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‘White wine,’ she muttered ‘Th—thanks’ Her voice tripped on the word as he pressed a wine glass into her hand

Nikolai tipped back his brandy in an unappreciative gulp ‘I need you to do as I ask, Ella, not as you want’

‘I need you to be humanseems we’re both destined to disappointlass

‘I don’t handle disappointment well For your own sake, stay away from Cyrus,’ he breathed in a driven undertone

Ella studied him and wondered how he could expect her to trust him over Cyrus when Cyrus had already earned her trust Incomprehension assailed her because Nikolai was by no means slow on the uptake The two e loud and clear from both of them The difference between them was in her reaction Cyrus’s behaviour had confused and troubled her but, inexplicably, Nikolai’s reaction tore her up inside And she didn’t knohy She had no more idea hen she looked at his lean, darkly handsome features and sensed vulnerability, because fro, powerful body

Max knocked at the door and offered supper Both of the paws on the tiled hall floor announced the entry of the dogs Rory hurled herself joyfully against Nikolai’s legs while Butch bounced around Ella, stayed just long enough to get a pat and then went to join Rory

‘I was surprised you had a pet,’ Ella admitted abstractedly

Nikolai glanced at her and straightened frorel at his feet ‘I can’t take the applause for that Rory belonged to my sister She called her Princess Auroras fairy tale,’ he‘After she died, I couldn’t bring , so I kept her’

‘I didn’t know you’d lost soain in pursuit of Max

‘Most of us have by the time we reach our third decade’

‘Doesn’twith it any easier,’ Ella remarked

A phone rang and Nikolai dug a cell out of his pocket and answered it As soon as he did she saw his face change, paling and clenching hard ‘I’ll be there as soon as I can’

‘What is it? What’s happened?’

‘There’s been a fireat et over there’

‘My goodnessis there anything I can do to help?’ Ella exclaimed

‘No, just go to bed I’ll see you latermost probably tomorrow’

After his sudden departure, Ella walked out to the cosy roo television with the dogs at his feet He stood up ‘Did you change your mind about supper?’

‘No I didn’t’ Ella told him about the fire ‘I didn’t know Nikolai owned a hotel’

‘The Grand Illusion He worked in the bar there when he was a student,’ Max told her ‘It was also his first big business project He bought it and turned it into one of the ht-after boutique hotels in Europe I hope it’s not too badly daed He’s very attached to the place’

Ella slid into the big white bed upstairs The sheets were cool and silky against her skin She was alone,

reflecting wryly that she had not expected to be alone in bed tonight She was too tired to agonise over the long eventful day but her body quickened and heated when she remembered Nikolai’s mouth on hers in the li anting him, she told herself drowsily He was extraordinarily sexy and her response was siuilty about what couldn’t be helped? After all, no power on earth could bring back Paul or the future life she had once drea with him Less troubled than she had been earlier, she finally slept

When she wakened it was alry She discovered that Max had unpacked her clothes into one of the built-in closets off the passageway that led into the en suite and she picked out jeans and a long-sleeved tee before she went for a shower Nikolai had not returned during the night Either he had slept elsewhere or he was still dealing with the aftermath of the fire While she applied a littleat that newly acquired vanity, she was still thinking about that passionate kiss in the li how one kiss could possibly be that special