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"None of us could bring ourselves to do it, to hit her, you know, so we called in the girls Phoenix was already here, but Siren and Kitten caile in appearance as Ava, yet she was the one who’d stepped in at the last e Siren was plain, average--until she opened herto her was erace, was pretty in the same hardass way as Hector Tattooed, intense, with no apparent softness

"Let o at her first"

How had he known?

"Bingo Kit asked her how she’d sled the maid in--the second time Don’t know if you were here for that Anyway, Noelle said she’d used the tunnel So Kit went off on this tangent about how, if Noelle had used the tunnel, none of us were alerted, yada yada, and roughed our girl Noelle up a bit Noelle babbled about being willing to do anything to stop the abuse, even showing Kit her tits Vulgar language out of that candy apple mouth and spoken in that I’m-already-in-bed-and-without-my-panties voice …" Dallas ain

Hector gripped the ar Then he stiffened and pried his fingers fro deeply, he settled his hands in his lap

Such a strong reaction confused her,on inside that head of his

"You knohat’s really interesting, though," Dallas went on when he’d collected hiot in on the action, Noelle never cried Never got winded or acted as if she were hurt in any way I’ll show you the video feed This’ll only be hteenth time to watch it"

"No!" Hector shouted, then aave his bottle to a still-scowling Jaxon, pushed to a stand, and turned

That’s when he spotted her His eyes widened, his nostrils flared, and the gold in his eyes blazed

Oh, was she in trouble now

Eleven

NOELLE WAVED WITH ONLY the slightest hesitation, as if she wasn’t reeling fro him all theseher outsmart three of his coworkers

Not that he would realize she’d outsain? Please But because Noelle had offered a plausible explanation, Kitten had locked on that, never even considering there could have been another way Sa his jaw Rather than rat her out, as she halfway expected, he stalked fro room, out the front door, and to her side

He didn’t speak as he grabbed her by the foreared her away fro

Another shocker: he didn’t haul her ass back to the bunkhouse

Her heart dru, that probably would have hurt the shit out of her battered ribs, was probably da her in ways she didn’t know, but honestly? She didn’t care He sht in the alley, all earth and sky, fresh, wild, and untah the soft fabric, warmer than anyone else who’d ever touched her, and the intensity of that heat affected her, reaching those deadened receptors and forcing the all of the la in her face He was scowling She thought he was going to erupt into a tangent about sneaking from her quarters, but he merely stared down at her, silent

She could still feel hilanced down, paled "Did I hurt you?"

"No"

He relaxed, but only for a second "What the hell do you think you’re doing, spying on us?" The gold in his eyes no longer blazed They’d frosted over "You should be in bed--I "

He was so close, finally within reach Every thread of her annoyance faded She quivered with excite" Was her voice as breathless to him as it was to her?

"There’s a difference?" he asked, arching a brow

"There has to be, since I was doing one and not the other" She raised her chin, and the tips of their noses brushed

Flickers of the blaze returned,there would be noher alone He lowing through the gloves? She couldn’t quite tell

"Your arlow-in-the-dark lotion So what?"

He was glowing, then He was also a liar Glow-in-the-dark lotion possessed a very distinct odor--an odor that did not cling to hilow in the dark, why cover up when you succeeded?

Ponder it later The answer didn’t , intense Hector, and she was finally alone with hi he would--or wouldn’t--stick around

"What kind of dae did Kitten do to you?" he suddenly demanded

Was he simply curious, or did he actually care? "Well, I think I’h the night, if that’s what you’re asking"

Horror bathed his features "You’re going to a , either"

Chuckling, she dodged before he could clasp on to her Or swoop her up, whichever he’d been planning "No I’hted her Meant he cared, as she’d hoped Even if the caring was only for a subordinate "She hitI haven’t experienced before"

He stood there, a rowl "Who hit you before?"

What would he do if she told him? Hurt the offenders in turn? God, she liked that idea Liked the thought of hi in her defense Ava was the only one who’d ever had her back "I’ve been in ive you any names"

A pause as he absorbed her claim, relaxed

"Unless I’m in front of my computer, and open my People To One Day Destroy file," she added

He shook his head in exasperation "So How did you do it?"

Confused now, she merely blinked up at him "Do what?"

"Sneak in the maid You didn’t use the tunnel"

Her eyes widened "How do you know? I totally could have"

He snapped his teeth at her "How?"

She should lie If he turned her in …