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granting you twelve hours to confuse her emotions."
"You have more control over your sleep patterns than I do,
but you still need sleep. I want to be certain of my mate's
affections. Don't you?"
Another challenge. Damn. This vampire was smart and
perceptive. "And how long do we continue this amicable
rivalry?"
"Until Tess makes her choice."
That shouldn't take long. He had far more to offer any
woman than a creature of the night. "I agree to everything
with one condition."
"Which is?"
"You began without my knowledge. I want tonight alone
with Tess to assess the damage you've done."
The bastard dared to grin. "Don't you mean the progress
I've made?"
"Do you agree?"
"I agree."
* * * *
Tess heard the main entrance to X2 swing open and turned
to see who had entered the club. Half expecting Victor, her
heart gave an odd leap as she saw Seth striding toward her.
Dressed in jeans and a casual shirt, with his entourage
conspicuously absent, he appeared far less imposing, if no
less attractive. His features were sculpted with high
cheekbones and full lips. A firm jaw and the arrogant tilt of
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Sensuous
by Aubrey Ross
his head saved him from being pretty, and his otherworldly
hair had been confined at the nape of his neck. One of his
pointed ears poked through the silky strands, and she
couldn't help but smile.
"Where are your bodyguards?" He might be able to
disguise the fact that he was royalty, but only glamour could
make him look human.
"In the corridor." He sounded oddly subdued. What was
going on? "I wished to speak with you alone."
"That shouldn't be a problem." She put her hands on her
hips, gathering anger around her to ward off his appeal. "I
seem to spend all my time alone thanks to you. I just rolled
back the opening and "
"I'm sorry." He moved toward her slowly, his gaze holding
hers, caressing hers with their ice-green beauty. "My
approach was all wrong. You deserve more than demands and
ultimatums."
She took a step back. "Who the hell are you and what
have you done with Seth?"
He smiled, a certain watchfulness seeping into his
expression. "Your workmen will resume their tasks tomorrow
morning, and your orders will be filled at a discount." She
narrowed her gaze and his smile spread. "I'm not trying to
buy you. Let me apologize."
"I'm more than happy to end our power struggle, but this
doesn't change the crux of the issue. I have a life here. I have
friends, and I've poured my heart and soul into this club. I
really want to see it succeed."
"Can we sit down? This still feels adversarial."
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Sensuous
by Aubrey Ross
She motioned toward her makeshift office in the back
corner of the room. "I'd offer you a drink, but all I have is
coffee, and I know you don't like it."
"I'm fine. I just want to talk."
They sat at the table, and Tess tried not to think about
how much she wanted to touch him, to assure herself this
was real. "How long has your family known you were alive?"
"Two years." The admission came after a long pause.
"Then why..." She was too angry, too hurt, to put her
thoughts into words. His mother had never approved of her,
but his sister had been sympathetic. Why hadn't someone
bothered to notify her that Seth was still alive? Why hadn't
he? All she could do was glare at him with accusation in her
eyes.
"Even after I escaped, the war still raged. I knew there
was a very real possibility I wouldn't survive. You had already
mourned my death once. I didn't want to put you through it
again."
He'd been protecting her. The logical side of her brain
accepted the explanation, but her emotions still blazed. He'd
deceived her, ignored her, then turned her world upside
down.
How could she abandon all she was and all she wanted to
be in exchange for marriage to a prince? He offered wealth
and privilege beyond imagining, yet she would become a
member of the royal family, bound by all the rules and
expectations that entailed.
"I'm not sure I want the sort of life attached to you
anymore. I've learned to appreciate freedom."
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Sensuous
by Aubrey Ross
"I'm a third son, Tess." He reached across the table and
took her hand. "We can have whatever sort of life we want.
We can live right here if that will make you happy. Open your
club. We'll work together until it's a smashing success. We
can do whatever we want. You're focused on details when the
question is really simple. Do you want to build a future with
me?"
She looked at their joined hands, unable to think with his
gaze beseeching her. "I don't know. I was fond of a young
man I met one summer when I was just a girl." Reinforcing
her determination with a deep breath, she looked into his
eyes. "We don't know each other anymore."
"Are you willing to get to know me again?"
"This isn't fair." She slipped her hand out of his. "How long
will you remain patient? I was at court long enough to
understand how it works. Every woman that caught your
father's eye was brought to his bed with or without her
permission. Worse still, your mother accepted it as part of a
sovereign's right."
"In Protina it's an honor to give pleasure to your king. My
father never took a woman against her will, and my mother [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]