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"Letheavily

"With pleasure," Rolt snarled, and abruptly released her without any steadying hand to help her gain footing on the wet floor He ripped a large, beach-size towel from the rack "Here" He wrapped it around her, unconcerned by the rough way he handled her, his hands nearly bruising her tender flesh as he tucked the ends of the towel above her breasts The towel's idth tickled the back of her legs "Your virtue and modesty are still intact"

Ridiculous patches of bubble bath dotted his shirt His clothes here her dripping body had been pressed against hi to the dark hairs With a last, insolently raking glance, he turned on his heel to leave

Alanna, eed by what he had done, couldn't let hih that he was leaving She wanted to have the last word, too

"And don't you ever coain!" Her foot stamped the wet floor in a childish display of temper

Rolt stopped in the doorway, radual release of a thickly coiled spring, he turned, seeiant she had often likened him to as he loomed before her Alanna backed toward the door to her bedroo, and Rolt followed

"If I do or don't coain, it will be er that vibrated through his voice "Not because of any order from you"

"Don't be too sure about that," Alanna said with bravado as she kept retreating in the face of his sure advance

"Really?" he ht behind your barricade?"

His indigo gaze flickered contemptuously to the dresser in front of the hall door Alanna had been so intent on not taking her eyes fro footsteps had brought her on to the carpeted floor of the bedrooht? Or had he seen it for the first time just now?

The question must have flashed in her eyes

"The living rooly "I heard you pushing furniture around last night and I doubted that you were si it at that hour"

"Then you knew!" she breathed

"Of course I knew," he snapped "But you don't honestly think it would have stopped et in this room!"

"I would have clawed your eyes out if you'd succeeded," she warned