'Til the End of Time Read Online Free PDF Page B

door. “Coming?”
    His lips twitched with amusement. The lady knew all the psychological ploys needed to take command of a situation. He was now put in the position of having to hurry to keep up with his captive. “I’m right behind you,” he said dryly, “which I’m sure fills you with the greatest pleasure.” He caught up with her in the middle of the sitting room as she was heading for the door leading to the hall. He put his hand on her arm. “No, not that way.” He nodded to the solid wall of built-in bookshelves across the room. “There. Wait here while I slip this note under Bruner’s door.”
    That took less than a minute, and then he was striding quickly toward the wall he’d indicated.Alessandra frowned in puzzlement as she slowly followed him across the room and watched as he twisted one of the candelabra on the wall by the bookshelves. The entire wall swiveled open, revealing a dark, narrow opening. “A secret passage?”
    “After you.” He inclined his head mockingly and stood aside for her to precede him. “It was a fantastic piece of luck you were quartered in Kira’s room. I wasn’t looking forward to negotiating those corridors and then possibly finding Naldona had set up his quarters here.”
    “Kira?” She cast him a startled glance. “This was Kira Rubinoff’s suite? But then, how did you know about the secret pass—” She broke off. She had seen photographs of the former Princess Kira Rubinoff, who was now the wife of billionaire Zack Damon. Sandor Karpathan possessed more sexual magnetism than any man she had ever met. It was fairly obvious why two such attractive individuals would have been drawn to each other. “Never mind. It’s none of my affair.”
    “You’re quite right, and it wasn’t mine either.” He added emphatically, “Kira is my cousin and my very good friend. When you leave Tamrovia I’ll be very displeased if you spread unpleasant gossip regarding this particular entrance to her suite. So displeased, I might decide to follow you and make my displeasure known.”
    “Really?” For a moment she was tempted to use the weapon he had put in her hands. Then she shrugged and preceded him into the passageway. “Don’t worry, Karpathan, I don’t play that way. My fight is with you, not with some poor, gullible woman you lured into your bed.”
    He suddenly chuckled. “Her husband would bevery amused to hear your description of Kira.” He twisted a sconce on the stone wall of the passage and the wall swung shut, leaving them in darkness. “No one lures Kira anywhere. She’s almost as determined as you.”
    She was beginning to believe Karpathan could lure any woman into any indiscretion. She was experiencing a wildly sensual response to him herself, and they had been in a constant state of antagonism since the moment they had first met. Even now, in the darkness, she was conscious of the heat emanating from his lean, hard body, and his clean, woodsy scent seemed to be all around her. Though they were standing at least a foot apart, she felt as if he were touching her. The sensation was so strong, she felt a frisson of panic run through her. “It’s dark.” Her voice sounded breathless, and she steadied it with an effort. “Are we going to stand here all night?”
    He was silent a moment, and when he spoke, his voice was harsh. “No.”
    She detected a movement beside her, and then the slender beam of a penlight pierced the darkness. His expression was grim, and his eyes … She looked away hurriedly. She didn’t want to know what his eyes were saying. It was too close to what she was feeling. She moistened her lower lip with her tongue. “That’s better.”
    “Is it? I think it’s getting worse all the time.” He pulled his gaze away and took her elbow. “Come on, there’s a flight of stairs just ahead. Then the passage winds past the ballroom and the dungeons and exits in a cave in the woods across from the front gate.” He thrust the pistol