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CHAPTER ONE

AFTER THREE HUNDRED YARDS, turn right

Daator and accelerated his Bugatti Veyron past the floodlit tree-lined lane that led to Ashton Manor The aging Duke he’d liberally plied with Krug and caviar all evening at his exclusive London private gentlemen’s club had supplied Damion with directions to a less well-known entrance to Sir Trevor Ashton’s Surrey country residence—one Damion fully intended to use

Turn around when possible

The veiled reproach barely registered A quarter of a mile up the road he slowed down and turned into a narrower lane Ahead of hiardens on this side of the estate were ree cultivated to fool the less discerning With an iator’s repeated entreaty to turn around He had reached his destination

Satisfaction oozed through hih histhe money he’d spent to achieve what he wanted, this whole situation should have gone much more smoothly He’d learnt very early on in life that some people responded only to cold, hard cash, and he’d expected it this time, too

But his investigators had already been to Ashton Manor once before and been stonewalled Which was unacceptable

He stopped the car at the bottoarden and stepped out

Annoyance made his movements jerky as he climbed the stone steps and approached the ivy-trellised Manor Despite being cloaked by the inky-black night, its dilapidated status couldn’t be hidden

As he drew nearer he heard fehter, interlaced with several deeper tones He skirted a bra Jaw tightening, he stared down at his ruined trousers

He reached down to free hier when a thorn bit into his thumb

Pressing his tongue to the torn flesh to stem the blood flow, Daianroo to take their leave It was obvious they’d been partying a while; one or two of them weren’t quite steady on their feet

Damion scanned the crowd but didn’t immediately spot her

He stepped back onto the overgrown path, abandoning his previous intention of stealth About to stalk round to the front of the Manor, Daed into his peripheral vision

Her presence was unobtrusive, her raceful, unhurried, intended not to draw attention to herself And yet as if drawn by her roup turned at her approach

The light froed mid-breath in Damion’s chest and his whole body clenched in remembrance

On any other woed her body would have looked siant—sexy but not sexual

But on her the body-skin immediately drew the eye to her plump breasts, the tiny indentation of her cinched-in waist and the voluptuous curve of her hips Damion followed the flow of the silk dress If hisa very tiny thong or nothing at all underneath that silk

Recalling her proclivity for designer thongs—and how he’d been obsessed with taking the him with it intensity

His frowning gaze rose to her face She wore her hair differently now A heavy fringe slanted over one teht side of her face, while the rest of her long, dark hair hung thick and luxurious down her back Her make-up was a little more on the heavy, dra, but even without those canised her immediately

Reiko Kagawa