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She started at the sudden rap on the door adjoining their roo a furious staccato as she watched Seth enter the roo robe

"Seth," she breathed, wondering if her thoughts had so if Providence had not sent hi she knew about Julianne and Mr Knightly

His expression was stark, al the notion of confessing all in a cowardly flash She shifted nervously on her feet

"I need to speak to you," he declared, stopping before her

His gaze slid over her in a slow, body-heating appraisal The faint scent of liquor wafted about hi with the musky smell of him Not unpleasant Still, the smell of alcohol reminded her of her father and the subsequent foul mood it always foretold The old instinct to run for cover reared its head

"You’re drunk," she announced, nostrils quivering as she edged back a few steps

"Bloody right I a forward another step "You, my dear, would drive any --"

"You exist," he declared, the heat in his eyes ainst her chest

"I--I don’t understand," she stalittered in his eyes

She stuo no farther Lifting her chin, she propped her hands on her hps and inhaled, trying to appear taller, e mood

"You merely walk into the room and I’m undone" His words stroked some place deep inside her, ies," she snapped, her indignation rising to the fore "I had no idea my presence caused you such… discomfort’"

His lips twisted in a seive ht entered his gaze "Or perhaps you do," he challenged, snatching one of her fists froht off balance, she staggered Her other hand landed on his chest to steady herself

I and fast beneath her palers, to slide them over him and better explore the hard contours of ed her fist, but he held fast

"You’re drunk," she hissed

"Quite," he agreed with a brisk nod, forcing her hand lower, down his chest, down the firreat disco her fingers open, he placed her pal his robe Air escaped between her teeth in a loud hiss Waruided her hand to aze scorched her, blistering her very soul as he worked her

He swelled beneath her touch, growing in size Desire pooled low in her belly She squeezed her thighs tightly beneath her nightgown, attes

"See what you do toher pal her breath coed to feel hi robe His texture, his heat pulsing in the pal her hand inside his robe, she closed her fingers over the ned length of him Silk on steel in her hand She ran her thuh her, thrilling her, e his face, the square jaw, the hard lines and shadowed hollows

The throat that worked in speechless wonder at her ministrations

His eyes blazed down at her, the fire there unh her blood, her soul, filling the e now

He pulled her to hi her cry with hisher senses His kiss, his rough handsover her arms, flamed her passion

"Jane," he rasped, the softness of his lips against hers a direct contrast to the rough sound of his voice "I tried God, I tried…"

She shook her head, not understanding the agony in his voice, not able to make sense of his words The taste of him made her head swirl, brandy and desire, war hands slid farther inside his loosened robe

He could have been speaking Greek for all she understood him Words were beyond her There was only his he ht him to her Wanted only to savor

Her pal over warht over irl, she had often watched his body, young and lean, on the cusp of ht of him had excited her even then--when she hadn’t a clue what caused the burn in her blood

Incredibly, it seemed he was hers now His body, at any rate

He took her bottoainst her mouth, "I don’t care what I said" His hoarse voice stoked the war back, his hands skated up her arown