althy shade of blue, but her mind was painfully clear. She found a thick white bathrobe and a towel on a marble ben

osed. He had removed his jacket and loosened his tie. Two buttons of his shirt were undone, revealing the strong column of his neck.

d earlier. His makeshift bandage was a crude handkerchi

opportunity. She returned to the bathroom, found a first-

t amplifying the sound of her own heartbeat. Carefully, her fingers t

knuckles. It was no accident. It looked like a

of the cut. Her cool fingertips, pinching the small wip

hing wild and primal looked back at her. His pupils were dilated,

und her throat. He moved with brutal efficiency, slamming he

t, but his grip was like a vice. Through the encroaching darkness, she saw the n

rasped, her voice a des

d, and for a moment, confusion warred with the violence in his expression. Then, slowl

sed her

ous air into her burning lungs. He loomed over her, his chest heavin

e commanded,

throat sore and already bruising, she picked up a fresh wipe and resumed tending to his hand. Her

ing relaxation, ready to strike at the slightest provocation. She understood now. This man was no

secured the bandage and

ne," she

e the dark, angry shapes of his fingers were already beginning to blossom into bruise