
    â€œNice move, Zach,” he muttered, before rising to get a wet cloth from the kitchen. “Let the poor girl bleed to death.”
    He came back and sat next to her on the edge of the couch. Gently, he brushed aside the long strands of hair that had fallen across her cheek and wiped away the blood that marred her creamy skin. He found the cut on her hairline and dabbed around it gingerly, relieved to see it had stopped bleeding. It always astonished him how much blood was produced by a cut on the head, even a small one like this.
    When he wiped away the last of the blood, those big green eyes fluttered open and immediately latched onto his.
    â€œWelcome back,” Zach said with a wide smile before tossing the cloth onto the coffee table. “How are you feeling?”
    â€œOh my God,” she whispered. Her eyes widened with fear and she immediately tried to scramble away from him. “You…you’re…”
    â€œWhoa.” Zach rose to his feet, stepped back, and raised both hands in a sign of surrender. “Hang on, lady. Relax. I’m not going to hurt you. I heard you scream, and when I came outside, you were on the ground bleeding. I did see a guy racing off on his bike, and I had a choice. Chase him down or help you.” He shrugged and slipped his hands into the pockets of his cargo shorts. “Helping you took priority.”
    â€œYou helped me?” she whispered. Pushing herself to a sitting position, she wavered and her hand went to her head. Squeezing her eyes shut, she pulled her feet up onto the couch and inched into the corner. “Shit, that hurts.”
    â€œYeah, you took a hell of a tumble out there. I don’t think that cut on your head is gonna need stitches, but it sure did bleed a bunch. What’s your name?” Zachary sat on the coffee table and leaned his forearms on his thighs while keeping an eye on her. “If you tell me where you’re staying, I’ll be happy to take you there, or we can call—”
    â€œNo,” she blurted. She bit her lower lip, and her hand went to the silver chain around her wrist, as though she’d done it a thousand times before. “I can’t.”
    â€œNo? You can’t tell me your name, or you can’t tell me where you’re staying?” Zach tilted his head and his gut instinct went on high alert. She was in trouble. “Which is it?”
    â€œNo.” Shaking her head, she lifted one shoulder and looked at him through wide eyes. “I—I’m not staying anywhere. I was on my way to find a place to stay when that kid on the bike stole my bag.” She shut her eyes and let out a shuddering breath. “Damn it. That bag had all of my money, my identification. Everything.”
    Tears filled her eyes, making them seem even greener than before. She swiped at them quickly before adjusting her top, which did little to hide her ample bosom. The silver bracelet glittered around her wrist, and he could see that there was something written on the tiny disk attached to it. Her hand settled over her chest as she stilled beneath his inspection. He squinted and leaned closer, trying not to look at her cleavage.
    â€œMay I?” Zach gestured to the bracelet she fiddled with.
    As he reached over, her body tensed, and he sensed her heart beating like a jackhammer beneath the surface. He paused until she gave him a brief nod of agreement and held out her arm. Zach’s fingers brushed over her skin, and the brief whisper of flesh against flesh sent a