Their Taydelaan by Rachel Clark Page A

just how much of a fantasy her sister had been living.
    She’d spent the last three hours in the car worrying for her sister’s mental health. The fact that Kayla seemed to think she was in a loving relationship with a married couple had made it difficult for Jade to
    stay quiet. She’d only tried to talk to her sister once about it, but the conversation had deteriorated the way they usually did when they
    disagreed on something.
    Jade squeezed past a group of people that seemed to be fawning
    over a young mother holding a wrapped baby in her arms. Every
    person was ooohing and aaahing over the small bundle, and Jade felt her heart clench just a little tighter. She’d accepted a long time ago that if the right man didn’t come along soon that she’d never have a
    family of her own. She was okay with that—she really was—but
    happy little family scenes like that one were usually something she
    avoided.

    Their Taydelaan
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    Which is why this visit was doubly hard. Her sister was such a
    sweet person, and she deserved so much more than what the universe
    seemed inclined to give her. Hell, after the way one of her exes
    treated her, the woman should have enough karma points to live a
    long and happy life. But no, instead she’d somehow come to believe
    that a married couple loved her and that they would share their baby
    with her.
    Trying not to look at the tiny bundle in the woman’s arms, Jade
    didn’t see the big guy until she slammed into him. “Sorry,” she said instinctively, relieved to note that she’d walked into a tall, solid wall of muscle and not some frail new mother walking the corridors.
    The man wrapped an arm around her middle, held her against him,
    and then smiled. She wanted to look away, but somehow she couldn’t
    make her eyes obey. He raised his hand and dragged the knuckles
    down the side of her face in a move that felt very affectionate.
    “Hello, beautiful,” he said in a deep, sexy voice. Her previously
    dormant libido kicked in with surprising speed, and she gasped as she stared into the man’s perfect face. He was the beautiful one—tall,
    sleek, muscular, with a smile to die for. Naughty fantasies played in her head even as she sucked in a horrified gasp of air.
    Hell, for all she knew this guy was waiting for his wife to come
    out of the labor ward. Surprised and embarrassed at her willingness to be held by a complete stranger, Jade wriggled frantically to move
    away. After a moment’s hesitation, he released his grip and let her
    stand on her own two feet.
    “Ssssorry,” she managed to force past lips that seemed unwilling
    to obey. She went to walk around the man, but he moved and stepped
    into her path.
    “What’s your name?” he asked, using that sexy smile to best
    effect.
    Desire unraveled in her belly, and she had to swallow twice before
    she could even shake her head. She tried to step around him once
    more, but he moved again, apparently unwilling to let her pass. She

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    Rachel Clark
    shook her head anxiously as just a hint of fear wound through her
    brain. It’d been nearly a year, but it didn’t stop the memory rising to the surface.
    She took a deep breath, trying to control the rising panic. The
    man’s head snapped back as if she’d hit him. The look he gave her
    seemed full of concern, but this time when she stepped around him,
    he let her go. She practically ran down the hallway, unconcerned
    about where she was going. She just needed to escape.

    * * * *

    Mitchell watched the woman as she hurried to the end of the
    hallway. Every instinct inside him screamed for him to follow her, but he’d felt her fear and didn’t want to be the cause of more. The
    moment she’d fallen into his arms he’d been drawn to her in a way
    that hadn’t happened since he’d met his partner Zachary. Just that
    brief touch had strengthened the link he’d felt with the woman, and
    now he could sense exactly where she was in the building.
    He could also sense her