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She’d blown it

Once they were upstairs he’d deive it to hiapore There would be nothing left for her to do but pack for a new life in New York

A new life that, for all its freedo she wanted desperately The man she loved

She loved him There She’d admitted it—if only to herself But he didn’t want to hire her, and without his love she didn’t want toleft to say

Except that if their relationship had to end she wanted one last night to re To be bold One night where she allowed herself to love him with her whole heart

One night to prove how much she trusted him

But, as much as she kneanted her, he’d already refused her too lancing at him froe his ht?

She’d never seduced a man in her life, but maybe it was time to try

Marveling at her own boldness as she crossed the casino floor with his ar his waistband, stroking his flat belly through his shirt “You changed your shirt”

She heard his intake of breath, but his voice was even as he replied, “You ripped up the last one”

“Sorry” She rubbed her breast against his side as they walked She heard a slight growl from his throat

“What are you doing?”

“What do you mean?” she asked innocently

He picked up his pace toward the elevator, and the mo her against the coolhis hands up and down her body

“God, you drive ainst her skin “I want you, Anna It’s killing me”

“Good” She reached for his shirt and saw his expression as she untucked the fabric and ran her hands underneath, exploring his flat belly and the oing to refusea tone she’d heard him use many times—the tone no one could refuse She unbuttoned his shirt, her fingers sototo demand that I marry you”

“Anna” His breathing was co harder “We both know—”

“Later” She already knehat he was going to say, and she didn’t want to hear a word of it She didn’t want to think about the résumés in her purse, or the fact that Nikos had finally decided to let her go Toht she’d stop tiht with hi to rehts

Tonight she would give herself to him completely

I love you, Nikos I love you

“Did you say so?” he murmured

Oh, my God, had she whispered those words aloud? She had to distract him

“I said no talking” She reached for his waist Unbuckling his belt, she pulled it out of the loops and tossed it to the floor of the elevator She slowly stroked his bare belly beneath his shirt, swaying her body against his

With a taunting smile, she undid the top button of his pants

He gave an audible gasp and grabbed her wrists, yanking theht above her head “Is this what you want?” he choked out “Hard and fast? Here in the elevator?”

She struggled against the shackles of his hands, wanting to touch hiainst her own Her whole body ached for him

The elevator dinged as it reached their floor, and the doors slid open She felt drunk, drugged with desire, as with a throaty growl Nikos picked her up, carrying her roughly into the penthouse

Against a backdrop of two-story-high s, the only color was a ainst white walls and white carpet He took her swiftly into his enormous bedrooloith firelight She’d wondered what this roohostly white The floor hite tile, covered by a white fur rug in front of a white adobe fireplace Surrounded by oceans of unused space, the king-sized bed sat, pristine and untouched, in the center of the room