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 His punishment is best left to us. You must trust me on this.
Bobby bristled.  I don t like it, but under the circumstances 
Alice broke in.  I don t think the police would be much use against him, anyway.
She gave Damien a haunted look.  Damien, please. Stop him.
 You have my word, he said gravely.
Alice sagged back into Bobby s arms.  I have to get you home, love, he said
tenderly.  Eleanor, are you coming?
 I ll be a few minutes. Let s meet back at the house.
 Well, goodbye and thanks again for everything, Bobby said.
Damien smiled at them.  I wish you much happiness in your new life together.
 Goodbye, Alice said. They went out of the room holding each other.
Eleanor turned to Damien.  How can you be so sure their lives will be together?
 I felt their love. It is very strong and beautiful. They will be together, of that I am
certain. Damien looked at her wistfully.  And now, Eleanor, my dear, it is time for you
and I to say goodbye.
 Yes, I suppose it is.
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 Jacob is waiting outside for you. Damien kissed her on the forehead. His lips felt
cold against her skin.  Safe travels, my friend, he said against her hair.
Eleanor felt tears in her eyes. She pulled back and took his face in her hands.  Safe
travels, Damien. God bless you.
In the hall, she ran into Mike.
 Heading out? he asked
 Yes, she said, wiping tears away from her eyes.
 Well, lady, what can I say? You are a smart-ass-pain-in-the-rear, but it s been a
slice, a real 
Eleanor cut him off by grabbing him in a big hug and planting a kiss on his lips.
 Goodbye, Mike, and thanks for everything.
Mike pulled back, his face as crimson as his hair.  Well, hey, you can say goodbye
to me anytime. See yah, Ellie.
 See yah, Mike. I hope you catch that whale soon.
Mike groaned and went into the library.
Eleanor went to the front door, her stomach in knots. Jacob. How would she say
goodbye to Jacob? Emptiness flooded through her at the thought of never seeing him
again. She d felt so alive since she met him. Was it possible to fall in love so quickly?
Was she in love? It s not as if she d had time to examine her feelings. Most of the time at
the party, he d been pushing, pulling or kissing her. In spite of how afraid she d been, it
had felt wonderful, all that touching.
And what if Simon had waited a few more minutes to come and get them? She
would have made love to him right there, under the balcony, against the wall. There
wasn t a doubt in her mind. She d never been like that with any other man. Crazy with
passion. Just thinking about it made her ache with need.
* * * * *
Jacob s emotions spun out of control. Weakened by the struggle to win Alice back
from Constantine, he had no reserve to wrestle with newfound feelings. All he could do
was hold on while powerful wants and needs flashed through his head, leaving him
grasping for control.
He was not like the other partners. He d watched Aiden, Luke and the rest engage
in one affair after another, making a contest of it all. Who would win the fair maiden
and make her his? He never joined in, determined not to go down that path.
It had taken him years to wade through the endless pain and guilt of losing
everyone he loved. In the end, the only way he d been able to survive was to build
strong walls between himself and the rest of the world. He didn t let people within his
walls, it wasn t worth the pain when they left.
When his physical needs grew too strong for him to ignore, he went to
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professionals. Women who wanted nothing from him but money. He rarely sought out
the same woman twice, and if he felt they were getting attached, he never saw them
again. It had worked well for him, this arrangement, until he d bumped into Eleanor
Hennen at the fundraiser.
Ever since that night was it only three nights ago? his carefully built walls had
started crumbling. From their first meeting, the connection between them kept getting
stronger. His actions at the party tonight left him wondering who he was. He couldn t
believe he d jeopardized her safety by losing control.
What happened underneath the balcony was inexcusable on his part. He was
charged with protecting her and instead, he d left them open to any sort of attack. If
Simon hadn t come& He gripped the railing of the porch as his body reacted. If Simon
hadn t come, he d have taken Eleanor in the open, against a wall, no better than a
rutting animal.
She deserved better than that. She deserved flowers and soft words spoken over
months of careful courtship. When he took her, there should be candles and a warm fire
crackling next to a large bed so they d have room to& He groaned as the thought of
what he d do with her in that big bed sent him spinning again, both emotionally and
physically.
He could not have her, he told himself, gripping the handrail so hard it broke loose
with a loud crack.
Disgusted, he threw the rail into the grass and straightened, determined to regain
control. She would be out soon and he had to prepare what he would say to her. He
knew what he wanted. He wanted to sweep her up in his arms, carry her to his
bedroom and make love to her until neither of them could move. He wanted to be so
deep inside her he couldn t tell where he stopped and she began. When it was over, he
wanted to hold her against him, every inch of their bodies touching, until she fell asleep
in his arms, sated.
But then what? There was no tomorrow for them, only tonight. As much as he
wanted to, he couldn t keep her with him. It would be dangerous within the circle from
now on. Anyone associated with Damien would be a target for Constantine. The
opening volleys of this battle had been exchanged and only God knew where it would
end. He would not let Eleanor be used as a pawn in a game she had no knowledge of or
connection to. For her own safety, he had to let her walk away.
That left tonight. He knew she wanted him. Her response in his arms had been real,
but would she accept just one night with him? If they did spend the night together,
wouldn t it make it harder to let her go in the morning?
Taking a few deep breaths to clear his head, he leaned against the wall. No, he
would put aside what he wanted and do what was best for Eleanor. He would let her
go. Without so much as a single caress, he would let her go. There was no other option.
He was ready now. He would make it quick and clear and send her on her way.
Two minutes later, all his good intentions fled, along with every other thought in
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Dyad Dreams
his head, as Eleanor stepped through the door.
He was waiting for her on the porch, casually leaning against the wall. He
straightened and came to her. They stared at each other for a long moment. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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