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He stepped into black jeans and tugged on a light gray pullover, returning to the lounge, where heoff his restlessness,off his need as he waited for staff from a nearby restaurant

As he waited for Clair

Clair forced one foot in front of the other and stepped into the lounge, tensed for the impact of Aleksy’s inspection He was on the phone, his face and body in quarter profile

She had expected one of his disturbingly penetrating looks, but found herself doing the appraisal, going weak as she took in the length of his back and the way his jeans hugged the shape of his backside and outlined his ed a shoulder, drawing her attention to the powerful layers of ht fingers over the textures of cashle a

He finished his call and turned to strip her deep purple slip dress with hungry eyes It was the sa, just as carnal and without the safety net of an office full of people to prevent hi on his desires

The assess her feet to the floor andher realize that for all her rationalizations about helping orphaned children, the real reason she was here was this: she wanted to be with hi ad herself she didn’t want or need anyone

“Lovely,” he said, languidly cliaze from her exposed knees to her carefully composed expression

Her stouised sexual intention

“Victor liked it” She didn’t knohy she said it Perhaps to keep hi how utterly he held her in thrall, but it had a glacial effect on him

He narrowed his eyes and said chillingly, “Be very careful about throwing his name at me, Clair”

Uneasiness wafted over her along with confusion She had pushed that “spoils of war” unpleasantness to the back of herforward now