LITMIR.BIZ

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      “Hurry.”

      “I will. Be careful, Autumn.”

      She closed the phone and lay on the bed, unmoving. It almost made sense that he was Esri, that he’d somehow fashioned himself to look like every dark fantasy she’d ever had. Tall, dark, dangerously handsome. She tried to imagine what he might really look like—the pasty-white skin and pale hair. Was it possible? No. She’d know. Somehow she’d know.

      He wasn’t Esri. He wasn’t evil. Then again, if he was Esri, he had magic and everything she knew about him was a lie and had been from the start.

      She pressed her hand to her forehead. Dear God, what was she going to do? How in the world was she supposed to carry on a polite conversation with a man who could be plotting her rape and murder as easily as her seduction? She couldn’t let on that she suspected him of being more than he claimed. If he was Esri…if he got suspicious, he might take off. And she couldn’t afford to lose a second Esri. Even she couldn’t be that clumsy.

      With a groan, she forced herself up. Hiding in the bedroom wasn’t an option, however appealing it might sound. She stumbled twice on her way back to the living room and seriously hoped the boat was rocking more than normal. If not, she was losing what little coordination she had. The sun had finally set, leaving the room in shadows.

      Kade looked up from his examination of one of the wall prints, but she kept her gaze averted as she turned on a table lamp, not ready to face him after her mortifying lack of control. And not sure she could keep her doubts about who he was out of her eyes.

      But as she crossed to the kitchen and flicked on the light, she felt his gaze on her, felt it vibrate along her skin, and felt her body warm all over again. Oh, this was not good. What if she lost control and tried to strip him this time? Oh, for heaven’s sake, he could be Esri.

      Taking a deep breath, she rounded the counter into the kitchen, desperate to reclaim some measure of equilibrium. Or at least the pretense of it. With the counter safely between her and the man who literally and figuratively filled the room, she finally gathered the courage to look up.

      He met her gaze, his expression guarded. And what did that mean? That he was hiding something…or that he was afraid she was going to attack him again?

      If only the floor would swallow her.

      The boat swayed, forcing her to grab hold of the counter for support. She swallowed, praying her voice would sound close to normal.

      “I talked to Larsen. She wants to meet you after work. You can follow me over there in your car if you want to wait. It shouldn’t be much more than an hour.”

      “I took the Metro. But if I can ride with you, I’ll wait.” A gleam that might be satisfaction glimmered in his eyes. But it didn’t prove he was Esri. He’d come looking for Larsen. Naturally, he’d be satisfied he was going to get to meet her. And if she doubted every single thing he said, every flick of his eyebrow, she was going to make herself insane.

      “Are you hungry? I thought I’d fix dinner.”

      At the mention of food, that guarded expression in his eyes disappeared. His eyes positively lit up. “I’m hungry.”

      She laughed. “Of course you are.” And what a stereotypical reaction of a male to food. This proved it, didn’t it? He couldn’t be Esri. She’d never heard anything about Baleris demanding food. Virgins, yes. But not food.

      Kade Smith was definitely human. And if she could just keep convincing herself of that, maybe she could manage to get dinner on the table.

      She started the rice, then pulled vegetables out of the fridge with hands that would not quit shaking, despite her insistence he wasn’t a threat. But hormones were as bad as nerves and as long as he was in the room, they weren’t about to settle down. As if she weren’t clumsy enough. She managed to rinse the vegetables without mishap, then grabbed a knife and a green pepper and started chopping.

      Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kade move to the bar on the other side of the counter. He leaned on it, watching her, shredding the few nerves she had left. Her fingers fumbled the knife, sending it clattering to the cutting board.

      With a groan, she snatched it up and tried again.

      “What are you making?” The rich timbre of Kade’s too-near voice rattled her even as it sank into her pores, sliding over her skin like liquid silk. Was this how he enchanted her? With his sexy voice? Stop it.

      “I’m…uh…I’ve got this great recipe for a Mexican stir-fry. Is that okay?”

      “I like all food.”

      Why didn’t that surprise her? The guy had to be close to seven feet tall. Again, she made the mistake of looking up and found his gaze on her face. Those blue, blue eyes caught her, making her pulse lift and soar at the look of hunger in their depths. Hunger she could almost imagine was directed at her, not her vegetables, though she knew better. The knife slipped out of her agitated fingers and clattered to the cutting board once again.

      With a rueful sigh, she said, “You’d better go watch TV. I’m not doing well with an audience. At this rate, dinner won’t be ready until next Tuesday.”

      His mouth twitched, gentle laughter warming his brilliant eyes, setting a tingling excitement loose in her body like the bubbles from a soft drink. He wasn’t Esri. She simply couldn’t believe magic could create such perfect sparkles in his eyes, or that even through enchantment she could feel the bubbly excitement of a brand-new crush. Because that was exactly the way she felt. Excited.

      Kade rose and took off his leather jacket, revealing a T-shirt that accentuated his hard, muscular arms. Instead of moving to the living room as she’d suggested, he came around the counter and picked up the knife she’d dropped, nudging her aside with his hip. “I have a little experience with cooking.”

      His warm masculine scent washed over her, his overwhelming nearness stole the air from the room. She took a hurried step back, not wanting to be tempted to craziness a second time. She tried to calm her fluttering pulse as she leaned against the counter and watched him wield the knife with expert precision, his muscles flexing and bulging in all the right places.

      “You look like a professional.”

      “I’m not good with sauces and seasonings, but I can handle a knife well enough.” He looked up, capturing her with his gaze as the pepper disappeared beneath his blade. “What else do you need me to chop?”

      Autumn grabbed the counter as the boat bobbed, then handed him the red pepper, onion and tomato. “I didn’t mean to put you to work.”

      His mouth twisted with a wry hint of humor. “I don’t mind.”

      “Okay. Thanks. I’ll…um…get the rest of the ingredients.” They worked together surprisingly well, getting everything into the skillet. Despite Kade watching her, she managed to stir and cook the food without a single additional mishap.

      Dinner was almost ready when he leaned over the skillet and sniffed, a look of sheer pleasure on his ruggedly handsome face. “It smells good.”

      “Thanks.” She felt suddenly shy at the sincere compliment.

      He turned that look on her, pleasure lighting his eyes and playing around his mouth.

      Happiness bubbled out of her throat in a laugh, drawing a full smile from him at last, a smile that was endearingly boyish and a little lopsided, crinkling his eyes at the corners. Her heart flipped over in her chest. She swallowed a gasp and turned quickly back to the skillet. What was she doing?

      She was falling for him. Flat-out falling for him. And she didn’t know how to stop.

      When the rice started sticking to the bottom of the pan, she moved the skillet to a cool burner and turned off the stove.

      “Finished?” Kade asked hopefully.

      “As

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