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A low sigh of htened and drew Kianti snug against his chest

Resting against the side of the piano, he deepened the kiss, thrusting his tongue slowly yet unrelentingly

Kianti’s hands kneaded his forearth beneath the dark fabric of his shirt Shecloser and rubbing herself against hi her skin

Back off, Therin told himself, but he chose to set aside the order for a few seconds He wanted longer to indulge in just a bit more of her The serenity she radiated took on atheir second kiss He had no intention of stopping it

The sound of her soft, helpless yet deliberatehim to lean more fully into the piano

Kianti shuddered and snuggled deeper into the e role in the duel being fought between their tongues She gripped his shirt as though it were her lifeline while inhaling the appealing scent of his cologne There was that fa It told her to end this, but how could she when this was so sweet and so dearly missed…

Chapter 1

Spokane, Washington

Provocative, Powerful, Pulsating… Therin Rucker thought he’d puke after reading the progra of pianist Kianti Lawrence He supposed the creators of the gold-edged publication thought it was all in good prohts Perhaps it was simply the current state of his mood that lent to his opinion of the accolades aie Over the course of the last twenty ed

Fist propped to chin, Therin could feel his gaze narrowing as it focused e set beneath the soft gold lighting Uncontrolled, a low sound rose from his throat Therin are that the sound was one of appreciation

Whether that appreciation was in reference to the wo Therin refused to dwell on even for a moment

Vaughn Burgess thought differently and slanted his best friend a glance while a saze Therin’s set expression was easy to read—for Vaughn, anyway He’d seen the look often enough to know Therin was captivated—not soit

Therin switched his stance, propping his chin against the opposite fist His crystalline hazel stare lost none of its intensity

The charity concert for the Pacific Northwest political organization EYES—Educate Youth Encourage Success—was for a worthy cause and one close to Therin’s heart However, he’d have ht into the heart of the h a piano recital That was before he took his seat and had his attention and…other things captivated by the lovely artist in his midst

The perfor its conclusion After the final stanza was complete, Therin lent his attention to the roo wouldn’t end on a high note

It ildly ruanization could claiures EYES was certainly a force to be reckoned with and it anization held the noblest intentions, there were those ould have preferred its influential members spend their time and considerable wealth on other endeavors

The applause was deafening in the Hotel Currey’s concert hall There were even chants for an encore Kianti Lawrence laughed vibrantly while raising her hands to wave off the requests

Therin didn’t leave his seat right away Tugging at the crisp white cuffs peeking out from his tuxedo jacket sleeve, he merely observed the scene The smile on his face then was more rueful than areement over situations more prevalent…

No, the evening would not end on a high note Many in that room held similar opinions on the way he spent his tiht it out of place for the young American ex-ambassador to Canada to hold such a topic as education as his passion Therin’s dedication and his alical ability to sway influential friends to dedicate themselves toward the same purpose had earned him an almost equal number of enemies

Kianti gave one last low curtsy and prayed that her legs wouldn’t give out from beneath her Silently, she sent up other prayers of thanks that the audience couldn’t see her legs shaking beneath the floor-length heroup with her custoe