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Prologue

A dangerous man should never look so innocent

Catherine Donnelly stared down at her lover His sun-kissed skin was a sharp contrast to the silken, white bed sheets around hiers—and his eyes, those aolden eyes, were closed in sleep

An ehtstand Another empty bottle was at the foot of the bed She licked her lips—Cat could still taste the chane…and him

Jason August Not the htmares

Her heart thundered in her chest as she slowly backed away from the bed Don’t wake up Don’t Because she didn’t want to talk to him Couldn’t

Cat didn’t want to break in front of Jason

The hotel roo out of a dreained that she could feel that much pleasure

Or, right then…so much pain

She’d spent the last ith him Been lost in him Too late, sanity had stirred within her

He wasn’t the er anted to look past the façade she presented to the world

Jason August was her eneet that

Cat hesitated at the hotel roo to Jason She’d touched every inch of his body during the night Just as he’d explored all of her For once, she’d coo with her lover

She’d known hiiven in to her need—their need—and had sex with hio Sex that had lasted and lasted…sex that, Cat was sure, had ruined her for other men

Too good I should have known there would be a price for pleasure like that

Her hands were treaze tofroer She put it near his briefcase The case that she’d foolishly opened while he slept

The ring ht had just been a fantasy A beautiful dream that had finally ended with the cold approach of dawn Nothing about those hours had been real

Well, nothing but the pleasure…

And the pain

Cat slipped out of the room, and she didn’t look back

One year later…

Chapter One

She wasn’t used to hiding in the shadows And when it ca in the shadows that were outside of a rather infamous sex club…Catherine “Cat” Donnelly knew she was involved in a situation that ay over her head

The Playhouse was busy that night—but then, according to the stories she’d heard, the place was busy every night Filled with the rich and elite, it was a perfect, sensual playground for them A club without limits

It was also a club that she was supposed to enter that night

Provided, of course, that she could actually step out of the shadows and walk inside the place So far, she sure hadn’t gotten up the courage to approach those heavy, wrought-iron gates

Her hands s all kinds of outfits during her shadow-lurk time Some women had sashayed inside while covered in head-to-toe leather Others had glided in wearing four-inch-heels and clad in dresses that seemed to be made of diamonds

Cat glanced down at her t-shirt and jeans Fantastic Talk about the plain Jane heading in with the butterflies

But it wasn’t as if she had a lot of choice in the , and the last thing she wanted to do was attract attention as she went inside Hmm…surely there was a side door at that place A less, attention-grabbing entrance

Instead of heading toward the bright lights and the ate, Cat slunk back even deeper into the shadows She’d circle around the place again and maybe find—

A warm, hard hand curled around her, and Cat screaasp of a screaht

But the hed as he turned Cat in his powerful embrace “Oh, love, do you really think screams matter out here?”

His voice…

“The Playhouse is full of screah most of them are of the pleasure-filled variety” The faintest hint of a British accent underscored his words

It was the saht—for the last year It was a voice that she had wanted to forget, but never could A voice that belonged to—

Jason August

The erous ain

The htly Their bodies were pressed flush together, and Cat could feel every inch of his steely strength against her

“Let o” In contrast to her scream, her words were now barely whispered

Darkness surrounded them, so she couldn’t see his expression, but she could just o? After I’ve gone to all the trouble of getting you back? Oh, love, I don’t think so”

She kicked against hiainst his shin, but he just laughed again

He was as big as she remembered, easily close to six foot-three, ide football player shoulders—not that theher and her five foot-four inch self sure didn’t seem to be a strain for him

“You need to cal voice that had once made her panties melt, “and then we’ll—”

“What the hell is going on here?” A h Jason’s words

A beaht Jason’s hold eased, just a bit, and Cat was able to turn in his arht immediately blinded her so that she had to blink and squint to try and see her rescuer

“Mr August?” Shock coated the rescuer’s voice “I-I was doing a security check and I thought I heard a scream—”

“That was asped out

“Be very careful,” Jason’s voice was a lethal whisper in her ear “This isn’t a safe place for you”

&nbs

p; What was that supposed to mean?

The light slid off Cat’s face and raked down her body “You know the rules, Mr August,” her rescuer said Cat knew they were being confronted by one of the Playhouse’s staff members “No play outside the doors”

Play? Play? “I’—”

Jason’s hold tightened on her “My apologies, Charles My lady and I were just on our way to my car e just had to…stop…for a moment It was the heat of the moment I’m sure you understand”

Charles chuckled, and Cat wanted to slug him So much for a rescue

Jason started dragging her away frohts of the Playhouse would vanish in a few more moments as they headed back down the street

“Wait!” Cat called out, frantic

“Despite what you ritted out, as his lips brushed over the shell of her ear, “I’ to save that sweet ass of yours”

Trying to save it?

She stopped fighting The sound of Charles’s retreating footsteps barely reached her ears as she turned to face Jason “You ?” She was supposed to believe that?

“No” Clipped Then he seemed to hesitate before he asked, “You ca me?”

Her eyes narrowed as she strained to see hi with me in the dark”

His hand slid down her arers were rough, callused, and, dammit, when he touched just that spot, she shivered It wasn’t like she could help the fact that her inner wrist was some kind of crazy weak zone for her

“I didn’t lure you out here,” he told her as they rounded the side of another building

A long, black li at the curb