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| Flirting With Danger |
August , 2001 Bet Books ISBN: 1-58314-188-X |
 Let Go Of The Past . . .
Monique Savard's flawless dark skin and sculpted cheekbones may have made her one of New York's hottest fashion models, but she came to the city with an entirely different goal in mind. Desperate to unravel the sixteen-year-old mystery of her mother's unsolved murder, she has no interest in romance--especially with Khamil Jordan, a man she's sure is a smooth and shallow playboy.
. . . And Seize A Future Filled With Love
Khamil is intrigued by Monique's chilly indifference to his advances. But when the high-profile attorney discovers the pain that lies beneath her coolness, he's the one who melts. Now Khamil has vowed to help and protect Monique as she digs into dangerous, long-buried secrets. For he knows that only when her tragic past is laid to rest will the woman who has stolen his heart be free to give hers in return.
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Prologue
Monique gasped and threw a hand to her chest when she stepped out of the bathroom door and saw Khamil standing directly in her path.
He merely smiled at her startled outburst.
Quickly recovering, Monique glared at him. "Excuse me," she said, moving to step past him.
Khamil stepped to the left, blocking her path with his muscular body. "Oh, I'm sorry," he mocked. "I didn't realize you were going to walk that way."
Monique flashed him a sarcastic smile. "Really?"
"Honest mistake."
"Fine." Monique stepped to the right, and once again, Khamil stepped with her, blocking her path.
"Oops," he said, giving Monique a boyish look.
Monique was unimpressed. "There are laws against stalking in this state."
Khamil threw his head back and laughed. "Stalking?"
"What would you call it?" Monique challenged.
"I'm merely trying to get to know you," Khamil answered frankly. "And I'll do whatever it takes."
Something stirred within Monique, but she ignored the feeling. "Didn't you get the hint when I gave you a fake name and number?"
Khamil raised an eyebrow. "Maybe you're just playing hard to get."
"You're too much," Monique said, shaking her head with chagrin. "Now please, let me pass." Once again, Monique tried to step past Khamil.
Again, he blocked her path. As Monique's dark brown eyes shot fire at him, Khamil quickly said, "All right. Maybe that was out of line."
"Yes, it was."
He stared at her a moment longer, wondering if he'd ever be able to crack the layer of ice around her. "I don't know how," he said softly, "but we've gotten off on the wrong foot."
"We haven't gotten off on any foot, Mr. Jordan."
"Ouch." But Khamil gave her another of his charming smiles, one that had always worked to ease tension with the opposite sex in the past.
Monique, however, seemed unaffected.
"And please," Khamil continued, wanting to keep the conversation going despite the chilly reception, "call me Khamil."
"Khamil, I have friends waiting for me."
Khamil's gaze followed a woman who brushed by him en route to the bathroom.
Monique guffawed. "Have a nice day."
"Wait." Khamil grabbed Monique's arm. "That's it? You're not going to allow me the chance to get to know you?"
"I've got an idea for you. Why not wait right here. When that woman you were just ogling comes out of the bathroom, you can see how far you get with her."
"Ogling?" Khamil looked at Monique like she was crazy. "She nearly bumped into me. I merely looked at her to make sure she had room to pass."
"Whatever."
This wasn't working. Monique was being so cold, Khamil was getting a serious case of frostbite. "I'm simply asking for a chance to get to know you. To let you see for yourself what kind of man I am."
"That's all?"
"Yes."
"Hmm."
"What?" Khamil sensed a sudden change in Monique's attitude, and when she slowly closed the distance between them, her eyes locked with his, he held his breath.
"All right." Boldly, Monique draped her arms around Khamil's shoulders, drawing his strong body to hers.
"W-what are you doing?" Khamil managed. One second he was cold, the next his body was on fire.
"This is what you want, isn't it?"
"I-I . . . I have no clue what you're talking about."
"Oh, come on. You see a woman you like, you pursue her in hopes of . . . well, in hopes of, you know. Sex." Monique raised a suggestive eyebrow, then slowly and deliberately, she placed a leg around Khamil's. Khamil was powerless to do anything except stand there, powerless as she dragged her leg upward along his, stopping only when she reached his thigh.
Monique held Khamil's gaze, her dark eyes narrowed seductively. Khamil couldn't help it; his body reacted, instantly giving him a hard-on.
"Hmm?" Monique prompted. "Isn't sex what you want?"
"No. Yes. I mean no."
Monique cocked her head to the side and gave him a smug look. "Isn't it? I know men like you, playboys, who live for having women fawn all over you." She paused. "So, what's the matter?"
What indeed? Normally, if a woman was offering Khamil what Monique was, he'd jump at the opportunity to bed her and walk away. Yet he felt flustered now. And while Monique had her arms around his neck, his arms still rested at his side-definitely not like him!
And it wasn't simply where they were. It was not knowing how to accurately read Monique.
A slow smile formed on Monique's lips.
Khamil blew out a frustrated breath, then untangled himself from Monique's body. "No, that's not what I want."
"Really?" Monique sounded shocked.
Khamil looked away as he spoke. "Yes, really."
"Good." Monique straightened her clothes. "Because you're not going to get it. At least not from me. I'm not like other women, in case you haven't figured it out."
Khamil was too stunned to say a word.
Suddenly, Monique felt bad. She had no clue what possessed her to so brazenly come on to Khamil, only to let him down. Maybe because she'd met one too many guy like him over the years, especially since establishing herself as one of New York's hottest fashion models. But the bewildered look on Khamil's face, as well as the hint of embarrassment in his eyes, had her regretting what she'd just done.
For the first time, Monique sensed a nice side to Khamil Jordan. Her shoulders drooped, the fight going out of her. "Khamil, I don't want to offend you, but I'm just not interested. You're not my type."
Khamil was still trying to make sense of whatever game Monique was playing, and at Monique's last statement, he felt a painful little jolt in his chest. He didn't move nor say a word, merely stared down at Monique, waiting for her to crack a smile-anything to let him know she was joking. But he received merely an unwavering, albeit somewhat contrite, look.
"I see," Khamil said tightly. He still didn't understand her, but now at least he'd gotten the point. She wasn't interested.
"Now, I really do have to get back to my friends."
Khamil gave a grim nod, then watched Monique turn around. He watched her stop mid-pivot, watched her body freeze. Instantly, she spun back around. She hesitated only a second before marching toward him.
"Kiss me."
"What?"
Monique threw her arms around Khamil's shoulders. "Just-" Monique stopped herself short as she tipped on her toes and locked lips with his.
"Wait a . . ." Khamil mumbled against her velvety soft lips, but when Monique softly moaned and pressed her body closer to his, Khamil couldn't help reacting. He wrapped his arms around her, enjoying the feel of her curvaceous body in his arms. And when Monique parted her lips, he eagerly delved his tongue into her hot, sweet mouth.
While a moment ago he'd wondered what her game was, right now he didn't care. All he cared about was this beautiful woman, how sweet her lips tasted, how the delicate scent of her perfume was driving him wild. He wanted her, and he had the erection to prove it.
And as suddenly as it began, it ended.
Monique stepped away from Khamil and asked, "Is he still there?"
Khamil stared down at her as if she'd grown horns. "What on earth-?"
"There was a guy behind me a moment ago." Monique spoke somewhat breathlessly, and knew she'd be lying to herself if she said it was because she'd seen Raymond unexpectedly. She hadn't expected Khamil to react to the kiss the way he had; she hadn't expected her own body to thrum with excitement.
She pushed the disturbing thought from her mind as she assessed Khamil's perplexed look. She may as well be speaking Russian, considering she wasn't getting through to him.
"There was a man," she repeated, her tone low. "African-American, around six feet tall, slim build. He was standing behind me a moment ago. Is he still there?"
A small scowl marred Khamil's handsome features as he looked past Monique. "I don't see anyone there now."
Monique's shoulders sagged with relief. "Good." She glanced over her shoulder to verify that Khamil was correct. There was no sign of Raymond. When she faced Khamil once more, she found dark, intense eyes boring into hers. He didn't speak, which unnerved her even more.
"I'll . . . uh . . . I'm going back now," she completed, gesturing a thumb over her shoulder to indicate she planned to head back into the restaurant's dining room.
Before she could move, Khamil darted a hand out, wrapping his strong fingers around her slim wrist. "You kiss me, then you plan to walk away without another word?"
"Well, I . . . Look, there was a guy behind me, someone I didn't want to see." She gave him a sheepish look. "I'm sorry I kissed you, but it was the only thing I could think of to do at the time, so he'll get the picture that I've moved on."
Khamil urged Monique closer, and she stumbled, falling against his thick chest. Her heart rate doubled, and she slowly raised her eyes until she met his look dead-on.
"Are you saying you kissed me to prove a point to someone else?" Khamil's tone sounded almost lethal.
"Yes," Monique said feebly, instantly hating how unsure of herself she sounded. "Yes," she repeated, firmly this time, even though she did glance away as she said the word.
But she couldn't look away for long. There was something about Khamil that was strangely compelling, even though she knew men like him and hated the type.
He raised an eyebrow as she met his gaze, a challenge sparking in his eyes. "So the kiss then . . . you didn't feel a thing."
Every nerve in Monique's body was on fire, yet she replied, "That's right. I didn't feel a thing."
"And when you wrapped your body around mine, that was just to show me how much you didn't want me?"
"Right again."
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