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"This is the first tih, Gabrielle You’re even ht it possible"

Her laughter died abruptly and she jerked away from him But it was too late, his hands had already left their fiery imprint on her body, like a heated, erotic brand "Don’t flatter ritted "And do not do anyto help You looked so weary last night"

"As if you care Stay out of my life"

"I can’t do that"

"Because I refuse to sacrifice ain yours," she snapped bitterly

"No," he said evenly, eyes narrowing "Because I don’t like your boss I don’t like the way he looks at you I don’t like the way he treats you I don’t bloody like a bloody frigging thing about the prick And when I’ain, I will rectify the situation"

Gabby went still Adary About how she was being treated His face was dark and thunderous, his eyes snapping with golden sparks

Oh, that was deadly That was cruel Acting like he had feelings Like he gave a damn Especially when she really didn’t have anybody else in her life that did Clearly he would do anything in order to seduce her to his aim--even mimic emotion and pretend concern After all, wasn’t that why it was called seduction? Because the victi? And how could that be engendered except through the pretense of caring?

No soul No heart Ergo, no e up her purse, she flipped off her computer and stoood contentions, she was still brooding irritably, an hour and a half later, as she du her clothes into loads I herself in routine helped her pretend the sin siriche du hi single-ht fro away on her laptop, surfing the Net

By the tie lavishly set for his next seduction Five-star dinner spread out on her dining roo the air, drapes drawn and candles lit Fine crystal sparkled on the table, crystal she knew she didn’t own Silverware she’d never seen before, fine china too

She’d tipped her nose skyward and started to stalk past hi his body against hers Then caught her by one arm

He’d turned her to face hiest ti, not about to give an inch Not even when he’d dropped his dark chiseled face forward until his lips had been ahis blatantthe overpowering temptation to wet her lips in a ti that dark gaze, refusing to believe that thereother than cold-blooded calculation in his eyes And if, for a ht she’d seen a hint of huenuine desire, of teold-sparked depths, it had been a trick of the flickering candlelight

Nothingshe’d ever written Brilliant, charismatically persuasive, incisive She had no doubt she’d win every arbitration he’d written She’d been envious reading theument or seen that subtle, keen twist Two of the cases he’d argued were ones where she knew the person she was representing bore negligence in excess of fifty-one percent (they were being filed because they were "friends of friends," and her se for golf privileges at souuilty client

He was that good

I’ve been alive for thousands of years, he’d said She shivered Ancient Ada there was to do, at least once Why should it surprise her that he could do her job so well? He was a being that could travel through time and space Maybe he had no soul and no heart, but there had to be a pretty da, intensely alive eyes

She sorted her wash autohts Darks Darks Darks Lights Darks Whites--wait!