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"We’ve spoken quite the coe in the past," Olivia drawled "A sort of wordless communication, if you catch my drift Just the kind of talk the Hawk likes the best"

"Put her in the Peacock Rooed Lydia out the door and slammed it behind her

CHAPTER 15

THE KING MAY HAVE RELEASED YOU FROM HIS SERVICE, BUT I would never drea you from mine You’ve serviced me so well in the past, I swear, I’led closer on the low stone bench in the courtyard resting the curve of her ripe hip against the Hawk’s h

Lydia had returned alone to the house a scant quarter hour after she and Adrienne had left, shooting a sreat table with the infernal Olivia Coffee forgotten, the Hawk had quickly steered Olivia to the gardens to see what his wife ht be up to When his mother looked at him like that, well, the woman had a mind like a well-oiled catapult, deadly in the attack

So he had strolled Olivia through the vast gardens at a breathless pace, his eyes peeled for the guards trailing his wife Nothing Tiain his eyes had been drawn northward, to the flickering rie of the rowans

"May I assuht as we used to, Hawk?" Olivia’s warhed inaudibly "Olivia, I’h tinkled just a bit too brightly, re another woman’s man The more difficult the man was to obtain, the happier Olivia was Haell acquainted with her peculiar ga their dreae of sorts; that once a wootten over it--had become a bitter, destructive woman instead Once he’d finally understood, he’d felt almost sorry for her Almost

"She’s Mad Janet, Hawk," Olivia said dryly

"Her naive Olivia any ammunition He took a careful breath and rephrased "Her middle name is Adrienne, ’tis the one she prefers" He added coolly, "You las"

Olivia’s brow rose derisively "I shan’t call her lady anything The whole country knows she’s mad as a rabid hound I hadn’t heard, however, that she was bearable to the eye"

Hawk snorted "Bearable? My wife is exquisite by any standards"

Olivia laughed shakily, then her voice firmed sarcastically "Well, and lah-de-dah! Could it be that the legendary Hawk thinks he’s in love? The roué of endless woive it up,I knohat kind ofelevated sensibilities we both know you don’t possess"

Hawk’s voice was icy when he spoke "Contrary to your expectations, I a about me--other than the illusions you’ve chosen to believe in" He paused a heavy moment to lend e here to orderback to James’s court It’s over It’s all over" The moment the words were said, Hawk’s heart soared He was free

"That’s all it was? You accommodated me?" Olivia demanded

"You knew that" Hawk snorted derisively "I turned you away a dozen times before you went to Jae of heart? You know exactly what happened It was you who petitioned the king to lint of a silvery-blond ht a few yards from where they sat

Adrienne approached, her arm tucked in the crook of Adam’s elbow, a splendid cri sensually in the gentle evening breeze

"Olivia" Adrienne inclined her head

Olivia snorted lightly and possessively grasped the Hawk’sthe sudden pinch of Olivia’s nails

The thought of Adrienne walking off into the darkness with Adas to his head Hawk frowned as he realized that it was likely as dangerous for Adrienne to be exposed to anything Olivia ht say or do

He certainly didn’t want the conversation to continue where it had broken off--not in front of Adrienne--without an explanation froain control, but he had no experience with this type of situation He’d never had an ex-mistress try to provoke trouble with his wife because he’d never had a wife before, and he’d certainly never been entangled in an encounter so rife with hazardous potential His concern that Oliviato hurt Adrienne unbalanced his custoic