feeding of ferns when the doorbell chimed one last time.
"Excuse me." She smiled politely, stepping back into the living room and heading for the door, a tiny frown drawing her auburn brows together. Everyone she had invited had already arrived. Surely a neighbor wasn't complaining about the noise already?
"I'm sorry if we're disturbing—" Alyssa began brightly as she flung open the door. But the remainder of the automatic apology died on her lips as she stared up at the apparition on her doorstep.
"Jordan!" she exclaimed, stunned.
"Good evening, Alyssa," he murmured in a dangerously polite voice. "Don't stand there looking as if you've just seen a ghost, sweetheart. Didn't I warn you once not to make the mistake of thinking I was an illusion?"
He was, she realized belatedly, quite furious.
Five
"Didn't you . . ." Alyssa delicately moistened her dry lips with the tip of her tongue and tried again.
"Didn't you get my message?"
She didn't seem to be able to move, her hand clutching the edge of the door for support. He stood in front of her, all dark, masculine intimidation in a black suede jacket, dark slacks and black shirt The brown hair seemed almost black, too, in the fading light, and the golden eyes gleamed like those of a hunting cat at night. Alyssa's first instinct was to run, just as she would have run from a real night prowler.
"Of course 1 got your message,"Jordangrowled gently, stepping over the threshold and forcing her back a couple of paces. "That's why I'm here instead of waiting for you at theLas Vegasairport."
"Jordan, I don't understand." Alyssa's head moved in unconscious denial of his very real presence.
"You never phoned back. I expected you to call after you got my message." Eyes wide and anxious, she stared up at him, seeking some sort of explanation.
Jordanput out a hand, and his strong, aware fingers stroked the line of her throat once. "I didn't call,"
he explained with cool precision, "because what I really wanted to do was beat you senseless after I got that message. The telephone simply wasn't adequate for a full expression of the way I was feeling."
"Jordan!"
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
"I waited until I had overcome the urge to strangle you before I decided what to do next I told myself that I should just forget about you, that a woman who casually remembered 'previous engagements'
after making a date with a man wasn't worth beating, let alone pursuing."
"But I wasn't trying to change my mind about the weekend!"
"When I cooled down a little and had a chance to think things over, I began to realize what was really going on in your head," he continued in a dark, quiet, utterly relentless tone. "And that's why I'm here tonight."
"I don't understand," she wailed, feeling threatened and intimidated and generally abused when by all rights she should have been the one demanding explanations. "If you think you're going to get away with beating me—"
"That part might or might not come later," he advised laconically, his eyes flickering over her speculatively. "Depending on how I feel after I've taken you to bed!"
"Jordan, this is ridiculous. I can't stand here listening to you make threats! I'm entertaining my boss and my coworkers this evening!" Alyssa gasped. Take her to bed? "You're supposed to be inLas Vegas,"
she wound up uncomprehendingly. And that was where he was supposed to make love to her.Las Vegas. Not here in her home inVentura! Not here in her other Me.
"Ah, yes, the 'previous engagement,' I presume?" he drawled, glancing out through the open windows at the crowd of people hovering cheerfully on her porch.
"It wasn't a lie," she defended herself hotly. "I'd had this buffet planned for two weeks. I simply forgot about it when I was getting ready to leaveLas Vegaslast weekend. I phoned you as soon as I could to explain, but you were very difficult to get hold of!"
"I was busy," he retorted simply.
"I'll
"Excuse me." She smiled politely, stepping back into the living room and heading for the door, a tiny frown drawing her auburn brows together. Everyone she had invited had already arrived. Surely a neighbor wasn't complaining about the noise already?
"I'm sorry if we're disturbing—" Alyssa began brightly as she flung open the door. But the remainder of the automatic apology died on her lips as she stared up at the apparition on her doorstep.
"Jordan!" she exclaimed, stunned.
"Good evening, Alyssa," he murmured in a dangerously polite voice. "Don't stand there looking as if you've just seen a ghost, sweetheart. Didn't I warn you once not to make the mistake of thinking I was an illusion?"
He was, she realized belatedly, quite furious.
Five
"Didn't you . . ." Alyssa delicately moistened her dry lips with the tip of her tongue and tried again.
"Didn't you get my message?"
She didn't seem to be able to move, her hand clutching the edge of the door for support. He stood in front of her, all dark, masculine intimidation in a black suede jacket, dark slacks and black shirt The brown hair seemed almost black, too, in the fading light, and the golden eyes gleamed like those of a hunting cat at night. Alyssa's first instinct was to run, just as she would have run from a real night prowler.
"Of course 1 got your message,"Jordangrowled gently, stepping over the threshold and forcing her back a couple of paces. "That's why I'm here instead of waiting for you at theLas Vegasairport."
"Jordan, I don't understand." Alyssa's head moved in unconscious denial of his very real presence.
"You never phoned back. I expected you to call after you got my message." Eyes wide and anxious, she stared up at him, seeking some sort of explanation.
Jordanput out a hand, and his strong, aware fingers stroked the line of her throat once. "I didn't call,"
he explained with cool precision, "because what I really wanted to do was beat you senseless after I got that message. The telephone simply wasn't adequate for a full expression of the way I was feeling."
"Jordan!"
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
"I waited until I had overcome the urge to strangle you before I decided what to do next I told myself that I should just forget about you, that a woman who casually remembered 'previous engagements'
after making a date with a man wasn't worth beating, let alone pursuing."
"But I wasn't trying to change my mind about the weekend!"
"When I cooled down a little and had a chance to think things over, I began to realize what was really going on in your head," he continued in a dark, quiet, utterly relentless tone. "And that's why I'm here tonight."
"I don't understand," she wailed, feeling threatened and intimidated and generally abused when by all rights she should have been the one demanding explanations. "If you think you're going to get away with beating me—"
"That part might or might not come later," he advised laconically, his eyes flickering over her speculatively. "Depending on how I feel after I've taken you to bed!"
"Jordan, this is ridiculous. I can't stand here listening to you make threats! I'm entertaining my boss and my coworkers this evening!" Alyssa gasped. Take her to bed? "You're supposed to be inLas Vegas,"
she wound up uncomprehendingly. And that was where he was supposed to make love to her.Las Vegas. Not here in her home inVentura! Not here in her other Me.
"Ah, yes, the 'previous engagement,' I presume?" he drawled, glancing out through the open windows at the crowd of people hovering cheerfully on her porch.
"It wasn't a lie," she defended herself hotly. "I'd had this buffet planned for two weeks. I simply forgot about it when I was getting ready to leaveLas Vegaslast weekend. I phoned you as soon as I could to explain, but you were very difficult to get hold of!"
"I was busy," he retorted simply.
"I'll
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