page19 (1/2)

“I know I told him—”

“I don’t want to hear what you told him,” he snapped with a slip of control that made her jump “I know et him I want his entire existence obliterated”

He was revealing more than he intended to, but it would put an end to any lared at the elegantly simple dress that showed her delicate curves to perfection, offended that Victor had paid for it, that anything about the man had ever come in contact with her

She sat pri her hands in her lap, her spine straight, her eyes downcast He didn’t apologize; he wanted the e driven hoain

“Well,” she said with quiet impertinence “That certainly answers the question I was really asking, which hether you had a grudge against Victor”

“A grudge?” Aleksy choked on the inadequacy of the word, but what did you call it when you knew a man was responsible for your father’s death? For your mother’s slow, painful decline? For your own self-destruction? He swept his clogged throat clean with a sine, suppressing anguished thoughts “Yes, Clair, I had a grudge”

Aleksy’s posture was casual, but his stillness spoke of extre to be read in his expression beyond the startling prominence of his scar

Clair realized she needed to tread softly, but she had to ask, “Why?”

“He knew That’s all that’s important”

“Not to me,” she protested

The corner of his lip quirked She realized he kneas really bothering her “You struck the deal you wanted Do you hearwhy it was important to you?”

He’d already made it pretty clear he didn’t care about her motivation This was co a hole in the pit of her stomach was that he didn’t really want her Obviously he was attracted to her to so She wanted her first sexual experience to at least be sensual, not a twelve-point inspection and a stamp on the windshield What happened when she turned out to be less than the high-performance ride he was used to?