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God, her birthday Jordana poured a cup of tea and groaned, thinking about the trust that would become hers in less than a couple of weeks A payoff her father held out to her as incentive to settle down and take a

As ht, she would never hear the end of how disappointed he was that she’d rejected a fine reat, Jordana half expected she ht be physically forced into the bond with Elliott But her father loved her too ivable, no uided his belief was that she needed to settle down

Jordana had to start taking steps on her own path Walking away from a relationship she didn’t want and couldn’t honor with her whole heart had been a good start to that goal

Halting her dangerous attraction to Nathan had also been a step in the right direction

A good, sensible step

Except telling Nathan tonight that she didn’t want to see hi to curb how she felt about hiin to deny that she was attracted to hiave her in the elevator, her traitorous body only wanted more

But worse than her physical need for hiued her He frustrated and infuriated her

He confused her, enflas she hardly dared think, let alone act on with anyone but him

And he’d hurt her more than anyone ever had too A pain that shouldn’t have surprised her so much Shouldn’t have wounded her so deeply

She’d felt more for Nathan in a period of a few days than she had for Elliott in all the years she’d known hied perfection of his face and bleak, thundercloud eyes, to the seductive power that clung to hily as the darkness of his Hunter past

And she ht have gotten close to hi burned

Thankfully she’d co really stupid, like letting hi him into her heart

Too late for that

"No, it isn’t," she er, all-too-knowing voice of her conscience

And daht It was too late to pretend there was nothing between Nathan and her

Too bad she was the only one feeling it

Jordana took a sip of her tea, griar, she scowled into the swirling tendril of steaone now, so what does it matter?"

Her cup of tea clutched in both hands as she sipped the sweet brew, Jordana stepped out of the kitchen, back into her living rooo slack as she nearly collided with six and a half feet of black leather and dark, sirasp, not sofingers Storaze beneath the slash of his raven’s-wing brows

Seeing hih Jordana, but the first one to leap to her tongue was outrage "What do you think you’re doing here?"

Da a point," he replied, his deep growl doing all kinds of bad things to her heart rate "This is how quickly you can go fro out your last breath"

Jordana hiked up her chin "I thought I told you I didn’t want to see you again"

"You did"

He ed one of those bulky shoulders for the lack of apology or excuse in his tone How dare he think he could just ignore her wishes?

"Breaking intoaway fro teacup down on the sofa table next to theaze flicked past her briefly, toward the kitchen "Is someone here with you? Maybe I’ain"

"What?" She frowned, unsure what to make of that comment Did he think Elliott ith her? "No one’s here withto so to assure herself that if she never saw Nathan again, it would be too soon And now here he was, standing in front of her in theher like a jealous lover and h her veins

"I’m here byfeebly for anger when his dark gaze--his very presence--had her breath co frantically in her breast She crossed her arer reaction to him "What do you want, Nathan?"

The corner of his htly, more scowl than smile "I doubt you really want to know the answer to that question, Miss Gates"

Was he toying with her, getting some kind of twisted enjoyot other thrills from the women who serviced him at La Notte?

Jordana sed hard, half tempted to make him tell her so But she couldn’t let herself fall back into that trap She was nothing to hiht

"You need to leave now, Nathan I’a into ames," he said, crisp and cool "Nor did I break in I leapt up to the balcony from the street The slider was unlocked, which only helps to prove ht just as easily have been whoever killed Cassian Gray tonight"

Shit She wasn’t actually in any kind of danger, was she? Dread knotted in her belly as she glanced to the slider across the roolass door was locked now, the latch securely in place

She looked back at Nathan, hating that she now had to add gratitude to the list of unwanted e inside her