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Chapter 1

I loved New York with the kind ofin my life

The city was a microcosm of neorld opportunities and old world traditions

Conservatives rubbed shoulders with bohemians

Oddities coexisted with priceless rarities

The pulsing energy of the city fueled international business bloodlines and drew people from all over the world

And the e ambition, and world- renowned power had just screwed asms

As I padded over to his lanced at Gideon Cross's sex-rumpled bed and shivered with remembered pleasure

My hair was still damp from a shower, and the torapped around

I had an hour and a half before I had to be at work, which was cutting it a little too close for comfort

Obviously, I was going to have to allot ti routine for sex, otherwise I'd always be scra

Gideon woke up ready to conquer the world, and he liked to start that domination with me

How lucky was I? Because it was sliding into July in New York and the te up, I chose a slim pair of pressed natural-linen slacks and a sleeveless poplin shell in a soft gray that matched my eyes

Since I had no hairstyling talent, I pulledblond hair back in a simple ponytail, then made up my face

When I was presentable, I left the bedroom

I heard Gideon's voice the moment I stepped into the hallway

A tiny shiver ry, his voice low and clipped

He didn't rile easily

unless he was ticked off with me

I could get hih his glorious shoulder-length mane of inky black hair

For the h, Gideon was a testament to leashed power

There was no need for hiet people to quake in their shoes with just a look or a tersely spoken word

I found him in his home office

He stood with his back to the door and a Bluetooth receiver in his ear

His ar out the s of his Fifth Avenue penthouse apart the impression of a very solitary man, an individual as separate fro it

Leaning into the doorjamb, I drank him in

I was certainthan his

My vantage point included hi skyscrapers, an equally powerful and impressive presence

He'd finished his shower before I ed to crawl out of bed

His seriously addictive body was now dressed in two pieces of an expensively tailored three-piece suit -an admitted hot button of mine

The rear view of him showcased a perfect ass and a powerful back encased in a vestOn the as a e of photos of us as a couple and one very inti

Most were pictures taken by the paparazzi who followed his every move

He was Gideon Cross, of Cross Industries, and at the ridiculous age of twenty-eight, he was one of the top twenty-five richest people in the world

I was pretty sure he owned a significant chunk of Manhattan; I was positive he was the hottest man on the planet

And he kept photos of me everywhere he worked, as if I could possibly be as fun to look at as he was

He turned, pivoting gracefully to catch aze

Of course he'd knoas there, watching him

There was a crackling in the air ere near each other, a sense of anticipation like the coiled silence before the boom of thunder

He'd probably deliberately waited a beat before facingme the opportunity to check him out because he knew I loved to look at him

Dark and Dangerous

And all mine

God

I never got used to the impact of that face

Those sculpted cheekbones and dark winged brows, the thickly lashed blue eyes, and those lips

perfectly etched to be both sensual and wicked

I loved when they smiled with sexual invitation, and I shivered when they thinned into a stern line

And when he pressed those lips to my body, I burned for him

Jeez, listen to yourself

My et at pals axed poetic about their boyfriends' good looks

But here I was, constantly awed by the gorgeousness of the co,deeper in love with every day

As we stared at each other, his scowl didn't lessen, nor did he cease speaking to the poor soul on the receiving end of his call, but his gaze war heat

I should've becoe that came over him when he looked at h to rock me on my feet

That look conveyed how hard and deep he wanted to fk ot - and it also affordedforce of will

A core of strength and co Gideon did in life

"See you at eight on Saturday," he finished, before yanking off the earpiece and tossing it on his desk

"Come here, Eva"

Another shiver slid through me at the way he said my name, with the same authoritative bite he used when he said Come, Eva, while I was beneath him

filled with him

desperate to clax for him

"No time for that, ace"

I backed into the hallway, because I here he was concerned

The soft rasp in his sas to it

And whenever he touched me, I caved

I hurried to the kitchen to make us some coffee

Heunder his breath and followedon mine

I found myself pinned to the hallall by six feet, two inches of hard, hot male

"You knohat happens when you run, angel"

Gideon nippedwith the caress of his tongue

"I catch you"

Inside hed with happy surrender andpressed so close to his