Overnight Cinderella by Katherine Garbera Page A

had too many neat corners as it was.
    â€œCami?”
    Duke stood in the doorway. In the dim hallway he looked like a warrior from days of old. A battered man who’d fight for honor and dignity until there was no fight left in him. It took very little perception for her to know he’d fought in such a way.
    â€œYes?”
    â€œHere’s a copy of the report I sent to Max.”
    â€œOh,” she said, feeling like an idiot but not sure how to act now that she knew about his past and held a deep sadness for him. But she didn’t want him to know she knew.
    When she took the notebook from him, her fingers brushed his. A small tingle shivered down her spine. She liked the way he felt, warm and solid, yet danger lurked beneath. A danger to her she’d never experienced before because men always thought of her as a buddy.
    Did he?
    â€œWhat do you think of me?” she asked, then wanted to call the words back. God, she hated it when she spoke before thinking.
    â€œIgnore my question,” she said. “I’m tired and not thinking straight.”
    She tried to brush past him but he caught her shoulders and turned her to face him. His hands on her shoulders were firm, and he kept a polite distance between them. His gray eyes were frozen, but she could sense some emotions seething underneath. His breath smelled of the coffee they’d shared just hours earlier, and his mouth bore the trace of a half smile. Not the real smile she’d like to see on him but the beginnings of one.
    â€œI think…”
    â€œYes?” she asked, breathless.
    He bent and brushed his lips over hers. The very barest of touches—mouth-to-mouth yet so soft a butterfly’s wings would have felt harsh in comparison.
    â€œI think you are ethereal,” he said before he took her mouth in a kiss she felt all the way to her soul.
    He pulled her so close her breasts crushed against his chest and she felt her nipples tighten in response to his hardness. The lace-and-satin demi bra she’d bought last weekend merely intensified her arousal. She wanted to rip the buttons from her shirt and from his, to rub her breasts against the hard muscles of his chest and for the first time be skin to skin with a man. This man.
    Only this man could kiss her so thoroughly that she forgot everything. One hand cupped the back of her neck and the other slid down to her bottom, his grip possessive and assured. This was no meek suitor trying to win a fair lady but a warrior claiming his mate.
    For a moment Cami felt real fear she wouldn’tmeasure up, but in her heart, she wanted only him. She tilted her head and pulled him closer. She held his dear face in her hands and let him plunder her mouth. Invited him so deep inside her she knew she wouldn’t stop him no matter the outcome. No matter that heartache more than likely awaited her and this man would carry scars from her as she would from him.
    She groaned. Heat pooled in her center and she shifted, trying to feel more of him along her body. For the first time in her life she hungered. How was she going to assuage this hunger? How was she—
    He shifted and pressed her against the wall. His mouth left hers and he nibbled on her chin and her throat. She felt on fire for him. She needed him, wanted him, and the words pounded over and over in her head.
    â€œDuke, please,” she said, unsure of what she was asking for but knowing he could provide it.
    He lifted his mouth and gazed down at her. For once his eyes weren’t frozen. A storm simmered in their depths. His breathing was harsh and out of control. His body was rock-hard where it was pressed against the apex of her thighs.
    â€œI can’t,” he said.
    He started to pull away.
    â€œDon’t you dare walk away from me again!” Cami didn’t know where her demand had come from, but if anyone was leaving this time, it wouldn’t be him.
    He hugged her close, pressing her face into his