Last night, too restless to sleep, he’d gotten out of bed and stood in this very spot, thinking of Allison alone in the bed that was no longer his. He imagined her lying with her long legs tangled in her silk nightgown, her honey-gold hair spread on the pillow, her mouth soft in sleep.

The yearning to stride up those stairs and take her where she lay had roused an ache so deep that he’d groaned out loud with it. But the stairs were beyond his limits, and would be for weeks to come.

With a muttered curse, he turned away from the stairs and walked down the hall to his study. Given what their relationship had become, odds were he might never make love to his wife again—even though he now knew it was physically possible.

The thought of not having her was like dying.

Squaring his jaw, he forced himself to think of other things. Allison had said the loan application was in his desk. If he could finish it today, they could take it to the bank tomorrow—after her work, whenever the hell that would be.

Why had he given in and let her take that damned job? But he knew why. If he hadn’t, there would’ve been all-out war between them. Now he was worried about her—worried sick. Garrett was nothing but a fool. But if she ran afoul of the Mob, her life could be in danger.

His back was throbbing, but he’d vowed to get off the painkillers today. At least he could control that. Clenching his jaw against the pain, he walked into his study, closed the door, and prepared to bury himself in his work.

* * *

Allison had left her cell phone on the nightstand. It was ringing as she walked in the door. She rushed to answer it, stumbling on the rug in her haste. Maybe it was Brianna. Maybe she’d gotten the newspaper job she was interviewing for.

But the caller wasn’t Brianna. It was Garrett. The sound of his voice tightened her frayed nerves.

“Hi, Allison. Just wondering if you were planning to come in tomorrow.”

“Yes, I was. Did we decide on a time?”

“That’s up to you. Mornings or afternoons?”

“Afternoons would be better,” she said after a moment’s thought. “That way I can make sure Burke is up and around before I leave.”

“That’s fine. How’s Burke coming along these days?”

“Still in pain, but he’s determined to get back to normal. He’ll be working from his study for a while—you’ll no doubt be hearing from him.” Allison sank onto the edge of the bed. The encounter with Burke had left her shaken, and Garrett’s phone call wasn’t helping.

“I don’t suppose you’ve talked to him about the contract, have you? We’ve been hoping you could change his mind.”