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Now, she thought, now, before I lose courage…

“Please,” she whispered, “oh, Slade, please”

And he carried her to the bed, undressed her, let down her hair and fulfilled every ht dreaine

The storm became a blizzard Lara didn’t care She never left Slade’s arot the reason she’d come with hied for

He was everything, the perfect fantasy, and yet he was real

She fell asleep at last, exhausted, her head on his chest, and awakened to his kisses at dawn She looked up at him and knew she’d been a fool to think she wanted hiive her a baby She still wanted that but now she wanted more

She wanted Slade, in her ar, she thought he ht want that, too In fact, there was a darkness in his eyes that she suspected ca to end

She smiled, to let him know she didn’t want it to happen, either “Slade? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing I mean, the storm’s over” He smiled, and her heart plummeted because suddenly she knew she’d misunderstood what she’d seen in his eyes It wasn’t fear that the night would end, it was panic that she ive “Lara, this onderful Maybe—ain sometime”

She felt the sting of tears in her eyes and hated herself for it She reminded herself that he’d made her no promises, that she’d wanted no proreat She had the awful feeling he was going to apologize for having hurt her feelings and she stopped hiet everything but the need to possess her again

When it was done, he made an attempt at sincerity

“I don’t know your address,” he said “Or your phone number”

“I’ll give the,” Lara had answered, but she’d known she was lying She’d waited until he fell asleep Then she’d dressed and let herself quietly from the room

She hadn’t gone with hiive her For a child That was all she’d wanted from him…

W

asn’t it? she thought, as she stared out at the Baltimore harbor

Lara swung away fro She cleared her throat and reached for it

“Ms Stevens? Mr Baron’s arrived He’s in the conference room, with the directors Mr Dobbs says would you please join them now?”

“Thank you, Nancy”

She sounded calht as she took out her compact and peered into it But her hand trembled a little as she smoothed back her hair

“Don’t be an idiot, Lara,” she told her reflection She was prepared She knehat she had to do and how to do it She’d get Slade Baron out of Balti him—that wasn’t a probleht she felt, had never been real

Lara smoothed down her skirt, plucked the folder from her desk and left her office

CHAPTER THREE

LARA swiped the palainst her skirt as she rode the elevator to the conference room level

Stop it, she told herself angrily The advantage was hers Slade wouldn’t be expecting to see her He hadn’t known her last na to be the one ould have to work at showing no reaction to the discovery that Beaufort’s chief auditor was the woht in Denver

She had to cale, she’d never be able to carry this off Slade would see her panic and he, sn that she was overcoain

Overcome, yes But not with excite

The elevator door slid open Lara took a breath, squared her shoulders and strode down the hall

“They’re waiting for you,” Dobbs’s secretary chirped

Lara took her chances and tried a smile “Thanks”

It worked The secretary didn’t leap to her feet and run, screa, to the elevator, which, Lara supposed,her lips back fros But that was certainly how it felt