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For the past few years, she’d been living with her father in the city while working at a private university library as a digital data analyst and curator—a fancy description for soital assets and resources Clearly, she was intelligent and probably a little nerdy considering her profession

Maddux even had a file on the men she’d dated, which oefully sli-term relationship with anyto do with Gavin, Theodore’s right-hand man, anted Arabella for himself It was also documented in a few of the reports Maddux had received from his PI that, whenever she went out on a date with souy always abruptly ended Unbeknownst to Arabella, Gavin had warned those suitors to back off, and there must have been an ile one immediately complied

Maddux shook his head in disgust God, it truly amazed him that a man so evil and corrupt as Theodore Cole could have produced a daughter so lovely and sweet and guilelessand cos

Gavin, now seely impatient with Arabella’s exciterabbed her arh to make her wince in discomfort as he jerked her in the direction her father had walked off toward and said so of his gaze

Fucking asshole, Maddux thought irritablythen felt the corner of his ht Arabella rolling her eyes behind Gavin’s back before she wrenched her arument of some sort ensued between them, and it was obvious to Maddux even fro whatever shit Gavin was dishing out

Despite her petite size, she clearly had a backbone and wasn’t a shrinking violet She did follow hi with a few of theto slip away and blatantly defy Gavin a second tier paid attention to her

Knowing his security detail was focused on Theodore until Maddux su, Maddux switched his attention to Arabella as she explored the connecting areas downstairs, her delight and exhilaration restored now that she was alone again Her gown billowed around her as she walked, giving the i across the i around her while enjoying first one, then a second glass of chane

While he didn’t usually give wo for an easy lay, this one—his sworn eneued hi who her father was and what Theodore had done to Maddux’s parents

As he watched her stop at the stage where Raevynn Walsh, the evening’s entertain to do so to ettable state was off-liame they were about to play, where Maddux was now the one in control

He was going to put his hands on the sweet, beautiful, unassu Arabella and leave his mark, even if only subtly, he decided as he headed down the private stairway to the lower level He was going to prove to Theodore that he now had the ability to hurt the other hter It was only afor Arabella, and when he found her, Maddux had no doubt that the man would not be pleased hat he discovered

Maddux was fucking counting on it

Raevynn switched to a softer, slower melody as he came to a stop a few deliberate inches behind Arabella, who had her hands clasped beneath her chin and aying gently back and forth, oblivious to everything but the woe

He could hear Arabella softly singing the lyrics, her own voice surprisingly melodious Boldly, he settled his hand on the curve of her waist, gleaning her attention, just as he’d intended She gasped at the too intimate touch and spun around, eyes initially narrowed because she’d clearly expected to see soaze was level with his broad chest, and she slowly, gradually, tipped her head back to look up at his face

The initial tension in her body eased, and she blinked at hi with unly, he felt the unwanted attraction, too

“I’ grin h his ht athering out on the nearby dance floor