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The chill returned to his gut "Seaton?"

"Why, yes, as a ris" She turned away to start back toward the gallery "He has never exhibited his work and he wants ht have commercial possibilities"

"Bullshit He wants to talk you into bed"

She stopped and looked back over her shoulder "Would you like to tell me what it is between you two?"

"What the hell I never told anyone else" He wrenched open the driver's side door of the BMW and got behind the wheel "Might be therapeutic for me"

"Nick, wait--"

He slah the lowered hile he started the engine "Seaton hates uts because he thinks that I had an affair with his ex-hile they were still ed Her speechless condition gave hi," he added, snapping the car into gear "What happened last night between you and reat sex There's a difference"

He drove out of the ht purple jumper and ridiculously sexy shoes

Chapter 11

"What the hell do you expectto put together a rowled on the other end, "butthe finishing touches on the Madison-Hartetheir own cou over their shoulders there in Portland Leave 'eer issues? Never heard you use a fancy phrase like that before, Mitch"

"Must have picked it up froot a problem here in Eclipse Bay"

Sullivan cranked back in the chair and contemplated the view from theof the temporary office his new son-in-law, Gabe Madison, had provided for him The headquarters of Madison Commercial, soon to become

Madison-Harte, were located on the top floors of a Portland office tower From his perch he could see the boat traffic on the Willamette River

The summer afternoon was sunny and warm The weather reporters claimed that it was hot down there on the city streets, but he spent most of his time in Phoenix these days He knew hot, and this was not hot

"See for tier issues "Notout for Claudia Banner's great-niece"

"This problerandson," Mitch shot back "I told you I wouldn't stand by and let hiot up out of the chair very suddenly

Phone in hand, he went to stand at the"Don't say it again"

"Don't say what?" Mitchell asked innocently "That I won't let Nick sucker Octavia into an affair and then dump her when he decides he wants to replace her with so about" Sullivan's hand claed to keep his voice level "He is not a philanderer, daood woain? That's what you Hartes do, isn't it? Getexarandsons with your three or four wives and God only knoon farandsons out of this"

"Hard to do that, given that they'rewrong with Gabe's or Rafe's family values and you know it Lillian is Gabe's passion and Hannah is Rafe's Nothing comes between a Madison and his passion Those two boys are married for life"

"So was Nick," Sullivan said quietly