I stood up and walked around the desk, avoiding the corners and the inevitable bruises I always got when around tables, to come and hold on to his arm. My hand went under his elbow and I felt him quiver at my touch. Was that good or bad? His aura was clean, so I guessed good. “I actually met Dory on my way here. She knows I’m your escort today.” Somehow the word escort tickled my funny bone, and I giggled. “Not that kind though.”

Oliver looked at me quizzically at first and then chuckled along with me. We left his office arm in arm and were met with dozens of curious eyes and smiles. Either Oliver was a very popular character in the precinct or these people really liked my quirky looks. Feeling strangely self-conscious, I steered him through the main room out the front door and let out a sigh of relief when the cold air hit me straight in the face.

“Something wrong?” The detective seemed acutely aware of my changing mood.

“We got a lot of strange looks on the way out.” There was no reason to hide it from him. “I’m used to being stared at, but that was unsettling.”

To my surprise, he laughed. “Cops are a protective bunch. Ever since my injury they have been like mother hens watching over me, making sure I have all I need, that I am not depressed… a little overwhelming at times, but they mean well.” He let out a loud chuckle. “It’s a true miracle that I’m not round like a ball with the sheer quantity of donuts and other baked goods they make me eat every day.”

I stared at him, guiltily scanning his fantastic body from head to toe. “You don’t look any worse for the wear.” I bit my tongue but it was too late; it was out.

“Ms. Spellman! Are you checking me out?” For a blind man, he sure could see a bit too well. My lusty tone must have given me away. I blushed and shoved my polka-dot-rimmed glasses up my nose.

Opting for the truth rather than trying to blunder my way out of an embarrassing situation, I squeezed his elbow tighter. “Well, it’s not my fault that you are a fine specimen of the male species.  Shame on you! Making us all swoon over you.”

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Author of We Will Always Have the Closet, Desert Jewel, and Loved You Always, Natalina wrote her first romance in collaboration with her best friend at the age of 13. Since then she has ventured into other genres, but romance is first and foremost in almost everything she writes.

After earning a degree in tourism and foreign languages, she worked as a tourist guide in her native Portugal for a short time before moving to the United States. She li

ved in three continents and a few islands, and her knack for languages and linguistics led her to a master’s degree in education. She lives in Virginia where she has taught English as a Second Language to elementary school children for more years than she cares to admit.

Natalina doesn’t believe you can have too many books or too much coffee. Art and dance make her happy and she is pretty sure she could survive on lobster and bananas alone. When she is not writing or stressing over lesson plans, she shares her life with her husband and two adult sons.


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