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she told herself frantically. The male aggression which had at last been satisfied when she had ceased fighting him had now transformed itself into a sensual, seeking quest for a different kind of satisfaction. Now was the time to retake the reins and guide him back into the path she wished him to pursue.
    Kali did not fully understand why it should have taken such an act of willpower to begin the process of bringing Lang back into line.
    In that moment she didn’t particularly want to dissect and analyze the matter. First things first.
    „I’m sorry,“ she breathed again, forcing her fingertips to move in a soothing, massaging action through his hair to the nape of his neck.
    „I shouldn’t have tried to push you tonight. It’s only that I… I was so eager to talk to you…“
    Reluctantly he lifted his head, moving his hands upward to cradle her face between slightly rough palms. The bronze-green eyes roved her anxious, wide-eyed expression with a warm, searching glance that held the flames of a surprisingly deep desire.
    „We’ll talk,“ he vowed. „Later.“
    Sensing the extremely precarious nature of the moment, Kali chose her words with the greatest care. „Lang, I hardly know you.
    You can’t mean to carry this any… any further. I know…“ she paused to touch the tip of her tongue to suddenly dry lips, „I know I’ve brought the situation on myself, but you must believe me, I never meant to make you angry.“
    He smiled with a slow, compelling sensuality that took her breath away. „I’m not angry. Not any longer.“
    „Then why… why are you continuing to punish me?“ she asked very softly.
    „Punish you! Is that what you call it?“ The near-green eyes flickered with devilish laughter.

    Instinctively Kali hid her expression behind the protection of her lashes. „Our… our relationship should be a business one…“ she whispered.
    „I’ve been telling you all evening I’m not particularly interested in doing business tonight,“ he growled, but she heard the soft note of masculine indulgence and had to work in order to stifle a sigh of relief. Things were back in hand. Only men who felt in control were inclined to be indulgent. Her tactics had worked.
    „I realize that, but business is all I’ve had on my mind,“ she said with charming honesty. „You’ve taken me by surprise and I… I need time to recover. After all, I really don’t know you that well!“
    „We could know each other very well by morning,“ he murmured suggestively, bending his head slightly to feather a kiss along her jaw.
    „It was Gwen you wanted tonight, not me,“ she pointed out with what she hoped was a proper degree of wistfulness.
    „Ah.“ He nodded with complacent understanding. „So that’s the problem. You don’t like the idea of being a substitute, is that it?“
    She bit her lip and hoped the gesture didn’t come off as too ingenuous. „I’d rather know for certain that I’m wanted for myself, not because any woman would do or because I was being used in retaliation for what I swear was only an overeagerness to do business…“
    He hesitated as if turning the problem over in his mind. „You’re talking about pride, Kali Havelock,“ he finally told her with a hint of arrogance in the underlying indulgence. „My pride’s suffered quite a bit at your hands this evening,“ he added by way of a reminder.
    „I realize that now,“ she admitted humbly. What she was actually realizing, she told herself disgustedly, was that she hadn’t handled him all that well this evening. Well, live and learn.
    He hesitated a moment longer and then abruptly sat up. With a flashing grin he reached for the glass of Scotch and saluted her.
    „Here’s to pride,“ he intoned and swallowed a healthy dose.
    Seeing her chance, Kali sat up carefully, her fingers working quickly on the opened clothing. „And to your birthday,“ she put in lightly.
    His eyes gleamed. „To my birthday.“
    She eyed the