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CHAPTER ONE

LEO MAKARIOS paused in the shadows at the top of the flight of wide stairs leading down to the vast hall of Schloss Edelstein, one hand curved around the newel post of theas he surveyed the arc-lit scene beloith a sense of satisfaction

Justin had chosen well The four girls really were exquisite

He stood athem over

The blonde caught his eye first, but despite her remarkable beauty she was too thin for his tastes, her pose too tense He had no patience with neurotic women The brunette beside her wasn’t too thin, but for all her glorious swathe of chestnut hair her expression was vacant Leo’s gaze ent women irritated him

The redhead’s pre-Raphaelite looks were stunning indeed, but they had, Leo knew, already caught the attention of his cousin Markos, under whose protection the girl was living His gaze irl

And stopped

His eyes narrowed, taking in the picture she made

The hair was sable As black as night

The skin hite As pale as ivory

And the eyes were green

As green as the e

Wearing with an air of such total boredoh hi a Levantsky necklace? Did she not realise what a miracle of the jeweller’s art the necklace was? And the earrings and the bracelets and the rings she was adorned with?

Evidently not Even as he watched her lips pressed together and she gave a conspicuously heavy sigh, placing one hand on her hip and very obviously shifting her weight fro skirts

Leo stilled, the anger draining out of hih her breasts had lifted Already lush fro, the movement had made their soft dove-white mounds swell delectably