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Physical satisfaction was secondary for him, she knew He’d taken her to strike at Victor and he’d walked out right after, his interest in her gone with the sa speed he’d developed it No one had ever wanted her for the long haul It was silly to iine that a man like him, who could have anybody, would be any different

The door creaked, startling her

He caught her unprepared for the i the crushed pullover and snug jeans froht, but he wore confidence like a visible aura so radiant she needed sunglasses His hair was daly to the side She kne those soft strands sainst her breasts

His gaze locked with hers as though he read theincapable of locking hi with re with excitement for him

It was distressing to react this strongly, to relive these sensations without hiainst her will, her mind zeroed in on that safe moment when they’d been unequivocally linked He’d been a lover then She’d felt cherished, not bare and self-conscious like now Everything in her yearned toward thatthe warmth of the sun

But that e To him she was a pawn on a chessboard to be tipped over and taken with ice-cold deliberation And he’d done it

This was the get up and get out

“Hungry?” He sounded ironic, his deep voice abrading her taut nerves

Was he taunting her for skipping dinner in favor of sating herself with hi into her deepest reserves of composure, the way she’d done when the school bullies had taunted her

“I could eat” She lifted her chin and kept her gaze steady, ignoring that she was on fire inside Other wo asover coffee She needed to be exactly that unaffected She needed to get this aard et out of here “Why? Do you not kno to boil your own egg? You need me to do it?”

His eyebrows elevated a fraction at her pert challenge His golden eyes looked deeply set into hollows darkened by a sleepless night She was so startled by the thought that this powerful o as if it were hot

The iance, “I pay the housekeeper to cook—or in this case deliver pastries”

“Oh I would have liked to walk to the patisserie”

A flicker of surprise crossed his expression, followed by a purse of his mouth that made her bite her lip He didn’t want to stroll hand in hand down the Chaing for romance either

“I’ve never been to Paris I’d like to visit a patisserie for fresh croissants at least once inher cheeks “But that’s fine I’ll be out in a naling she needed privacy to rise and dress

He didn’t move

Because there were no secrets from him behind this sheet Perhaps he had sent his housekeeper out and come to wake her for a different reason Her heart tripped and her fragile poise slipped She sed,with indecision She knew she shouldn’t want to sleep with hi stole over her even as she searched his expression for his intention

He gave nothing away as the silence grew loaded Finally he entered the roo around the bed She tensed, but he passed her by, stepping into the bathroo off the back of the door When he returned, he draped a pewter-colored robe over the foot of the bed “Take your time”

He left and she let her breath out in a whoosh, staring at the closed door, wondering why she felt so forlorn In the space of twenty-four hours the man had completely taken over her world, which was intolerable She didn’t need to be coht have tapped through her inner walls last night, but she had an infinite capacity for shoring herself up against the world He’d siht her in a moment of weakness Showered and dressed, she’d be completely unaffected