Page 32 (2/2)

And she was afraid that, so as mad as they were Because so the insanity

"You know I’ht," he told her

"Listen, Tara," Jacques said "I’ve tried to tell you about this, to make you understand"

"I--I--" She stared at both of therily "No! I will not believe any of this absurdity, and Mr Malone, I will get you out of this house!" She stood before her grandfather’s desk "Jacques, how can you let this man play with your mind this way?"

"Tara--"

"I will not be a part of it," she said, and turning, left the room

Ann lay with her eyes closed, sleek and sated as she had not felt in all her life She curled into the pillow, so aware of the hts were so cliched: she felt as if she had died and gone to heaven

They had chosen one of the loveliest hotels in Paris, despite the feet that she had come out only for her lunch hour

Luxurious Clean sheets, drifting white curtains, s that led out to a beautifully planted courtyard, the slightest touch of an autuainst the forers over the e for siain, and now--far later than she had ever i to rise and leave and return to work--she was fascinated by exploring the man who had walked into her life like a cataclys as she ran her fingers down the length of his arh well healed and barely visible, she realized that there seereat deal of scar tissue on his body

"The accident," she murmured softly

"Yes"

She rose over hiht you here, to Paris" He s her closer "It was quite a while ago now," he told her

"What happened?"

"I was caught in a fire Umlet’s see, I was out with friends And while they escaped it, I was trapped"

"They left you?" Ann said, indignant that anyone would leave a friend to such a fate

"It was a strange situation," he told her, "and it doesn’t ht, but it see in his eyes Maybe a deep-seated bitterness, one that he didn’t intend to forgive She could hardly blame him

"You must have been burned very badly"

"As I said, it doesn’t er down her ar a trehed "There’s not much to tell You knohere I work, what I do"

"Yes, but what about your personal life? This has been a rather mad rush of a lunch hour, don’t you think? Is thereanyone else out there?"

"I live with netic smile deepened "I meant, is there so head over heels, and jealous as all hell, and yet I can’t iine that a woman such as you wouldn’t have a lover in her life somewhere"

She didn’t pull away frohts, aht of Willem had coht herself so wounded by Willeainst hi to assure her that he ainst flesh "There is someone?"

She shook her head "There was, just as I’m sure there have been many others in your life," she said with a wry shrewdness

He merely smiled "There is no one now, I can assure you"

"And I can say the sa?" he persisted

"Willem He’s the head of sales for my company"

"Um Scary for s And it doesn’t aze sweeping over her Then he added, "Nothat’s far too indefinite I intend to make it so"

Ann relished the husky sound of passion in his voice "Really?" she teased And added a bit breathlessly,

"I a to see what you do with your--intentions!"

"For now, I intend to keep you a bit longer"