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She shut the front door behind hiainst the hardwood floor

Neal sagged against the walland blinked to clear the black spots fro like one of those scared little purse dogs, and about as tough as one right now, too

Sunset was in just over an hour, and he had that long to get his shit together and fix it before the nasties ca was certain: There was not a force on earth that was going to pull hiured out what she’d done to hiain

Viviana filled a glass ater and guzzled it down before she reet hi so hard it kept slipping fro happened And she wasn’t entirely sure she liked it She’d felt like so it tingle and buzz fro froentle, but that had soe of his calluses, every erprints

That siht It had to have been soed with a contact poison

Even as the thought entered her mind, she dismissed it Deep down she knehat this was

She’d felt it before, albeit never so intensely That buzzing, resonant hu that filled her wasn’t new to her She’d felt it every time she touched one of the precious artifacts she collected

The only problem was, Neal Etan was not so, incredibly war to do with him? He couldn’t stay He was here to buy one of her artifacts, and although she hadn’t before suspected he’d want one from her special collection, she now realized that had to be the case

She wouldn’t let his that made her feel connected to this world Without theless, disconnected feeling she’d suffered through most of her life She couldn’t let that happen

Not that she could keep hi and powerful to stop She was going to have to outset him to leave as soon as possible She could not let her entire life’s work be torn apart Especially not so soon after losing Mother

This was going to be her first Christmas alone with only her collection to keep her company

Viviana covered her mouth with the back of her hand to stifle a whi on her skin It soothed her nerves, which only frightened her more She’d never had a reaction like this to a man before, and she hoped it was only temporary

She scrubbed her hands in the sink to rid thelass of water The sooner she got him to leave, the better

She rounded the corner and nearly ran right into his broad chest He grabbed her arms to steady her, and she was thankful the layers of fabric between theling energy reached her skin, but it was enough to heighten the tre water to slosh over the side of the glass onto his boot

"I’rasp

He let her go, but his dark blue eyes slid over her face, lingering at her mouth

He was handso and bold and starkly angular The wide ridge of his jaas sharp, shadoith new beard growth His neck was thick, as were his thighs and ar soft or gentle about thishih, why she’d uess He wasn’t here to ask her out He was here to take solass at hiaze Instead, his fingers grazed the back of her hand as he took the water

Instantly, another jolt of power shot through her, ricocheting inside her heart until she was panting for air

"Who are you?" he asked, his deep voice tinted with suspicion

She tried to sound unaffected, but her words ca, but I forgot about an incredibly i to have to cancel"

"Like hell"

"Excuse me?"

"You " He started to set the glass down on a seventeenth-century writing desk, and Viviana lunged to stop hilass could make contact