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The walls were filled with photography, including a bunch of farandfather and grande clothes and staring sole his first Mother’s Day tea, holding up a plastic cup and a lopsided cupcake while he grinned toothlessly beside her The official family picture every Easter, with his brothers miserable in their stiff new suits

The en suite bathroom had a spa shower, a TV, and a sauna, and was finished with rich Italian marble But his true private oasis called to him

He opened the French doors and stepped outside onto the balcony The quiet of the night folded around him, and he lifted his head up to the sky with a smile Since his room was located on the upper level, he felt removed from the rest of the house and closer to the stars The te ripe and still The clarity of the night struck him full force, a dark wave of inkiness streaked with hundreds of bright points scattered messily across the sky

He walked around the two Adirondack chairs toward the telescope The tension in his shoulders drifted away as he set up the lens and swiveled the scope to do an overview He’d always had a fascination with stargazing, but his lighthearted hobby had beco connected hier world when he stared out at the universe, and the idea of soover him made him feel at peace Kind of like when he worked ood on a project he loved Energy buzzed within hi his blood His Orion SpaceProbe telescope was top-of-the-line, and since it was a perfect late spring evening, he easily found Rigel, the brightest star of Orion, and then traced the Horsehead Nebula, located at the east end of the belt Dalton got lost for the next half hour, enjoying the clarity of the sky and allowing his thoughts to wander like a shooting star

Working around Raven was a constant, taunting reminder of howher into his bed, froured he’d be able to scratch his itch or he’d inally planned Their conversation wasthan soed and teased him was better than physical foreplay She littered in her eyes

He respected her limits and her pronouncement that she only wanted a serious relationship But her body screaed to play He’d never felt so attuned to a woman’s physical and s on a lighter scale, especially during some more serious affairs, but not on this level

Not like if he didn’t kiss her, he’d die

His brothers’ teasing words siht, of course He never held back when he wanted a wohts Maybe a week or two

Maybe his brothers had been right all along Maybe he didn’t have the emotional capacity to love like they did Maybe he’d killed all those feelings after hisan affair Maybe all those awful fights and cold silences between his parents had sunk into his DNA and he was stunted Who got to his age without falling in love at least once?

So had broken with his ile--like he was born with a vulnerable part he needed to protect at all costs That was the priut screamed that he wasn’t the type to handle it and would eventually either screw it up or blow it up Why invest everything in an ideal that didn’t last?

The thoughts pounded and caused a slight headache No, he was just living his life Why on earth would he want to settle down to eventually get trapped in a hurtful relationship? It could lead to a disaster His as easier No one got hurt because he refused to allow deeper feelings to blosso with Raven needed to be explored She haunted him, and until he delved deeper into the mystery, he wouldn’t be able to move on

Maybe she just needed , she’d trust hi sure he respected the boundaries of their working relationship For now Denying theinary future husband she hadn’t yet ive up easy, and he wanted Raven Not only in his bed, but he wanted her laugh, her banter, her passion Wanted to see those inky eyes fog up when he touched her When he eous curve of the constellation Androht in chains

Yeah, he had just the lure he needed to get her on his turf

Dalton smiled, turned from his telescope, and went inside

Chapter ten

Raven didn’t trust hi Needing some distance after their last intimate conversation, she’d headed back to her house to finish up some work but finally lost the battle around lunchtiress and the possibility of learningin tune to "What Makes You Beautiful" and varnishing the bar She was amazed at how different the pub looked already The old, sad as gone, and now the bar was shiny and neith a gorgeous dark polish and rich undertones The gold had been ripped off and replaced with bronze rope foot rails and handrails The scratched glass top was gone, replaced with a s shades of brick from the back wall

He kept up a strea so supplies It was as if he’d lulled her into a state of relaxation for a reason, and her radar was pinging quite loudly with a warning that he had some master plan ready to reveal