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Magnificent was certainly no fitting description He did far surpass her adolescent visions

“Come sit down, Farah”

She sat dohere the tranquil sweep of his hand indicated Before she collapsed The way he said her name, the way he looked at her, the way he moved, breathed, just was-it was all…too much

He followed her down on the couch, secured her in a seat belt, buckled his own, then turned away as he pressed a button on a reines, which she’d just realized had been on for a while now, revved higher and the jet started

But she couldn’t even feel surprise

She felt nothing but her blood freezing inside her veins

As he’d turned away, she’d caught so over his face

A maliciousness A ruthlessness

Suddenly the ice fractured, and a geyser of alarotten on his plane with hi off for only he knehere, so him without question, that he ho he’d said he was, that he hid his identity for privacy reasons and not for sinister ones

But what if she’d been wrong? All along? What if their eted her for so who she was, at first Francois Beauht hand, had been reason enough for people, especially enda And Shehab, if he ho he’d said he was, ed the whole ball to find an opening to the unfathoht, like many others before him, think she was it

Why hadn’t she considered this before?

Wait-wait…Had he expressed interest in her before or after she’d told hi? It wasn’t as if her identity was a secret He could have coiven hiic on her It wouldn’t be the first or last tilimpse of harshness she’d seen in his eyes…

Oh, God-it could be even worse He could just be an all-powerful and jaded predator who liked to seduce and abuse women But she’d thrown herself in his trap too easily, depriving him of the thrill of the hunt and he hadn’t wanted to act out his plans for her until he had her totally at his mercy…

He turned unfatholy reality

Whatever he hatever he intended, none of the past hours had been real None of it had been for her

How could she have thought he wanted her? No one ever had How could she have thought he, of all people, could be at the mercy of such a brutal attraction as hers was to hiulfed her whole But she couldn’t succumb to it now Whatever she did, she had to be very careful She couldn’t let her suspicions show At best she could corner him into an ade him, make him show her his true face, make hi her into his hardness and heat, his other hand gentleness itself as he cupped her face and turned it up to hiain

And she couldn’t bear it