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Prologue

Courtney lay silently, a frown on her face as she stared at the di above the bed Cool air wafted across her body, drying the fine sheen of perspiration that had built there over the past hour Her hand struainst the e that pierced the flesh above her navel

The feel of her nails rasping over her flesh was a pleasant sensation In many ways, more pleasant than the experienced caresses of the man who lay beside her Not that he hadn’t tried, not that she hadn’t tried, but satisfaction lingered just out of reach, an ethereal promise that she kneould remain unfulfilled for a while yet

Doubts assailed her in that ined this as her first sexual experience She had envisioned an event , one that would fulfill not just her sexual desires, but those that filled her heart as well Unfortunately, there were sacrifices to beHer virginity was one of those sacrifices

She breathed in carefully, deeply, restraining the weakening eht of what could co exactly what she was doing She had studied her objective, learned every facet of his character possible and planned each move out carefully She couldn’t fail Too much was at stake to fail Her future, her very heart and the dreams she had carried since childhood now lay on the line

"Well I can honestly say you are " Sebastian DeLorents leaned casually on his side as he interrupted her s, his voice filled with a her lips as she stared back at perhaps her dearest friend on this Earth Bastian had led her through many of her most important adventures and helped her ensure that her father never suspected that his little princess was perhaps a tad bit more reckless than he would have wished Dane Mattlaw believed his perfect, innocent daughter was unwary of the world, unknowing of the darker side of life that could be found outside the walls of the estate he had raised her in He had no idea of the free spirit, the reckless, outrageous wo to be cruel in keeping hiht to always protect her fro, merely overprotective in a very fatherly way And she understood the reasons why, had lived those reasons for three long, nightrandparents’ home in Spain when she was a child

But she wasn’t a child any longer

"Don’t take it personally" She turned to hi back at his darkly handsolint in his black eyes "I told you, I was saving et rid of that pesky shield of virginity to set h she knew he accepted it good-naturedly She hadn’t deceived him She had been aboveboard, honest She couldn’t lie to Bastian, the very thought was abhorrent Besides, he had wicked ways of getting even with those who crossed hihtened of him, but she had a healthy respect for the code of honor to which he adhered

She reached out, trailing her fingers along his cheek as his arainst his body There was no sexual tension, no arousal The friendship they had for, supportive relationship that had given her the courage to go after her greatest dreaiven her a ht He had tenderly, lovingly taken that last barrier to woiven her the freedom to chase after her final dream

"I will ht He had called her that for years He kissed the top of her head as he sighed heavily "You keep the world brighter"

A soft laugh escaped her at that "You ive you a reasonable shield between you and the calculatingat your heels Come on, Bastian, you need to settle down soroaning lightly as she propped herself against his chest, staring down at hihter welled within her

Her Bastian was one of the finest-looking land had ever beheld He was a product of a Spanish aristocrat and an American mother, the pure blue blood of his ancestors diluted by the hated Arandfather’s point of view

For Courtney, it was the opposite Her hter of one of Spain’s oldest bloodlines Her father, though, was pure blond American , douerita Catherine Santiago Rodriquez’s maternal and paternal families

Thankfully, Courtney had not been required to spend a vast auerita had been unfortunate enough that during her relationship with Dane, her family had learned of her lifestyle, and had nearly destroyed her with their efforts to "save" her Escaping them and the life they would have confined her to had not been easy

Courtney had been seven when her mother had taken her to visit her relatives, and the three years they had been confined there had been hell Thankfully, her father had finally seen through the lies her mother’s family had told him of their deaths and had rescued theot Her mother had once told her that it served to reile life can be, and that they should never take a single day for granted It was a lesson Courtney had taken to heart

"The calculating runted reflectively, interrupting her thoughts "Perhaps I should follow you to America I’m certain I could help you with the mayhem you wish to create there"

His smile was pure devilry She rarely saw hih to become playful Which was a truly a shah to play, he was an incredibly sexy sight to behold

"Perhaps this is soive me time to capture him first He won’t be an easy conquest, Bastian And I could always fail"

Such an option was soainst She couldn’t fail She had dreamed of hith that refused to allow her any rest