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turquoise eyes regarding him so solemnly as he approached her in the contorted maze. No, it was not so surprising that he’d missed the likeness, at that. The small, artlessly beautiful fairy-tale creature he’d rescued last night was but a subtle replica of her dazzling older sister. For he, better than anyone, knew that no one could equal Vanessa.
    Fiery, turbulent Vanessa, with a flaming mane of red-gold hair that flowed down her back like a raging sunset, and the hypnotic scent of roses clinging to her skin. Lush, seductive, bold, deliberate … No, there had been nothing subtle about Vanessa Caldwell. And no man was immune to the hypnotic effects of her tantalizing spell.
    Lord, how he despised her.
    Trenton’s face set in a fierce expression, hard waves slapping against his saturated clothing. God help me, he thought silently, but I cannot feel regret for what I did. Perhaps at one time I could have. But that time is long gone, buried beneath the unalterable consequences wrought by Caldwell hate.
    He dug his fingers into the sand, the irony of the situation striking home yet again. He had caused Vanessa’s death, but she had prevailed nonetheless, and the ultimate victory was hers. For the punishment she’d extracted was far crueler than death could ever be. So despite their pain and grief, the Caldwells had won.
    And last night’s triumph paled in comparison.
    The constriction in his chest told Trenton he had just unearthed the root of his foul humor and utter discontent. He had still not taken all he must from Baxter Caldwell.
    But what more could he take from a man who loved nothing but money and no one but himself? Aside, of course, from Vanessa.
    Trenton could still recall how totally shattered and agonized Baxter had been when he discovered that his precious sister was forever lost. Could he truly have cared so deeply for that heartless bitch? Obviously, the answer was yes. For nothing short of bottomless grief and rage would compel a man to commit so conscienceless an act as the one Baxter had committed.
    Could Baxter feel that same blind adoration for his baby sister too?
    Trenton’s thought materialized from nowhere, descending like the heavy blanket of mist that cloaked the maze where he’d found her. Did Baxter revere … her name eluded him for a moment, then rustled through his senses like a warm, gentle breeze.
    Ariana.
    Such gentleness and faith had shone in her extraordinary eyes before she’d learned who her rescuer was. And such fire had replaced them when she discovered the truth.
    Did Baxter dote on Ariana the way he had on Vanessa? He’d certainly exhibited a fine show of brotherly protectiveness at the Covingtons’ ball: all righteous indignation, clutching Ariana to his side as if she were his most priceless possession. And indeed, could she be?
    She wasn’t cold and cruel like Vanessa, nor weak and shallow like Baxter. Her naïveté was too genuine, her responses too natural.
    But respond she had.
    The sensual pull between them had been immediate and undeniable. He hadn’t imagined the insistent ache in his loins, nor the bewildered yet unmistakable awakening in her eyes as he’d carried her from the maze.
    Still she was a Caldwell.
    A sudden possibility struck Trenton, and a slow, sardonic smile curled his lips.
    He could use their attraction to his advantage.
    Mulling over that pleasurable prospect, he shifted his weight, stretching his legs in front of him, oblivious to the cresting waves now drenching him to the waist.
    Ariana. A breathtaking angel, ready to be guided into the heavenly realm of passion. True, she would resist him at first, entrenched as she was in her brother’s enmity. Still, Trenton had every confidence that she would eventually succumb to his calculated seduction. Quite simply, she wasn’t sophisticated enough to combat his expertise or to fight the attraction that drove her to him.
    Then there was the matter of her virginity.
    As a rule, Trenton didn’t