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And she wanted hilow in her eyes The rosy color in her cheeks The way her coffee cup trembled in her hand He wondered when she’d be ready to admit it to herself and what he could possibly do about it when she did, considering that they were trapped in this dae with the rest of the world

“…of the world,” Lara said

“What?”

“I said, it seems as if we’re trapped in here, and the world has come to a stop”

“Yes” Slade nodded “Yes, it does”

They both fell silent He saw the way she looked at him, from under her lashes, and how she looked away, and he kneas time

“You’re beautiful,” he said softly

Color flooded her face but she smiled “Thank you”

“What does your hair look like, when it’s loose?”

He saw a pulse flutter in the hollow of her throat “What?”

“Your hair Is it long? Does it fall over your shoulders, and your breasts?” He took the cup from her and put it on the table beside him “This isn’t just another pickup line,” he said “You know it’s not”

He looked into her eyes and what he saw , that he was i what it would be like to strip her of that oh-so-proper suit, take down that carefully tied-back hair, touch her and kiss her until she cried out with need for him

And in the hts, another announcement blared from the public-address system

All flights were grounded, for at least the next few hours Passengers ished to secure overnight arrangements were to come up to the desk

Lara cleared her throat “Well,” she said, and gave a forced laugh, “well, that’s that”

She was right It was over, and he was glad Whatever insanity had been going on between them was finished

“Yes” He s to wait it out here or try for a hotel?”

“Here, I think How about you?”

“I’ll hang in here,” he started to say, but he never finished the sentence “The hell with this,” he growled “Come with me”

Soht, for a heartbeat, she was going to say yes

“No,” she whispered “I can’t”

He looked at her left hand, saw no ring “Are you ain Slade moved closer, until they were a breath apart “Neither a anyone” He reached out and took her hand She let hiers “Come to bed with me, Lara”

The color rose in her face “I can’t”

“We’ll be incredible together,” he said, his hand tightening on hers

She shook her head “I—I don’t even know you”

“Yes, you do You’ve known h and low “As for the details…I’ht, I’ht years old, I just had h to outlive Methuselah What more do you need to know, except that I’ve never wanted a woman as much as I want you?”