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her home, Miranda would find out what taunting a
beast would get her.
****
The glide of Miranda s dress over her thigh as
she stepped up into the carriage hypnotized Zacke.
He craved to follow the movement with his fingers.
Jealousy was a new sin for him, but the need to rip
the clothing from her body and replace it with his
bare skin consumed him. Only his reluctance to
share viewing her body with a multitude of
passersby quelled his animal instincts for now.
Zacke, the driver is waiting.
For the second time that night and he vowed the
last, he could feel heat surging into his face. The
driver s smug but commiserating look didn t restore
his self-esteem. At the age of four hundred and ten,
he was much too old to blush.
He gave Miranda a smile and then followed her
into the open horse-drawn conveyance. The carriage
tours of Savannah were renown for their ambiance
and historical tone. This particular excursion would
take them down cobblestone streets and into the
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Kensington s Soul
heart of the city. Although other expeditions were
available, he had no desire to see the ghost and
demons that made up the haunted tour. He had
enough of his own without dealing with men,
women, children, and monsters wandering in limbo.
He picked up the bouquet of red roses from the
seat across from them and handed it to Miranda. A
bottle of champagne, also part of the package, sat in
an ice bucket on the opposite seat. In his opinion, the
price was well worth it. Miranda s eyes glowed and
the fake persona, she had previously displayed,
disappeared.
Oh, Zacke, these are beautiful. Thank you.
No need for thanks. The flowers can never
suffice for what I have put you through in the last
few days.
This time a blush tinted Miranda s cheeks. I d
rather forget about the past.
Zacke s breath caught in his throat. So would
I.
He dropped his arm over her bare shoulders and
pulled her closer to his heart. A place he wanted her
to remain for all eternity. He closed his eyes. He
could feel her heart beat next to his and he gloried in
the melody. The myth that a vampire s heart did not
beat was just that a fable. Although dead during
the day, he revived when the sun set with almost all
of the normal workings of a mortal s body.
Miranda s pulse quickened and then went into
overdrive as she leaned into the hard contour of
Zacke s chest. His scent, which had teased her
senses all evening, wrapped her in its spell. The man
embodied seduction. But it wasn t just lust she felt
emanating from the man holding her so carefully.
She sensed an aura of tranquility.
Somehow, she knew serenity and Zacke were
not the best of friends. The edginess and restrained
power she glimpsed at their first meeting
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Faith V. Smith
remained even when he smiled or made small talk.
His laughter, which she loved, was conspicuously
absent most of the time. The man she cared for
fought more than crime; he struggled with an inner
war against an obscure darkness.
Miranda?
She turned into the caress of his hand on her
cheek. Her plan to seduce him vanished. She no
longer wanted to sway him with a fabricated
personality. She might be a hopeless romantic, but
his gentle gesture meant more to her than words.
Yes?
You have been silent for most of the evening.
Are you sure you don t regret your decision to see me
again?
She sat up straighter and raised her eyes to
meet the solemn look in his. She caught his palm
and placed a kiss against his skin. No, I don t regret
it, Zacke. I do hate that I allowed my jealousy to
make me behave like a witch. You know, I almost
feel sorry for that woman.
I assure you, she does not need or deserve your
pity. She is vicious and dangerous. You need to keep
your distance from Gabriella. Zacke s eyes darkened
to a deeper blue. His somber gaze prompted a laugh
that sounded forced even to her own ears.
So that s her name; I wondered. So, are you
telling me she might, what, come after me because
we are dating?
That is exactly what I m telling you. She
wouldn t hesitate to hurt you because of me.
Miranda inhaled sharply his eyes were doing
the glowing thing she remembered from their first
meeting. She suppressed a shiver. If the color in his
eyes weren t so entrancing, she would swear their
depths held more than a bit of wildness.
Zacke? When he didn t answer her, she waved
her hand in front of his face. At last, the color in his
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Kensington s Soul
eyes receded, and he focused his gaze on her once
more.
Forgive me.
His kiss was nothing like their first, a few days
before. This one bordered on brutal, but then gentled
until the flick of his tongue eased between her
parted lips and bathed her in a hot spring of desire.
Her hands, which she d placed in her lap, clenched
in frustration when he stopped. His second assault
singed a trail of fire along the column of her throat.
He raked the skin with his teeth and then kissed the
gooseflesh that rose at his touch.
She grasped the front of his shirt when he
tongued the flesh that covered her carotid artery.
Her insides trembled when he kissed the skin; her
senses reeled when he nipped her shoulder. Craving,
unlike any she had ever experienced, rocketed
through her. She clasped his head with her hands
and fingered the silky length of his hair before
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