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"Tell us what to do"

She glared at hiht to be able to tell you what to do You've evidently been watchin' me"

"You work too hard You need help during the day You don't take breaks You rarely eat your lunch You get up at three and start baking You stay here until seven cleaning That is going to stop Ti tonight"

She gasped "You are not just goin' to take over my life I mean it, Alonzo This is my bakery I've worked hard for it You're not takin' over Not my life, and certainly not my bakery"

"Is it so wrong to want to keep you fro yourself ork? I've never seen a wo hard" There was admiration in his voice Respect

That brought her up short It was genuine She was a shifter whether or not her leopard had ee, her female had made her presence known to help her One of the very first things she'd done was to aid her in hearing truth or lies He definitely respected her He meant every word he said

She pushed a hand through her hair in agitation He didn't see over her life Dictating to her She kneas the shifter in him The leopard She couldn't live with his do to kid herself about--Alonzo Massi, or Fyodor, was an extremely dominant male

"It isn't wrong to want to see that I don' work so hard, Alonzo," she said patiently, her voice low and soothing She couldn't help that either It was ingrained in her That soft tone Defusing every situation Self-preservation "If you're concerned, you should talk to me about how to solve the situation, not just take over"

"You would argue with me"

She ive you my point of view"

"It is the sa when there is no need I don't do that, woman I make the best decision and I carry it out In this case, calling in a cleaning crew and hiring you help alleviates the probleood solution?"

"Oh My God" She actually fisted both hands in her hair and pulled "You're o before I do somethin' drastic And keep your hands to yourself Ia physical relationship with you"

Again his mouth hinted at a smile and for just one brief second, the hard lines in his face softened "Because you know you can't resist me That once I take you, there will be no other man to satisfy you"

She deliberately rolled her eyes, but she didn't answer him He was leopard and he could hear lies

6

"IN this house you will always call ive that much of himself to her His real naive her as much of himself as he possibly could

Evangeline didn't respond Dropping her car keys on the counter she immediately took off her shoes and put them on a sht into the center of the roo He needed room, lots of it The Arnotto randdaughter, there, it was cold and hollow--like him Siena was safe noith Elijah, and he'd keep her that way, but Alonzo would alatch over her

He liked Evangeline's home It washer Sweet Hoeline It was neat, with glea, polished wood floors in rich, warm tones Her sofa was s and very co in tan and brown tones There were two smaller chairs positioned in front of a fireplace A sheepskin rug gave him far too many ideas

He kepthe was the first to ever be there--man or woman She was private, his woman She seemed friendly and approachable, but even here in her private sanctuary, there were no pictures of faive her past away

The living roo rooing over it The chandelier appeared to be branches dripping with leaves, seline

She was going to run froent and she knehat he was What his leopard was She saw the killer in both of them She didn't accept that it was too late for her, but he kneas He'd spent every damned day of his life in brutal, relentless hell His childhood had been hell His young adult life

His leopard had grown vicious with the childhood abuse heaped on him, the violence and the cruelty of his life The leopard had raged to protect hierous until, as controlled, as disciplined and as powerfully dangerous as Fyodor was, his leopard was nearly his equal ed for blood A fury of need Of de Until he walked into that bakery Until Evangeline

He ran his hand along the granite counter in her kitchen Clearly she'd bought this house for the kitchen It was easily the largest room in the house The most eline His woht he'd ever have that Have someone of his own For himself

"Sit down, Alonzo, tell me about yourself About your leopard" She ca living space that opened through the archway of the dining rooer than it really was

He took two steps toward the room with its co over her His hand curled around her throat, tipping her head up because if he was going to give her this, he da to look into her eyes "Be very sure you want the truth about me, malyutka, because it will scare you to death and I'ether like this, I a himself to her whether she liked it or not

She took a breath He felt it in his lungs The way they'd shared breath when he'd kissed her He tasted her in hisAlreadydemands

"Then tell "

"You hear this, there is no turning back The things I tell you can get you killed Not byyou You just have to be certain you really want to know the real me"

"What's the point of this if you aren't sharing who you really are?"

He could hear that she genuinely wanted to know him, but not for the reasons he wanted to know her She was looking for affirmation that he was a bad bet--and he was Still, in her hoive her truth

"I'm a shifter Shifters need sex A lot of sex My body is as hard as a rock most of the tily ever Night and day, that need never changes other than to get worse sometimes It doesn't matter how many ti a wohtmare"

He saw the trepidation in her eyes, but also the arousal His thumb moved over her skin because he couldn't help himself There was no way not to touch her It was a co her, yes, but she was also feeling the beginnings of hunger for hiht of his need

"I was always careful I never took a woman to my home Not Ever That was his territory My leopard's territory I went to her apart intointo hers" He rubbed his thumb over her lips That full bottom lip that he loved and wanted to take a bite out of

She sed hard He felt the movement of her throat in the palm of his hand and that was intiainst the pad of his thuue tasted, just for a mo through his veins/>"I like rough sex I need it I like a lot of things I couldn't have, things I fantasized about, but kneere impossible because of my leopard" He bent his head until his forehead touched hers Rested there "Until you Until you, Evangeline There was no having anything for myself until you"

His gaze never left hers He held her captive, refusing to look away, letting his leopard focus completely on her Their ive theeline

His leopard stretched Stroked Purred Rubbed a No snarling for the kill After years of fighting for supremacy, he seemed content to allow Alonzo to seduce their mate