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way if you don t tell her how you feel?
Jack frowned as he fell into his chair.  She s too good for me, he mumbled.  She s
a thousand times smarter and more good-looking than I am. He sighed.  She d never
want a man like me for keeps.
John sighed too, glancing away. His eyes were remote, distant, as if remembering a
long ago moment in time he preferred to keep sealed away.  There was a woman
once&  He smiled, still looking away.  A woman I loved. But I was too scared to tell
her how I felt and too scared to ask her how she felt. John glanced up, at last meeting
his gaze.  I ve always regretted it, he said quietly.  Because I ve lost her forever.
Jack s eyes widened.  Why don t you try to find her?
John was quiet for a long moment, but eventually he shook his head.  We weren t
meant to be, he said softly.  We just weren t meant to be.
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The Possession
Chapter Seventeen
 Good morning, Dr. Torrence.
 Good morning, Dr. Moore.
Kris frowned as she strolled into the faculty lounge, her surly mood evident. She
was dressed in a conservative navy business skirt that ended at the knee, a white cotton
shirt that was buttoned all the way to the top, and her mass of dark red curls was
secured in a tight bun at the nape of her neck. Completing her usual ensemble was a
pair of black spectacles perched at the tip of her nose.
Clearly, she felt about as good as she looked. But then she d never placed much
importance on fashion anyway.
Kris inclined her head to Dr. Moore as she plodded by him, feeling as glum as glum
could be.  How are you doing today? she asked conversationally.  I m sorry I m late.
I was busy brooding over the Grinch!  Has anything happened around here I should know
about?
Dr. Moore nodded, his pompous tone as annoying as it had ever been.  Quite a bit
actually& 
She listened to her colleague s rather long-winded answer with half an ear as she
poured herself a cup of what most people would call beans and water, but what the
university called, or tried to pass off as at any rate, coffee.
Kris ignored Dr. Moore as she sipped from the steamy mug of cheap quasi-
Columbian brew, and reflected back on the conversation she d had with her friend last
night. Maybe she had been right. Maybe she should tell Jack how she felt.
 Oh, Dr. Moore continued, breaking her out of her reverie,  I almost forgot to
mention that Mr. McKenna is in your office. He shook his head, perturbed.  He s
waiting to speak to you, he said disdainfully as he adjusted his tie.
Kris heartbeat began to race.  Mr. McKenna? As in Jack McKenna? She swallowed
roughly as she looked at her colleague, her eyes wide. Could it possibly be true?  Are
you certain?
 Afraid so.
 Did he say what he wants? she breathed out.
 Why don t you ask him yourself, a dark voice growled from behind her.
Kris whipped around, almost spilling her coffee at her surprise as she did so. Dr.
Moore cleared his throat uncomfortably while nervously readjusting his tie.  Jack, she
breathed out. She shook her head slightly, remembering that Dr. Moore was in the
room.  You wanted to see me, Mr. McKenna?
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Jaid Black
 Hell, yes, I want to see you, he growled. He jabbed a finger in the general
direction of her office door.  Let s go talk, lady.
Kris frowned severely, but smiled on the inside. Jack was here! He d come back! If
even just to growl at her&
As soon as they reached her modest office, and the door was shut firmly behind
them, she turned to look at him, smiling as she drank in the sight of him. She knew she
should probably play it cool, but good lord he looked wonderful to her Jack-starved
senses.  How are you? she asked, wanting to know everything.  It s so good to see
you.
His jaw clenched as his dark gaze broodingly raked over her face.  Is it, Krissy? he
grumbled.
She blinked.  Well, of course. She shook her head.  I ve missed you, Jack, she
admitted, deciding to be honest about at least that much. She d been so hungry for his
presence that all of a sudden she no longer cared how much of a fool she made of
herself.  I ve missed you a lot.
Jack s eyes narrowed suspiciously.  You know what I m up to and you re trying to
throw me off the scent, aren t you? His nostrils flared when she gazed at him as
though she had no idea what he was talking about.  Well it won t work, he growled.
Jack grunted music to her ears! then whipped out a large envelope she hadn t
noticed him carrying under his arm. He briskly opened the envelope, pulling
photographs of her out of it. Photographs, she noticed when he placed them on the
desk, that were of her at Hotel Atlantis naked and smiling on Jack s lap while he held
her labial lips apart with his calloused fingers.
Kris heart sank while her pulse simultaneously sped up. She felt as though she was
going to be sick.  You re here to blackmail me? she whispered, her stomach and heart
painfully knotting.  That s why you re here?
He nodded, his jaw clenched.  That s right, professor. You can either accept my
conditions and have a long, prosperous career, or you can turn down my conditions
and accept the consequences.
She glanced away, wanting to be alone so badly she could cry. In fact, she wanted
to be alone so she could cry.  I see, she said quietly, her voice monotone.  And what
are your conditions?
As if she cared. She didn t care about anything anymore.
 Marry me, he whispered.
Her head shot up. Her heart began thumping wildly against her chest. Surely she
hadn t heard him correctly&  What? she breathed out.
Jack s dark gaze bore into hers. And for the first time in two years he looked
vulnerable to her.  I said marry me. He glanced away, sighing as he pinched the
bridge of his nose for a threadbare second.  I know you re too good for me& 
She could only gape.
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The Possession
His hand left the bridge of his nose as he turned back to glare at her.  And I know
you don t love me the way I love you& 
She was going to faint. She was certain she was going to faint.
 But I ll take what I can get. His jaw clenched as his hand slashed definitively
through the air.  I need to be with you, Krissy, and I don t care how manipulative I
have to be to get you.
Jack shook his head, looking more resigned than she d ever seen him.  I m [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]