*
Darryn hugged herslender body against his, vowing to find out who was causing Hannah so much pain, if it was the last thing he did.Her every sob echoed through his body, her every shudder broke his heart.
Eventually she sat upright and grabbed a tissue from the side table.
“I’m sorry, I don’t usually…” she began, but he put his fingers on her lips.
“Don’t apologize for crying, please.But tell me what the hell is going on.I refuse to believe that all these accidents are random, that it’s a coincidence you are always around when someone gets hurt.Please talk to me.”
Hannah jumped up and started pacing.
“You won’t believe me.I don’t want to believe me.It’s one of those things you read about in a book or see in a movie—it doesn’t happen to you.”
“Try me,” he said and willed himself not to get up and pull her into his arms again.She looked so lost, so…so…frightened.
She paused for a few seconds and looked at him before she resumed her pacing.She glanced at her watch and stopped quickly.
“I…have an appointment.I have to go,” she said.
“What appointment?”he asked.
She lifted her chin.“Not that it’s any of your business…”
The next minute, he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her closer.“Not my business?”he snarled.“When I can’t stop thinking about you, stop worrying about you?Stop wanting you?”
Before she could utter a word, he crushed her against him and caught her lips with his.She tried to pull away, but he wasn’t letting her go yet.
She gasped for air; he heightened the kiss and plunged his tongue deep while teasing and tormenting hers.
Gasping, she pushed him away, shaking her head.
“We can’t do this.You make me…I…”
Frustrated, he hauled her closer.It had been supposed to be a quick kiss, meant to punish her.But the minute he tasted her, he lost whatever control he had over his feelings.
She was all sexy angles and smooth skin, all woman and heat, and he was slowly losing his mind.With a gasp, he lifted his head and cupped her face with unsteady hands.
“You will be the death of me yet.”He growled, brushing back her hair.He had to clear his throat, speaking was difficult.“Now that we’ve established you are, in fact, my business,” he said while taking her long hair into his fist, “tell me about this appointment.”
*
Hannah swallowed and,crossing her arms, moved away.He dropped his hands.
“I…it’s a…” She took a deep breath, tried to focus on her words.
Kissing Darryn Cavallo wasn’t something she should be doing, let alone be enjoying!
“I did a shoot for a magazine cover last week.The photographer wants to see me again.”
He cocked his head and frowned.“Does that happen often?”
Chewing her lip, she slowly shook her head.“No, not really.But I’ve never worked with this guy before and maybe that’s what he normally does.I don’t know.I show up where I’m told to be.”
He nodded, his mind working overtime.
Something didn’t sound right, but the last thing he wanted to do was to upset Hannah further.Her phone rang, and she walked away while answering it.
He moved closer to the window that looked out over Paris.The city of love.Inside him, something shifted.
