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"Not interested," Chris told her before she walked out
She had gone to the library, however, and borrowed every book she could find on anxiety and how to deal with it Which hy she now i delicately on a pool of still water As she tried to float, she remembered thewith the visualization
"My thoughts are quiet; my mind is clear I am in control of my emotions, my decisions, and my life I am filled with confidence I a to sound like a bad Hallmark card Or someone who has taken too many happy pills" So et a new meditation book from the library on her next day off
Once the doors opened, she stepped out and walked toward the reception rooe boy standing with Burke in the hall
The Kyn lord standing beside Burke, Chris absently corrected herself Jaes
She had written at least two hundred private posts on her LiveJournal with a thousand es first His black hair, which she’d envied and adored, was no longer in that devastatingly edgy who-gives-a-shag; he’d let it grow out so long he noore it tied back in a ponytail Under the time-burnished brown leather of his jacket his shoulders and upper arms showcased some serious new muscle, as did the white tee he wore under it As he handed a scroll to Burke, the front of his jacket opened a few incheshis now beautifully sculpted abs His hands looked rougher, harder than she re with his fas, which the fitted cut of his plain black trousers showed to be more powerful than lean now No, now he looked like he could run a couple of New York City marathons before breakfast
She saved his face for last, not that she needed to ogle it The young, handsome features were just as she had kept theular symmetry of his cheekbones and jaw, the imperial nose, the full, almost passionateWhen other mortals looked at Jaer when he’d made the transition from human to Darkyn, and like his body his face would be forever young But Chris saw more; she saw the shadow of thejust beneath the surface A big, dangerous, definitely scary man, exactly like his father
Chris saw his head start to turn toward her and darted around the corner out of sight She covered herat the sas were already full and waiting to exhale She couldn’t remember how to breathe for a full five seconds
Why is he here? He can’t be here I’m not ready
She’d expected time to plan and prepare, to buff and polish herself, to show hi for the last three years She’d never be gorgeous or heart-stopping--Chris had accepted that long ago--but she’d grown past cute and quirky, and had been carefully cultivating an Audrey Hepburn–Winona Ryder look that one for sleek and chic, and had an entire wardrobe of the right looks, all of which were now sitting at home in her apartment
I can’t let hiht The silver chain around her neck sawed against her skin, and she looked down to see she was clutching the cross through her blouse so tightly the edges bruised the insides of her fingers Or he’ll think I’m crazy
Like an answer to her prayers, her mobile buzzed in her pocket She rushed to the end of the hall and stepped inside the freight elevator, closing the doors before she answered it "Christian Lang"
"Miss Christian? It’s Connie" Burke’s receptionist sounded nervous "I have a video call fro the for Lord Lucan?"
"No, miss It’s for you"
Chapter 3
Penthouse Suite
Alenfar Stronghold
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
"Why are you dressed and out of bed?"
"I have to go to work" Sa jas her hair "And they don’t let me do my job in the nude"
Once the domain of corporate executives, the top two floors of the Alenfar Building had been renovated into luxurious penthouse accommodations Wraparound panels,views of Fort Lauderdale, from the skyscrapers that soared into the skyline to the west to the wide ribbon of shell-speckled ae waters of the Atlantic Ocean
Three years ago Sah-rise penthouse The salary sheexpenses and the rent for a shborhood It didn’t bother her; she hadn’t joined the force to get rich
Saed Including her life, which thanks to her bioengineered DNA and a transfusion of vampire blood was now virtually immortal