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He reached into her hair, feeling the strands.  So soft, he whispered as he stroked her locks.
 I didn t know&  He continued down the back of her head, stroking her neck, around to the front,
his fingers sliding across her shoulders. Down her arm he moved, and every nerve in Leeza was
on fire.
She d never been so turned on in all her life.
His finger skimmed back up her arm, across her shoulder, pausing at the center, just under
her neck, where her blouse neckline was open, revealing her skin. His focus was completely on
her skin, that tiny flash where her shirt was unbuttoned, and he traced the small half-moon of the
bone in the center.
She let out a shuddering breath his touch was warm, so delicate for someone so massive.
Since she d met him, she d wondered how someone so large and powerful could blow glass, such
a fragile process. Yet feeling how his calloused finger barely touched her, she knew. He touched
her with the same care that he used with the glass.
Part of her wanted to yank him to her, to wrap her arms around him and kiss him until their
worlds erupted, but she didn t move. She didn t want to break the trance he was in.
His name lingered on her lips, but she didn t expel it. Instead, she rolled her lips into
her mouth, wetting them, scraping them with her teeth, something that wouldn t break his
concentration.
Yet it did.
His gaze flicked from her neck to her lips.
One of those fingers reached up and caressed her lip, the moisture making it slide a little. He
paused, his finger lingering on the center of her mouth.
And she couldn t stop herself. She wrapped her lips around that fingertip and placed a kiss
on it.
It was enough to break the spell.
He snapped his hand back, his eyes wide, like he d been burned.  No.
The force of his words had her stepping backward, and he grabbed the box at their feet and
in a flash he was gone.
56 Broken Shine
Tears filled Leeza s eyes, but she had no idea why. They didn t leak out, but it was enough
that she knew they were there.
Chapter 10
Liam half expected to be struck by lightning as he stormed out of La Bouteille d Art. He
wouldn t be surprised if The Divine struck him down, even before he got out of the building.
What had he been thinking?
That was the problem, he hadn t been thinking.
How could he? How could he allow himself to be touched by her? His body screamed in
protest. How could he not?
He was over seven hundred years old. Seven hundred and thirty-one years, to be exact. And
he d never been with a woman, never, in all his years, touched a woman intimately.
Because if he did, he would die.
It was written in the Balance Mandate. The Templar Knights were required by Divine law
to remain celibate. If not, they would die. He would die.
Yet inside, his heart screamed that this was wrong, that regardless of Divine law, there was
something pure and special about Leeza Hunter, and that she was somehow made for him. He d
never felt this way about anyone. Ever.
Certainly, he d admired women, found them attractive over the centuries what man
wouldn t? But never had anything felt so strong, so powerful as the pull of her.
Now, more than ever, he knew he needed to stay away from her. Now that he d felt her flesh,
touched those fine, silken threads of hair, the smooth roundness of her lips he had to stay away.
Because he wasn t sure if he could stop himself from wanting more.
Not too long ago he found it sickening how James Henrick and Joseph Oliver were so needy
of their trinity mate, Nicole. Now Liam was feeling that kind of pull toward a woman.
He shook his head as he entered the storefront, carrying his box. At least he recognized the
temptation for what it was a test of his faith, his devotion to being a Templar.
Because if he hadn t been&
He grimaced to himself. If he wasn t a Templar, he would have never known Leeza Hunter.
The store had one last customer in it, and Marge was at the desk, finishing up the transaction.
He gave a cursory nod to the female as he headed out the door.
 Sir Liam, she called just as he put his hand on the door.  Can you wait just a moment?
Liam stopped.  What do you want?
She handed the lady she was helping a bag, and bid her good night. The customer slipped
by Liam, giving him a wide berth as she stepped out of the store.
 I need to talk to you, Marge said.
Liam waited. He didn t really want to talk to her, but the laws he lived by mandated that he
listen to what a mythical had to say.
57
58 Broken Shine
She took his silence as a cue to continue.  Leeza has a dinner date tonight.
Liam blinked, and was rather impressed with himself for not showing that he felt sucker-
punched.  With whom? Even his voice sounded calm.
 That s just it, Marge stated, shaking her head.  I don t know. But I think it s the same
person who melted your glasses. She reached for the box.  They re melted. Like from extreme
heat&  Somehow, even with him dropping the box upstairs, one of the glasses was still intact so
that he could see how the glass had warped and fallen in on itself.
Liam gritted his teeth.  Like from a dragon in heat.
Marge nodded.  Exactly.
 I ll keep an eye, Liam stated as he walked out the door.
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