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"Interesting you should say that. I felt a connection between you two as soon as I walked in the room tonight."
That knowledge would probably help him later on, provided he needed some Storm family assistance in getting Shannon to see the light.
After they danced, Angelina directed him to several of the key business people in New Orleans and introduced him. She stayed by his side, joined shortly thereafter by Galen. Max spent the better part of an hour with them both, impressed with their business acumen and their inherent ability to make their customers feel like old friends.
For the next several hours he'd met just about every important business contact, and had spent time with both Logan and Aidan, doing a little promotion of the hotel/casino as well as talking about the public relations program.
He liked this family. A lot. They were close knit but friendly enough to open themselves up to a stranger like him. Reminded him a lot of his own family.
During the entire evening, Shannon had kept her distance from him, a fact that apparently was not lost on Angelina as they watched Shannon dancing with her father again.
"She's avoiding you."
"So I see."
"You're not going to let her get away with that, are you?"
"Not very likely. She and I have unfinished business this evening."
Angelina grinned and nodded. "Good. Take me over to my husband."
He swept Angelina in his arms and moved casually toward Galen and Shannon.
"She won't be easy, you know."
Max laughed. "I think I already knew that."
"She's headstrong."
"I like that. But so am I. I want an equal, Angelina, not a meek woman. And Shannon is definitely not meek."
"Agreed. You two will have to fight it out, then. But I feel something deep within you, Max. Something elemental and powerful. You know of our magic, and I know of yours."
Once again, she surprised him. "You know what I am?"
She rolled her eyes. "Of course."
"And you don't object?"
Angelina shook her head. "There are all types of people in the world. Some have no magic within them at all. Then there are others, like you and me, who are different, possessing powers that the average person has no knowledge of. As I told you before, as long as you don't harm my daughter and your intent is honorable, I have no objection to what you are. A merger of Storm and Devlin magic could be very potent."
"That it could." A new admiration for the strength of the Storm family filled Max with hope for the future. He felt a lot less lonely in this strange new place.
"Now I'm going to return you to Shannon, who, by the way, is currently shooting daggers at you. I'm certain she thinks you and I are plotting against her."
"Aren't we?" he replied with a grin, dancing her over to her husband and daughter.
Her eyes widened and she threw her head back and laughed, then patted Max on the cheek. "You're a charmer, Max Devlin."
"And you're a lovely woman, Angelina."
"Merci. Ah, there's my gorgeous husband." Angelina moved gracefully from Max's to Galen's arms, then pushed Shannon toward Max. "Ma belle fille, go dance with Max so he doesn't feel all alone."
Sauntering quickly away, Angelina and Galen left Shannon standing in front of him.
A very unhappy looking Shannon. She started to turn away, but he caught her wrist and pulled her against his chest, then weaved her into the throng of dancers.
"I don't care to dance any more," she said, gritting her teeth through a smile.
"Oh, but we had just gotten to the good part earlier when we were interrupted by your parents." He spotted the balcony and maneuvered them closer to the double doors.
"You mean the part where I drive my knee up between your legs and crush your balls?"
"Nah, not that part. The part where I sweep you out onto the balcony for a little alone time."
Before she could offer a protest, he had moved through the open balcony doors.
The night was breathtaking, like the woman in his arms. Sultry, steamy, filled with magic and passion. Her hair gleamed in the partial moonlight, her skin taking on a pearl-like glow.
"I'm going back inside." She turned, but he held tight to her wrist.
"Stay here with me."
"We're not here to play, Max. I have work to do." Anger tightened her features. But she didn't tug at his hand again.
"You've worked long enough. Now it's time to relax a bit."
"Does 'no' just not fit into your vocabulary?"
"Not where you're concerned. Besides, you don't really want to say no. You want to say yes, but you're afraid."
She wrenched her arm away and turned toward the balcony, gazing out onto the busy street below. Okay, they were making headway. She hadn't gone inside yet.
"Psychoanalyzing me now?"
"Not at all. I just sense your emotions."
Despite the heat, a cold wind swept over them. Shannon's hair blew back in the stiff breeze, yet she didn't budge nor appear to be cold.
"Don't assume to know how I feel, Max."
Max stood firm despite Shannon's attempt to freeze him. "Let me tell you exactly how you feel, Shannon. You're angry because you can't control me like you've controlled other men in your life. You're angry at yourself because you feel something for me that you don't want to, and it scares you."
When he stepped closer, the wind howled fiercely, the temperature dropping by degrees. She'd put up a barrier, or was trying to. But he'd never been one to let anything keep him from a goal. Undaunted, he stopped behind her, reaching for her arms. Instead of grabbing her, he caressed her from her shoulders to her wrist. She shuddered, but didn't turn around.
"You're wrong. That's not how I feel."
"Deny it all you like, but there's a connection between us."
"That's my mother talking."
"Your mother and I agree, then. There's something that ties us together, Shannon."
"That's all bullshit. Nobody tells me what I should feel or for whom."
"I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. You already feel this way; you're just trying to deny it. I'm curious as to why."
"I don't want you."
He turned her around, trying to be gentle, but his patience was wearing thin. He wanted her. His cock was raging, the primal instinct to mate overpowering his normal common sense. The urge to slam her against the brick wall behind them, lift her skirt and drive his cock in hard and deep grew stronger by the minute. If they didn't leave this party and soon, that's exactly what he would be doing.
Ignoring her denial, he swept his hand over her hair, shuddering at the silken feel of the strands as he threaded his fingers through them. She opened her mouth to speak, but he'd had enough of arguing. Instinct told him to follow through on his deepest desire, and right now his deepest desire was trying her damnedest to get away from him.
That he wouldn't allow, so he followed his instinct. He backed her up against the wall then drove his mouth down over hers, silencing anything she might've said. His tongue invaded, his lips coaxing hers to respond.
He tried to be gentle. God knows, he tried hard, but lust had taken over, the need to possess stronger than the desire to take things slowly.
Expecting a fight, he was surprised when she whimpered and met his thrusting tongue with equal fervor, her body drawing closer to his. He wrapped his arms around her and crushed her to him, her full breasts pressed against his chest.
The wind died down, replaced instead by a simmering heat that made him want to strip them both naked right there on the balcony.
Not a bad idea at that.
No, there were people inside. Passion warred with logic. He had to get them out of there, had to find a way to get off this balcony and head to the hotel.
To his suite, where he could undress her slowly, savor every moment of this first time.
