LITMIR.BIZ

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and in through the balcony to this suite in broad daylight without being seen and without triggering the alarm system?”

      “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

      Sarange had decided not to go to the Rock the World Awards. She hadn’t declined, she had just decided she wouldn’t turn up. Even though it was one of the biggest nights in the music world’s calendar, she wasn’t going to put herself through the humiliation of seeing Khan again. She might spend every private minute fighting the cravings, but she didn’t have to do it publicly. She couldn’t trust her emotions around him, and no way was he going to get another chance to humiliate her.

      Even if he didn’t reject her this time, what did she anticipate would happen between them? A one-night stand? She shivered at the thought. Spontaneity, stepping outside the boundaries, seizing the moment...they were all alien to Sarange’s nature. She played by the rules. That, and the fact that she lived her life in the full glare of the public eye, were probably the reasons she’d never hooked up with a stranger. I don’t do wild. An image of Khan came into her mind, bringing with it a surge of longing to break free of her self-imposed constraints. Although she thought she knew her own mind, her treacherous body kept giving the idea of a one-night stand an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

      Her resolve had held firm. Vowing to avoid social media, she had spent the day in her office, doing her best to focus on Animals Alive paperwork. The attempt had been futile. The white-hot desire and almost insane longing for Khan weren’t going away, no matter how hard she tried to push them aside. Knowing he was in the same town made it so much worse. It was as if an endless recording that could not be turned off was playing inside her head. Khan had entered her soul like a mind-altering drug, meaning she was no longer responsible for her actions.

      Eventually, she had succumbed and checked her cell phone. Almost with a will of their own, her fingers found images and recordings of Beast arriving at their hotel. And there was Khan. Her heart melted at the sight of him. Glittering, feral, predatory. With his usual grace, he bounded from the limousine ahead of his bandmates. The sunlight turned his hair to burnished copper as he acknowledged the shouts of the crowd with a wave.

      Who was she fooling? Of course she was going to the awards ceremony. There was no way she could stay away from him. That invisible thread that drew them together was pulling her to him harder and stronger than ever. It had been as she was in her dressing room, trying to decide what to wear, that the men had burst in from the balcony.

      Sarange could understand Detective Kidd’s confusion. It matched her own. Her luxurious home was secure. She lived in a gated community. She had three live-in bodyguards. Her security system was the best, and most up-to-date, that money could buy. There was no way four men should have been able to get close to her house, let alone inside her personal suite. She should not have a sprained ankle and a bruised cheek because she had fought them as they tried to drag her back out onto the balcony. It was only because she had her cell phone in her hand, with its personal attack alarm enabled, that she had been able to summon Marco, her head of security.

      Her bodyguards had rushed into the room while calling the police. With remarkable agility, the intruders had vaulted back over the balcony wall and scattered through the grounds before they could be caught.

      “I didn’t imagine them.” She was tired now. Yet surely she should feel more traumatized by her experience? Instead, her overriding emotion was disappointment that she wouldn’t get to see Khan. “My bodyguards saw them, too.”

      The detective consulted his notes. “And these men made no attempt to hide their faces?”

      “That’s right. I’ve already given your colleague a description.” Sarange resisted the temptation to sigh.

      “Tall, muscular, medium brown hair, amber eyes, sharp features.” His eyes probed her face. “That’s your description...of all of them?”

      “Yes.” They had been through this. Several times. She knew how weird it sounded. “They could have been quadruplets.”

      Before he could say anything else, she heard a commotion. It sounded like it was downstairs, possibly in the entrance hall. Disturbances didn’t happen in her house. In her life. She paid people to make sure of it. Now, twice in one day, her ordered existence was being tilted off course. But this time, she knew the reason. She could feel it...him. Khan was close by. She had no idea how she knew he was the source of the fire and fury taking place elsewhere in her home. She just did. This connection they had transcended normal rules.

      Detective Kidd turned his head to look at the uniformed officer who was standing by the door. “Find out what’s going on.”

      Before the police officer could move, Khan strode through the door, instantly filling her bedroom with his presence. Those hypnotic eyes, golden and fiery, fixed on Sarange as though there was no one else present. “They tried to stop me seeing you.”

      Sarange’s head of security burst into the room behind Khan. His shirt was torn and a scratch on his face oozed blood. “I’m sorry. He was like a wild animal...”

      “It’s okay, Marco.” And it was. Suddenly, it was as though she had been wrapped in a protective blanket. Without words, Khan had managed to do what the police and her bodyguards couldn’t. Just by being there, he had reassured her that she was safe.

      “Call me if you need anything.” With obvious reluctance, Marco left the room.

      Khan was about to cross to the bed when he appeared to notice Detective Kidd and his companion for the first time. “Why are these people here?”

      “The detective wants to ask me some more questions.”

      “I think not.” No one could do arrogant like Khan. As he turned that feline gaze on Detective Kidd, the words of protest died on the police officer’s lips. Moving to the door, Khan held it open.

      “There is something very strange about this incident. If you think of anything else, give me a call.” Tossing a look of dislike in Khan’s direction, the detective and his colleague left.

      Sarange barely had an instant to wonder why Khan had come here. After taking so much trouble to show her he didn’t want anything to do with her, why was he in her bedroom right now? And why was he gazing at her with that look in his eyes? Within a second or two of the door closing, he had crossed the room and dropped on one knee beside the bed, catching hold of her hand and raising it to his lips.

      “I wasn’t here to protect you. I will never forgive myself for that.” The antagonism was gone. His voice throbbed with genuine regret.

      This should be weird. That was her first response to his words. She should run a mile from a man who spoke to her that way. She definitely shouldn’t tangle her hands in his hair, or utter a sound that was midway between a laugh and a sob. This shouldn’t feel like the best thing ever to happen to her. Yet, as she touched Khan, she could feel strength and heat flowing from him and into her body.

      This is real. Whatever it is, this is happening.

      “Who were they?” Khan lifted his head. “Did you know the men who broke in here?”

      Sarange shook her head. “I’ve never seen them before. They didn’t speak to me, so I don’t know what they wanted. They were trying to drag me out of the house when I raised the alarm. Marco and my other bodyguards burst in. They called the police, but the intruders had already gone.”

      Khan raised a hand, his touch featherlight as he traced the bruise on her cheek. “They hurt you.”

      “Because I fought them.”

      There was a flash of fire in the depths of his eyes. She glimpsed something in him then, something raw and animal. It called to an answering part of her own character. A part she hadn’t known existed until now.

      “You are safe now. I’m here.” His smile was pure insolence and undiluted mischief. “You no longer have to rely on second-rate protection.”

      “I get a rock star for a bodyguard?”

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