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She wanted hilad you’re here," she ain "But I don’t want to cause problems for you with the Order"

"Any proble s When his eyes caht as e to let you wear this dress for anyone but me Even if I had to put on a monkey suit and try to play nice with the natives"

"It’s a very niceunder his possessive stare "Oddly enough, seeing you in it only makes me want to sneak away sorowl vibrated all the way to her bones "Don’t tempt me, female"

Oh, but she wanted to te him crazy with pleasure and need, until she was certain she owned his body the same way he had mastered hers

She wanted to kiss hi into her, filling her

The urge swa at ht where we stand"

Jordana grinned "Is that a prorowl, this one darker, accoazed up at hi moment, surprised by the current of interest that lit up her veins She felt daring with him, fearless Too aroused by him to let inhibition put any liether

"I think we should definitely explore the idea," she said, but it was a knowing tease when she was already late for the podiuuely behind her "I have a little speech to give right now It shouldn’t take very long" Jordana stepped in closer to hiainst his ear "So, whatever wicked thoughts you have, hold theet back"

At his rumble of interest, she drew back, out of his reach Then she slowly pivoted to give him tilance back to check if he atching her, but she did anyway

Oh, yes, he atching

His s eyes threw off a palpable heat, desire so intense it nearly burned everything in its path And all of it trained on her

Jordana tossed him a flirty smile, then headed for the dais at the front of the crowded exhibit hall

20

EVERY BLOOD VESSEL IN HIS BODY SEEMED TO HAVE MIGRATED south as Nathan watched Jordana walk away from him to take her place at the raised podiugestion he had every intention of holding her to as soon as she finished greeting her event’s guests

Da to survive the rest of the night without burying himself inside her, he had no idea

Nathan shifted his stance and tugged at the jacket he’d borrowed fro to ease his ache except the sheath of Jordana’s hot, wet body

And her hands

Or her pretty, pink mouth

Had he actually believed at one point that a taste of this woh to satisfy his need for her?

Christ, what an idiot he’d been

Now he craved her more than ever She captivated him completely, held the power to render him hard as steel with just a few simple words

He tried to tell hirip on his needs and desires for so long, it should chafehis hold so easily where she was concerned

Jordana was netic, her blond hair and flame-colored dress a beacon across the sea of darkly attiredher smooth command of the room and everyone in it filled Nathan with a possessive, selfish pride

How had such an extraordinary woman become part of his life? Why choose him, when she had her pick of a hundred other more worthy males in this roolance she sent hih the thick crowd as she delivered her welcome would have erased any doubt The instant their eyes connected, Nathan’s blood simmered with added fire His veins throbbed, and the erection he’d been sporting when she left hilyphs surge with heat and knew his desire would be plain in the deepening colors that were bloos pricked his tongue, sent saliva surging into his ed to hied to her too

A throat cleared pointedly fro a hard look over his shoulder at the Breedcroithout his notice

Son of a bitch

"Yes, she is," he replied stiffly, then extended his hand to the Darkhaven leader "Mr Gates I’m Nathan--"

"I knoho you are" Gates kept his araze trained on the podium across the wide hall "What I don’t knohat interest you have in hter" Now he turned his head in pointed observation of Nathan’s elyphs "Aside from the obvious, that is"

Nathan bristled but could hardly take offense at her father’s disapproval "My interests are no different than yours, sir"

Gates scoffed "I’ stare narrowed "I suppose you’re the reason she cast Elliott aside?"

Nathan glanced toward the dais, where Jordana had just finished her speech to a round of enthusiastic applause, and was now being swauests "Maybe you should ask her that question instead"

"There’s no need," Gates replied "I saw the way she looks at you, the way she’s acting … the way she’s dressed tonight It’s all because of you, isn’t it?"

Nathanmore than suspicion or disapproval in the ed on desperation

"Jordana has her own mind," Nathan said "She has her oill How she acts or thinks or behaves is up to her"

Gates grunted "Well, I don’t like it I want this to stop Immediately, do you understand?"

"I’ed He had no wish to ht he had anything to say about Nathan’s relationship with Jordana, he was sorely mistaken

"Jordana means the world towoman I don’t expect someone like you to comprehend that, or to care--"

"Sorowled the words