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in bed. And I asked about your sexual preference because I thought the two of us could possibly become friends.”
    Her delicate jaw went slack. “Friends?”
    He lifted a shoulder under his suit jacket. “Yes, Ali, friends. You don’t date and neither do I, so I thought we could hang out together.”
    Alex sat there, somewhat shaken by the unpredictable man sitting next to her. He wanted them to become friends when all she wanted was to flee his presence and surround herself with her family who always made her feel safe and protected.
    But what, she asked herself, did she have to fear from Merrick Grayslake? After all, she was a Cole and the Coles always protected their own.
    â€œI don’t believe that’s going to be possible.”
    There came a pause. “Why not, Ali?”
    â€œI’m leaving the States in three weeks to study art in Mexico City.”
    Merrick swirled the remains of the champagne in the flute, then put the glass to his mouth and drained the contents, savoring the taste of the premium wine on his palate.
    Resting his right arm over the back of the bench, he stared straight ahead. Alex’s declaration that she was leaving the country gave him conflicting emotions. He’d found her vaguely disturbing and exciting at the same time. He couldn’t say she was his type, because he’d found himself attracted to all women irrespective of their race, nationality or culture. Perhaps it was because he didn’t know who or what he was that permitted him to be more open-minded and accepting of others.
    â€œAre you an artist?”
    â€œNo. I’m an architectural historian.”
    â€œWhat made you select art as a career?”
    She lifted her shoulders under the revealing dress, bringing Merrick’s gaze to rest on her exposed throat and neckline.
    â€œI’ve always loved museums. Whereas other children wanted to visit theme and amusement parks, for me it was museums and art galleries.”
    Looping one leg over the other in one continuous graceful motion, Merrick smiled. “I know absolutely nothing about art.”
    Shifting on the bench to face Merrick, Alex saw a flash from his incredibly perfect white teeth. Why hadn’t she noticed them before? However, she knew the answer even before the question was formed in her head. It was the first time she’d seen him smile, and the gesture transformed his face, softening the sharp angles to make him even more breathtakingly attractive.
    â€œDon’t tell me you wouldn’t recognize Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. ”
    His smile grew wider. “That’s the only exception.”
    â€œWhat about van Gogh?”
    â€œIsn’t he the one who cut off his right ear?”
    â€œIt was the left,” Alex correctly softly.
    â€œSee? I told you I know nothing about art. How about giving me a crash course in art history?”
    She felt him come closer when actually he hadn’t moved. The smoldering flame she saw in his eyes startled her. Merrick Grayslake spoke of friendship when everything in his gaze communicated the opposite.
    â€œNot in three weeks.” Her voice was barely a whisper.
    Lids lowering over his penetrating eyes, Merrick stared at her lushly curved full lips. “I’m a quick study.”
    A tangible energy radiated from Merrick that drew Alex to him like a powerful magnet. He was maddeningly arrogant, but there was also something so soothing in his manner that she found herself unable to resist him.
    It had been a long time since she’d been involved with a man, but that still did not explain why she’d felt as if her emotions were under attack; and she could not fathom what it was about the man a mere breath away who shattered her resolve to concentrate solely on her studies. She had three weeks, time in which she planned to visit with her parents and siblings before she returned to Virginia to close up her condo.
    â€œCan you