THURSDAY EVENING

The music played in the background while the charity’s
benefactors finished their dinner. A few danced, some
chatted. Others looked slightly bored with the whole
thing.

But one person caught her eye.

She watched the elegantly dressed female from across the
room. She fit in nicely with the crowd, blended well. But
stood out in one regard.

“He’s mine,” she whispered. “He’s mine and you can’t have
him. Go away.” No one knew what it had taken for her to
get here tonight. No one knew the work she’d put in to
making sure she was at this event. No one. And no one was
going to ruin it either.

So what should she do? She had seen the woman following
him, watching him, her eyes tracking his every movement,
never leaving him alone. Even following him to the
bathroom and back. Oh, she was discreet. She never made a
move to approach, but she watched.

Her heart thumped in time with the upbeat music. How
could she get him to see her? Truly see that they
belonged together and had belonged together . . .
forever?

Grudgingly, she admitted that the woman was pretty. Dark
hair and eyes. Just the kind of woman he would be
attracted to. “Well, you can’t have him.” She paused to
draw in a deep breath and take another bite of her
orange-glazed duck.

It would be fine.

She chewed, swallowed, and looked up. And met the eyes of
the woman across the room. She dropped her gaze back to
her plate. Why was she looking at her? Did she see
something? Could she know what she was thinking?

Another deep breath. Of course not. She couldn’t get
stupid now. She glanced at the man who’d stolen her
heart. And some fat cow at his side. Why had he brought
her? She reached for her glass.

“Are you all right? You look like you’re agitated.”

She nearly choked on the sip of tea. “Agitated?” As good
a word as any, she supposed. She placed the glass back on
the table and forced a smile. “No. I’m just fine, thank
you.”

“Good, I’m glad.” He took the seat next to her. “You look
beautiful tonight.”

She swallowed, despising the lump in her throat. “Thank
you.”

“I’m glad you could make it.”

Was he? She glanced at the woman across the room again.
“I wouldn’t have missed it.” Good, she was getting her
composure back.

“Of course not. You deserve this.”

She stared at him. “I do?” Then blinked and gave a small
laugh. Thankfully, it came out low and amused, not coarse
and nervous like she felt.

“You do. I think you deserve to have whatever makes you
happy.” He smiled and his white teeth flashed bright in
his tanned face.

She tilted her head. “Are you flirting with me?” Because
if he was, he was out of luck. Her heart was already
taken.

He chuckled. “Would you like to dance?”

“You want to dance? With me?”

“I asked, didn’t I?”

“Then I’d love to.” Maybe he would see and would take
note. She rose and placed her hand in his. Then glanced
back at the woman across the room. The other woman’s eyes
were back on Wade.

The fury renewed its desire to come out, to spill over
onto the woman. But she held it back.

“Is there a problem?” her dance partner asked.

“What do you mean?”

“You seem tense.”

“I’m fine.”

He nodded in the woman’s direction. “You don’t like her?”

She stiffened. “I don’t know her.”

“At least you didn’t pretend to misunderstand who I was
talking about. I like that.”

She was in control. She could handle this. She smiled up
at him. “Forget her. I already know what you do. Why
don’t you tell me something about yourself that I won’t
read in the papers.” She listened with one ear while her
gaze drifted back to the woman who couldn’t seem to keep
her eyes off Wade. Yes, it might be time to do something
about her. But that was fine. She’d killed for him
before, she’d have no trouble doing it again.