since that night I saw you dance The Piper." "I've been told that my performance arouses a number of interesting reactions, but I never thought it would inspire a kidnapping," she said lightly. Suddenly she realized she was actually indulging in a form of playful verbal sparring with the man who had, if not actually kidnapped her, certainly been the catalyst! She belligerently squared her shoulders. "Since you claim that all of this was done against your wishes, perhaps you'll tell me how you're going to make amends. According to your 'eloquent' friend, McCord, you're the one who has everyone bowing and scraping at your every command. Why don't you just tell them to let me go back to New York?"
"I can't do that. Even if I succeeded in convincing Corbett that security could still be maintained if we let you go, it just might be more dangerous for you. At least I can keep an eye on you here." He shrugged. "No security system is fail-safe. If there were a leak, there are certain parties who might decide it would be very advantageous to have a lever in the form of a woman I'd displayed an interest in." His lips tightened grimly.
"There's no way I'm going to let that happen to you, Tania." For a moment there was a glint of ruthlessness so savage in his eyes that it caused a little shiver to run through her. The next moment it was gone, replaced by quick concern. He straightened, his hand going to the zipper of his jacket. "You're cold," he said, frowning. "Why the hell didn't McCord see that you were properly dressed before he let you go?" He was slipping out of the jacket. Ignoring her protests, he draped it over her shoulders and thrust her arms into the sleeves. There was a curious tenderness in the little smile that touched his lips as he zipped it to her chin and carefully turned up the collar. "We wouldn't want you to risk getting sick, would we? Kidnapping is a serious enough crime. Causing you to come down with a cold in the head would be completely unforgivable."
"Completely," she agreed softly, her gaze fixed in compulsive fascination on Ryker's face. Why was that face so compelling? she wondered absently. It wasn't so much the bold prominence of the bone structure, but the vitality that pierced the guarded wariness of his expression. She shook her head to clear it and edged away from him. "You're absolutely refusing to release me, then?"
"I told you why I couldn't do that," he said. He paused. "But even if your safety weren't in question, I probably wouldn't let you go now."
"But you said—"
"I said a lot of things that were coolly logical," he interrupted, a trace of weary impatience shadowing his face. "What I didn't say was that, while Betz may have jumped the gun, it probably would have come down to this anyway. It was only a matter of time before I came for you." His gaze was steady on her bewildered face. "For once, Betz had the perception to read me correctly. I am obsessed by you."
Tania inhaled sharply. A wave of heat coupled with a liquid languor—that sensation she'd known only a few hours before—surged through her. No, it had been the drug, she thought frantically, it had been that para— something or other. She would not let herself be dominated sexually by Jared Ryker. "You want to go to bed with me?" she asked, keeping her voice steady.
Ryker's lips quirked with amusement. "Actually, that particular euphemism isn't quite explicit enough in this case. I've already been to bed with you." His voice became velvet-soft. "I want to be inside you. I want to hear you gasp with pleasure every time I thrust in and out. I want to feel you tighten around me and hold me as if you never want to let me go."
Tania could feel her nipples harden beneath the wool sweater as she listened. Her mouth was dry, and she moistened her lips nervously. "I think you're being more than explicit enough," she said, and to her annoyance there was a thread of shakiness in her voice. "I think I get the picture."
"No, I don't
"I can't do that. Even if I succeeded in convincing Corbett that security could still be maintained if we let you go, it just might be more dangerous for you. At least I can keep an eye on you here." He shrugged. "No security system is fail-safe. If there were a leak, there are certain parties who might decide it would be very advantageous to have a lever in the form of a woman I'd displayed an interest in." His lips tightened grimly.
"There's no way I'm going to let that happen to you, Tania." For a moment there was a glint of ruthlessness so savage in his eyes that it caused a little shiver to run through her. The next moment it was gone, replaced by quick concern. He straightened, his hand going to the zipper of his jacket. "You're cold," he said, frowning. "Why the hell didn't McCord see that you were properly dressed before he let you go?" He was slipping out of the jacket. Ignoring her protests, he draped it over her shoulders and thrust her arms into the sleeves. There was a curious tenderness in the little smile that touched his lips as he zipped it to her chin and carefully turned up the collar. "We wouldn't want you to risk getting sick, would we? Kidnapping is a serious enough crime. Causing you to come down with a cold in the head would be completely unforgivable."
"Completely," she agreed softly, her gaze fixed in compulsive fascination on Ryker's face. Why was that face so compelling? she wondered absently. It wasn't so much the bold prominence of the bone structure, but the vitality that pierced the guarded wariness of his expression. She shook her head to clear it and edged away from him. "You're absolutely refusing to release me, then?"
"I told you why I couldn't do that," he said. He paused. "But even if your safety weren't in question, I probably wouldn't let you go now."
"But you said—"
"I said a lot of things that were coolly logical," he interrupted, a trace of weary impatience shadowing his face. "What I didn't say was that, while Betz may have jumped the gun, it probably would have come down to this anyway. It was only a matter of time before I came for you." His gaze was steady on her bewildered face. "For once, Betz had the perception to read me correctly. I am obsessed by you."
Tania inhaled sharply. A wave of heat coupled with a liquid languor—that sensation she'd known only a few hours before—surged through her. No, it had been the drug, she thought frantically, it had been that para— something or other. She would not let herself be dominated sexually by Jared Ryker. "You want to go to bed with me?" she asked, keeping her voice steady.
Ryker's lips quirked with amusement. "Actually, that particular euphemism isn't quite explicit enough in this case. I've already been to bed with you." His voice became velvet-soft. "I want to be inside you. I want to hear you gasp with pleasure every time I thrust in and out. I want to feel you tighten around me and hold me as if you never want to let me go."
Tania could feel her nipples harden beneath the wool sweater as she listened. Her mouth was dry, and she moistened her lips nervously. "I think you're being more than explicit enough," she said, and to her annoyance there was a thread of shakiness in her voice. "I think I get the picture."
"No, I don't
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