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« I’m Devin Crigh…, » he began and snapped his mouth shut when her blue eyes instantly glowed with animosity. Damn he’d assumed correctly. Aimee Mc-something knew the one-sided story of his history with Ana and apparently, he was the villain of the story.

A polite smile from her did not fool him for a second. « I have no idea Mr. Crighton. »

The fact that she knew his name, even without him completing his self-introduction was proof enough that Ana had not only mentioned him to her friend, but had also depicted his character to the worst level possible. Should he be flattered at this point ? For he must have mattered to her for her to hate him that much.

As if she could read his thought, Miss Mc-something felt compelled to add. « Don’t worry, I have heard nothing remotely flattering about you from Ana. In fact, the only reason why I’m tolerating you is that I hope that you disappear from her life again. I think you have done enough damage to last her a lifetime. Why don’t you take a hike for the hell of it ? »

Hours later, Devin swirled the golden liquid in his glass in a rhythmic monotonous motion which seemed to match his mood, watching the swish movement in fascination. It’s been twenty minutes since he’d graced the event with his presence, his eyes darting towards the entrance for the umpteenth time but she was still nowhere in sight.

It was fashionable for stars to make late appearances, he knew, but the party was in full swing with most of the affluent personalities already present. He must be out of mind to have sought her out on a mere whim, just to announce that…

Leaping in surprise when he felt something against his crotch, he was stunned to realize that Molly whatever had stepped too close for comfort. Or was it Dolly ? Completely forgetting about her presence, he’d been lost in his thoughts, too engrossed in playing the scene with Ana in his mind. He’d used Polly as a subterfuge to gain entry to the Dominez party, the other option had been gatecrashing which he hadn’t been practically fond of. That had left him with no other choice than to offer to be her partner as a ruse to be added on the guest list as a last minute. The woman seemed to be getting a different idea about his intention.

Too bad for her. He did not fancy blondes. He liked brunettes, one brunette in particular. If he didn’t think of a getaway plan fast, he’d end up in her bed before he could blink – something which he definitely wasn’t looking forward to.

« Say darling, » he drawled, in his sexiest bedroom voice, resisting the urge to take a step back as the blonde was trespassing his personal place. Not that she would get the hint anyway, she seemed in no need of any further encouragement. She was stuck to him like a leech, so close that her strong perfume was overpowering him, almost suffocating him. As if it wasn’t repulsive enough, the woman wore such a deep décolleté that her naked breast almost bounced off, rendering him ill-at-ease instead of getting him turned on.

Without much haste, he took a casual sip of his scotch not even flinching when she batted her eyelashes at him. « Would you happen to know where Anastasia Forrester lives ? »

With deep shame, he realized that he wanted Anastasia to catch him in such a comprising position with another woman, to gauge her reaction, to be able to measure if he still affected her like before. How it mattered to him was not very clear to him. All he knew was that he wanted to rattle the ice block she’d become. Besides, his feelings for Anastasia were so jumbled and confused that he refused to analyze them closely in case it turned out to be something he wouldn’t appreciate.

When she signaled him to come closer to whisper the address in his ears, he had to oblige. Tightening his lips to curb his antipathy, he memorized the information in his mind, at the same time registering that fact that Miss Mc-something was making her entry followed by a group of women. As he straightened, he was disappointed to find Anastasia still conspicuously missing. Was she even coming ?

Another twenty minutes stretched, and by that time the model at his side had become both drunk and desperate, and he managed to disentangle himself with great difficulty. It was time to make another move. Just before the exit door, he caught sight of Aimee at the mini-bar in deep conversation with another woman, and when he overheard Ana’s name being mentioned he stopped dead in his tracks.

Diverting from his initial track, he approached stealthily feigning to get himself a drink, taking his time to add ice in his glass.

« Aimee, » he heard the other woman lament in a plaintive voice. « I specifically told Anastasia to make sure she attends at least this party. Look at the contacts she could make here, » she expanded her hand in a gesture which encompassed the whole room as if it explained everything.

« Jennifer, frankly speaking I have no idea where Ana could be. Last I knew she was supposed to be attending this party. »

It was such a lame excuse that Devin knew instantly that Aimee was lying. For the woman who’d looked at him with daggers would be out of her mind with worry out if her friend had not shown up for the party.

Jennifer sighed punching her phone fiercely. « This is so like her. She always puts me in a fix. Can you imagine I have to apologize on her behalf every time ? I have to do something about this. »

Without warning, Aimee glanced up in his direction to catch him eavesdropping, and he was so startled that he looked away swiftly, feeling red color purging through his cheeks. Damn ! What the hell was he doing ? How had he stooped to that level to resort to stalking his ex ? However, all thoughts of regrets fled from his mind when he caught the dig directed at him.

« Don’t worry Jen. Wherever she is, I am sure she is with someone she loves. »

His whole body froze in shocked pain as the message sunk in. So that was the story. Anastasia had bunked the party to be with her lover. Staggering with disbelief, he flung his glass with force, the liquid splashing on the table and sauntered out of the hall without a backward glance.

With great humiliation, Devin was forced to admit to himself that he was stalking her alright after he’d taken the time to cool down. He couldn’t believe he was waiting for her outside her porch while she was having a steamy session of raunchy sex with her lover. What kind of fool that made him ? When a cool breeze blew in his direction, he wrapped his suit tightly around him, gritting his teeth with self-recrimination. Try as he might, he could not wash away the images of Ana in bed with another man, someone caressing her body in a way he’d never touched before.

Furious with himself, he retracted his steps on the verge of returning to his hotel, when he was destabilized by the blinding flash of headlights as a car parked in the alley. Hiding behind the shadows, he reigned in his erratic emotions at the thought of seeing her from close after five long years. Years he’d spent hating her.

As he observed from the obscurities, unseen to her, she alighted her SL-Class Mercedes-Benz convertible wearing a happy serene smile on her face. She'd changed into a pair of casual faded jeans and a black crop-top which showed her tiny creamy midriff to its maximum appeal. Hair bound tight in a long ponytail, she looked nothing like the perfect doll of a few hours ago, and more like the young Ana he’d known. For one fleeting second, he felt a constriction around his heart again, loaded with contrition as he allowed himself to remember. If only they had met under different circumstances. If only they had been different persons, their pasts not so mingled in a complicated manner. If only their parents had not been…

With a jolt, he brought himself back to reality and swallowed hard trying to get past the familiar culpability. The huge lump down his throat did not budge one millimeter which only increased his misery. With huge difficulty, he controlled his wayward emotions, not allowing them to cloud his purpose. He was here for one particular purpose, and he’d better get on with it. He’d been waiting for this moment for a lifetime so he’d better not screw this up.

Cutting short to his thoughts, he lurked forward in one giant stride just one second before she reached her porch, and felt a merciless gratification when she whimpered in shock.

« Hello Anastasia, » he greeted her in a voice as cold as he could manage.

Ice blue eyes he’d not seen for what seemed like a century stared back at him, the pupils so flexed that they almost appeared non-existent. Like in a trance, she continued to gape at him with open captivation, still trying to make out whether he was a figment of her imagination. He chuckled without mirth, absolutely loving the surprise effect he had on her.

« I have rendered you speechless. Now that must be a first. »