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What was happening to hirily He couldn’t believe he had just spoken so intimately to Sadie He never talked about his parents to anyone other than Vere He coiven hi Vere’s virtues to her attention If his brother wasn’t here to encourage Sadie to fall in love with him then he would just have to do his best to help her to do so in his absence The fact that earlier she had aroused hi, he assured hiain…If it did? It wouldn’t He intended to make sure of that

‘To lose the

Was she right in thinking that his words of praise for his brotherthat his brother had been their parents’ favourite because he was the elder son? Sadie wondered compassionately If so, how foolish of his parents not to value him as he so obviously deserved to be valued

Sadie felt angrily protective on his behalf Was the arrogance she had seen in hi himself? Like these roo personal things? Her co her when she realised that it washer feel al to her? He was her employer That was all She had no need to feel protective of him and he was hardly likely to want it

Without Vere, the loss of their parents would have been unbearable, Drax ad Sadie that Instead, he said distantly, ‘It had to be borne That was our duty to Dhurahn and to them’

His cold sharpness speedily dissipated Sadie’s compassionate concern She was a fool to feel sorry for hi for him, she warned herself firmly, as Ahmed arrived with the coffee

To Sadie’s relief, if the ht it oddly inti to his new e robe he was too tactful to betray it, si Drax’s instruction to pour Sadie a cup of coffee while Drax went to get dressed

As soon as she had emptied the small cup Ahmed lifted the coffee pot to refill it, but Sadie shook her head

and hastily covered her empty cup with her hand, to indicate to hi such a strong brew she would be on a caffeine-induced high for the rest of the day But at least thinking about how dreadful it must have been for Drax and his brother to cope with the deaths of their parents gave her so on the memory of his nakedness She was not the kind of wo on naked male flesh Or was she? Wouldn’t it be more honest to admit that she hadn’t previously been that kind of woman?

She are, soaware’ were still pulsing dangerously inside her—like a kettle si for that touch to turn up the heat, and then…She could feel the beading of sweat breaking out at her hairline

This was crazy She couldn’t be obsessing sexually about a ly to her about his brother that she could be forgiven for thinking that he was actually trying encourage her to fall for him, if such a scenario wasn’t totally unlikely A ine

Her lover? She was crazy She had to be Who had said anything about her wanting a lover? She didn’t do lovers She never had And she certainly didn’t go around fantasising about arrogant ruling princes taking her to bed andabout Drax’s tanned, naked body spread against the whiteness of her sheets set herWhat would it feel like to straddle him and keep him there on her bed while she slowly explored the muscular contours of his shoulders and torso? Would he allow her to dominate him like that and take her visual pleasure of hi tothe byways of his body?

Shesound of rejection and disbelief in her throat as she tried to disown her thoughts

‘You would perhaps like water?’ Ahmed offered her solicitously

‘What? No Oh, yes, please,’ Sadie answered with a quick shts as it soothed her throat