Dark Challenge (44 page)

Giovanni lifted his head, his hand still curled around the nape of her neck, her body resting against his. “I need you, Nicoletta.” His voice was husky and sensual. “
Dio
, I do not think I can wait one more night. Go take the child into the courtyard, and do not get into any more trouble. Keep Dona Sigmora with you at all times. She is your only protection from me.”

She could feel his strong body trembling with the effort
to allow her to go. A good girl would have been appalled at his conduct, shocked and horrified at her own conduct, but Nicoletta suspected she wasn’t as good as Maria Pia would have liked. She wanted the don’s hands on her body. And she knew he wanted her. She made him nearly as weak with wanting as he made her. She gazed up at him, trying desperately to find a way to breathe.

He groaned softly. “You cannot do that,
piccola
. You cannot look at me with such need in your eyes.” He kissed the top of her silky hair. “I am not to be trusted.…”

This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

DARK CHALLENGE.

Copyright © 2000 by Christine Feehan.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

EPub Edition JUNE 2010 ISBN: 9780062013309

Version 08242012

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Australia
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
25 Ryde Road (PO Box 321)
Pymble, NSW 2073, Australia
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com.au

Canada
HarperCollins Canada
2 Bloor Street East - 20th Floor
Toronto, ON, M4W 1A8, Canada
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.ca

New Zealand
HarperCollinsPublishers (New Zealand) Limited
P.O. Box 1 Auckland,
New Zealand
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.co.nz

United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
77-85 Fulham Palace Road
London, W6 8JB, UK
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.co.uk

United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
10 East 53rd Street
New York, NY 10022
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com