Chapter 61

A bell was ringing somewhere and Mark wished it would just shut the hell up. His head throbbed and his body felt like one big ache. But the damn bell kept ringing. He felt a body move beside him, lean over him, the ringing stopped and a soft voce said, "Hello?"

The soft body pressed against him and the fragments of his brain began to come together.

"Just one moment, okay?" Delicate fingers brushed the hair back from his forehead and warm, lips brushed a kiss over his. "Mark? Can you open your eyes? You've got a call."

Prying his eyelids open was almost painful. He felt as if he'd been on a two-day drinking binge, but he only recalled drinking one beer the night before. So what was going on?

"Gimme a minute," he muttered.

"He'll be right with you," the soft voice said.

He opened his eyes fully and looked directly into Chloe's sleep-flushed face. "Is that my cell phone?"

"Yes. It's for you. Can you talk yet?"