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She hesitated

He tapped her lightly on the botto your parents" So he could look theardless of what they thought of hihter’s life, and they had to deal with it No more blind dates

"Bossy" Annie shot hirab her stuff

She was going to be all hot and wet and naked soon

"Christ" Shoving his hands through his hair, he tried to get the hard thrust of his cock to settle down It refused Especially since he could hear the rustle of cloth sliding over skin, of boots hitting tile, of lace being peeled offor ination

But he definitely heard the shower coan to pace around the roos Aside from books, she had several holofra her resemblance to the older woman in the central portrait The enially, but there was so about him that struck the cat as distant

The shower shut off

"Shower’s free!" caave her another couple of minutes to close herself in the bedroom, not sure he’d be able to resist if he saw her swathed in the te impermanence of an easily removable towel When he entered the small, tiled enclosure at last, it was to find it steamy with the lavish scent of solad to see, was nothing too girly A ra down his body

Annie sat in Zach’s car in her parents’ drive and twisted her fingers in her lap "I’ve never brought a man home," she blurted out "It didn’t seem worth the fuss"

"I’m flattered"

She frowned at him "Don’t tease me now" But she felt her nerves loosen a fraction "Co the door, she stepped out

They ht," she said

Zach put an arrace of the leopard he was "I like your dress," he ertips over her hip

"Oh" Her nerves frayed again, for a different reason She’d chosen the black crossover dress because it would give herto coht actually qualify as sexy "You don’t think I’htafter I unwrap you" He made her sound like a present

She felt her eyes widen, her pulse juet to unwrap you?"

Adiamond

"Yes" She wanted to dance with the wildness in him, wanted to feel what it was to be treated like a beautiful, sensual woman But more, she wanted to lie with this man who’d already made a place for himself in her heart

She knew she was about to break one of herthis relationship, in putting her heart on the line, but she also knew that if she didn’t love Zach, she’d regret it for the rest of her life Perhaps, she thought for the first time, perhaps her mother’s choices hadn’t been as simple as the child in Annie had always believed Perhaps with that oneyourself against the inevitable end of the dreaet to unwrap me"

"Then I’ll be on my best behavior" He pressed a kiss to her teel"

She was already used to the nickna her that foreveras if it was right Walking up to the door, she held that sense of Tightness to her like a taliso"

She pressed the doorbell

Her mother opened it a couple of seconds later

Dressed in a severe black dress accented with a discreet string of pearls, her dark hair twisted into a sleek knot, Kimberly Kildaire looked what she was--a successful, sophisticated, professional No one could’ve guessed at the deep vulnerability that Annie knew lay beneath the polished surface

"Angelica" Her mother leaned forward to allow Annie to peck her on the cheek

After drawing back, she said, "Mom, this is Zach Quinn"

Her e, but Annie knew that Ki about the man by her side, from his black suit, to his sleek silver belt buckle, to his crisp white shirt Open at the collar, it looked both forue when she’d walked out of the bedroo for her by the door

Zach as enough to blow herta out her hand--Professor Kildaire s, but no one would ever criticize herhis hand, Kih the hallway and into the sunken living roo below than Annie had expected "I thought this was supposed to be a s to warm the cool disapproval in her eyes "I invited soht yourfriend would feel more comfortable if it wasn’t just family"