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Lana’s body arched toward him, and her hands wrapped around his dark head to hold hiently, then harder, figuring out what she wanted, ould give her the s and lifted her up so that her center was pressed hard against hiround His knee co herself against his hard ht of her nipple, red and wet and distended froroan aloud, and he cupped her bottoernails bit into his scalp, and a dark flush rose up over her breasts and throat She wasnoises that drove Caleb crazy He had to get inside her, had to feel the wet heat of her body surround him and drive away his insanity

Caleb attacked the button of her jeans and tugged the zipper doith a jerk His hands slid inside her clothing, caressing sunlight-soft skin

Lana breathed out a jagged sigh and puled his head up for an open- fro jeans off her body His hands cupped her ass for ajeans and panties with them Her shoes were a nuisance he quickly rid hiloriously naked

Caleb let hiht office lighting Her slis, but that didn’t detract from how beautiful she was to hith, her resilience He loved her soft, pale skin and the gentle curves of her hips and stoh her limbs and the way she couldn’t hide the blush of arousal that spread up her torso He loved the way her breathing sped as he watched her and the way she had to clench her fists to keep fro he could have ever wanted in a woht now, she was al his

"I love you," he told her, unable to hold it in any longer

He watched as that sensual smile fel from her face, as that deep blush of arousal faded and she went pale He watched as she covered herself with her arht "No," she whispered in horror

It wasn’t the kind of reaction a man wanted to see in a woman when he confessed love, and Caleb felt her rejection like a physical blow

Lana scra as she slid her jeans up over her hips, not bothering to zip the to figure out what she was thinking, what he’d done wrong He reached for her arm, but she jerked away

"Don’t touch me," she snapped, and then calut He’d told her he loved her, and she acted like he’d just said he was a childwith you?" he de," she told him in a clipped voice She puled her shirt on over her head, not taking time to put her bra back on "You don’t love me"

"How do you kno I feel?"

"I just do It’s your hor time, had plenty of sex, too, but you’re the first woman I’ve ever loved"

She flinched as if he’d hit her "Please don’t do this," she begged

"Do what? I can’t help that I love you Most women would be happy to hear those words" And then he belatedly realized, "At least they would if they cared anything about the guy saying theuilt, and Caleb knew the truth Suddenly, he felt every ache in his battered body, every stinging cut "That’s it, isn’t it? I’m just a convenience for you, aren’t I? Just a casual fuck to help you sleep at night?"

"Caleb, it’s not like that"

"The hel it isn’t If you gave a shit about me, then it wouldn’t be like that, but you don’t You don’t want me to love you, because you know you can never love me back"

"Caleb, please"

"Please what? Please leave? Please don’t stop fucking you? Please what, Lana? Spel it out forhim ache to take her into his arms He loved her, wanted to soothe her, but it was his love that had made her need co riot

"I just want toforget about this," she told him "Just let it drop"

"I tel you I love you and you want to forget about it?" That est loser

"I don’t ive you what you want"

"What do you think I want?"

"A future Hope" She let out a heavy sigh of regret that vibrated with a restrained sob "I don’t have any hope to spare You deserve a woman who does"

He didn’t want another wo she didn’t want hi him apart His heart was in shreds, and there wasn’t a da he could do about it Lana didn’t want him

He should have known better than to hope that she would He’d warned hiet too close, don’t care, she can’t ever have feelings for the man who helped ruin her life The man who let her be brutalized

Caleb wanted to blame her for her rejection He wanted to be furious at her and tie her down until she gave in and professed her undying love for hio back in time and relive the past--find some way to prevent her torture