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She wanted to answer, but the words tangled in the thickness in her throat and wouldn’t co her so passionately, the world began to spin She clung to hi him so much that the emotion was a sharp pain in her chest

He pulled slightly away His breathing was ragged and shallow as he rested his lips against her cheek “Say it, Mad, say it before I rip the house apart”

She drew back, laughing It would always be this ith him, she realized He would always be able to rattle her senses and confuse her, and he would always deant, selfish way of his, as if the world owed hi And he would always be the one person in the world she wanted to sit on this sofa with “I love you, Angel DeMarco And if you take that lightly again, I’ll—”

He covered her , “Never”

He kissed her until she was breathless Then, with a suddenness that should have surprised her, but didn’t, he lurched to his feet and dragged her into the center of the living room

“Stand there,” he ordered

She protested and he ignored her Instead, he went around and flicked off all the lights, until the roo red of the firelight and the sparkling gold and white of the Christmas tree “Close your eyes”

She couldn’t help laughing “It’s a little pointless, don’t you think? The room is dark”

“Doctors,” he said with ust “Just close your eyes”

Grinning, she co career women”

She heard him chuckle “Most of my women had the IQ of field mice Now, keep your eyes closed”

“And the bodies of Playboy bunnies,” Madelaine muttered under her breath

She stood there, eyes closed, ar She heard the front door open, then close She listened and kneas no longer in the house She thought about peeking and decided it would be no fun

In the distance she heard a car door open and close; a few seconds later, her front door shut again He dragged soroaned, and she thought he was cli onto the chair Then he pushed it back across the floor

“Okay now, don’t look,” he said again, and she heard hi toward her