Who the hell was he kidding? He didn’t have that kind of control. Not in a million years. He wanted her with every breath he drew. Not because of her cat, but because she was Isabeau Chandler, the woman he loved above all else. He dragged air into his lungs. He loved her and he knew the difference having been without her. He wasn’t going to let history repeat itself.

“Stop it, Isabeau.” His voice was harsher than he intended.

She went rigid, dropping her hands as if he’d burned her. She stepped back away from him. “I’m so sorry I made you uncomfortable,” she said, her voice trembling. “We certainly wouldn’t want that, would we? The great Conner Vega. Funny how when seduction is your idea, there’s no problem.”

“Is that what you have in mind, Isabeau? Seduction? You’re playing with fire.”

She looked him up and down. “I doubt it. I don’t think there’s much left there.” Deliberately she turned and allowed her gaze to sweep the other males, open speculation on her face. “Sorry I bothered you.”

He caught her arm and swung her back to him when she would have walked away. “Don’t even think about it.”

Her eyebrow shot up. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She looked at his hand and he let her go. She turned her back on him and walked away, her hips swaying, her hair a little wild, disheveled and tumbling around her face and down her back as if unknowingly he had loosened her ponytail. He didn’t remember doing it, but the feel of silk was still on the pads of his fingers.

Isabeau blinked back the tears burning in her eyes. She’d thrown herself at him and he’d turned her down. Her pride was on the ground, trampled. He didn’t want her. She ducked her head, bending at the waist to drag in air. It was a mistake. She could scent all the men now, a heady mix of lust and male potency.

If you don’t knock it off, you female hussy, I’m going to strangle you, she hissed at her cat. She wanted to claw her way down Conner’s muscular back. Who would have thought muscles could be so defined? She knew it wasn’t the cat—or at least just the cat. She wanted Conner, and her cat emerging was a great cover. But he didn’t want her.