[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

His eyes went sharp. "Do you want me to tell you I'd die for
you? I suppose I would. Would I kill for you? Without question.
You're not a fantasy to me, Bailey. You're what made reality
snap into place."
Her heart fluttered into her throat and swelled. He was angry
with her again, she noted. His eyes were impatient in his bruised
face. His arm was bandaged from elbow to shoulder and had to
be painful.
ABC Amber LIT Converter http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
ABC Amber LIT Converter http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
And he was hers, without question, for the taking.
"I guess I'm trying to figure out why."
"You want to be reasonable where reason doesn't fit. It's not a
piece of the puzzle, Bailey. It's the whole puzzle." Frustrated, he
dragged a hand through his hair again. "Love was the first Star,
wasn't it? And so is this."
That simple, she realized. That powerful. Pressing her lips
together, she took a step toward him. "I'm Bailey James," she
began. "I'm twenty-five and live in Washington, D.C. I'm a
gemologist. I'm single."
She had to stop, pace herself before she babbled. "I'm neat. One
of my closest friends says neatness is a religion to me, and I'm
afraid she may be right. I like everything in its place. I like to
cook, but don't often, as I live alone. I like old movies,
especially film noir."
He was grinning at her now, but she shook her head. There had
to be more to her than that. "Let me think," she muttered,
impatient with herself. "I have a weakness for Italian shoes. I'd
rather do without lunch for a month than a nice pair of pumps. I
like good clothes and antiques. I prefer buying one good thing
than several inferior ones. That same friend calls me a retail
snob, and it's true. I'd rather go rockhounding than visit Paris,
though I wouldn't mind doing both."
"I'll take you."
ABC Amber LIT Converter http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
ABC Amber LIT Converter http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
But she shook her head again. "I'm not finished. I have flaws, a
lot of flaws. Sometimes I read very late into the night and fall
asleep with the light on and the TV going."
"Well, we'll have to fix that."
He stepped toward her, but she stepped back, held up a hand.
"Please. I squint without my reading glasses, and I hate wearing
them because I'm vain, so I squint quite a lot. I didn't date much
in college, because I was shy and studious and boring. My only
sexual experience has come about recently."
"Is that so? If you'd shut up, you could have another sexual
experience."
"I'm not done." She said it sharply, like a teacher chastising a
rowdy student. "I'm good at my work. I designed these rings."
"I've always admired them. You're so pretty when you're
serious, Bailey. I've got to get my hands on you."
"I'm not without ambition," she continued, sidestepping his
grab for her. "I intend to be successful in what I do. And I like
the idea of making a name for myself."
"If you're going to make me chase you around the sofa, at least
give me a handicap. I've got stitches."
"I want to be important to someone. I want to know I matter. I
want to have children and cook Thanksgiving dinner. I want you
ABC Amber LIT Converter http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
ABC Amber LIT Converter http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
to understand that I've tried to be sensible about this, because
that's the way I am. I'm precise and I'm practical and I can be
very tedious."
"I've never spent such a boring weekend in my entire life," he
said dryly. "I could barely keep my eyes open." When she
chuckled, he outmaneuvered her and pulled her into his arms.
And swore as pain radiated straight up to his shoulder.
"Cade, if you've opened those stitches "
"You're so precise and practical, you can sew me back up." He
lifted her chin with his fingers, smiled. "Are you finished yet?"
"No. My life isn't going to be settled until M.J. and Grace are
back and I know they're safe and the Three Stars are in the
museum. I'll worry until then. I'm very good at worrying, but I
believe you already know that."
"I'll write it down in case it slips my mind again. Now, why
don't you take me upstairs and play doctor?"
"There's one more thing." When he rolled his eyes, she drew in
a breath. "I love you very much."
He went very still, and the fingers on her chin tightened.
Emotions poured through him, sweet and potent as wine. There
might not be stars in her eyes, he thought. But her heart was in
them. And it belonged to him.
"Took you long enough to get to it."
ABC Amber LIT Converter http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
ABC Amber LIT Converter http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
"I thought it was the best place to finish."
He kissed her for a long, gentle time. "It's a better place to
start," he murmured.
"I love you, Cade," she repeated, and touched her lips to his
again. "Life starts now."
Epilogue
Contents-Prev
One Star was out of his reach, for the time being. He'd known
the moment it was placed in the hands of the authorities. He
hadn't raged or cursed the gods. He was, after all, a civilized
man. He had only sent his quivering messenger away with a
single icy stare.
Now, he sat in his treasure room, gliding his finger over the
stem of a golden goblet filled with wine. Music poured liquidly
through the air, soothing him.
He adored Mozart, and gently followed the strains of the music
with his hand.
The woman had caused him a great deal of trouble. Salvini had
underestimated her, had claimed she was nothing more than a
token, a pet of his late father's. With some brains, of course, and
ABC Amber LIT Converter http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
ABC Amber LIT Converter http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
undeniable skill, but no courage. A quiet mouse of a woman,
he'd been told, who closed herself off with her rocks and minded
her own business.
The mistake had been to trust Salvini's estimation of Bailey
James.
But he wouldn't make that mistake again. He chuckled to
himself. He wouldn't be required to, as Ms. James and her
protector had dealt so finally with Timothy Salvini.
And with that convenience, there was nothing to link him with
the stones, with the deaths. And nothing to stop him from
completing his plan with some adjustments, of course. He
could be flexible when it was necessary.
Two Stars were still free, still lost or wandering. He could see
them if he closed his eyes, pulsing with light, waiting for him to
take them, unite them with the third. Embrace their power.
He would have them soon enough. Whoever stood in his way [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

  • zanotowane.pl
  • doc.pisz.pl
  • pdf.pisz.pl
  • alwayshope.keep.pl

    •