“She had fooled herself into believing she was living the life she’d always dreamed of living when all she had been doing was hiding from it.”

“He had been willing to hold on to hope even when it looked like all hope was lost. She owed him no less.”

“Their gazes met. His eyes swept her in a velvet caress, uncertainty stamped on his features. The night loomed between them, as dark and impenetrable as his eyes. Rowena had to look away. She forced herself to remember how he had used his body and her need as weapons to weave a punishing net of pleasure.”

“Perhaps the two of us simply got off on the wrong foot, my lord.You seem to have received the mistaken impression that I came to Fairchild Park to make your life moredifficult.”“The words ’a living hell’ have come to mind more than once since your arrival.”She blew out a gusty sigh. “Contrary to what you may believe, I took this position so I could bring moreease to your life.”“Just when were you planning to start?”

“How could Mark be halfway across the world when she would have sworn he'd been in this room with her only seconds ago?”

“Do you know what the best thing about getting my sight back will be?” he asked softly.“No,” she replied, all of the bravado gone from her voice.Straightening, he took one step toward her, then another. She refused to give ground until he was almoston top of her. Feeling the air shift as she retreated, he clumsily flanked her until their positions werereversed and she was the one backing toward the door. “Some might believe it would be the joy ofwatching the sun dip below a lavender horizon at the end of a perfect summer day.”When he heard her back come up against the door, he splayed one palm against the thick mahoganybehind her. “Others might judge it to be perusing the velvety petals of a ruby red rose…”—leaningforward until he felt the warm tickle of her breath against his face, he deepened his voice to a smokycaress—“or gazing tenderly into the eyes of a beautiful woman. But I can promise you, Miss Wickersham, that all of those pleasures will pale in comparison to the sheer unmitigated joy of being ridof you.”

“Oddly enough, it was Prudence he studied beneath his lashes, not MacKay. The words he spoke came straight from his heart. “No. Because she felt ashamed. Because she felt dirty. After the things he did to her, she could never feel worthy of someone as fine as you.”