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My heart was thuainst my corset, and I lost an, whose tongue hose, howaround hi river crashing against rocks I foundwith his cravat

He caught hed and kissed his way downer when his hot razed my jaw, I leaned my head farther back My beast didn’t care ifas his hands stayed on s I’d never felt, never considered The fire arcing downdeeper to a need I’d never known, a deep ache between er for blood I wasn’t sure what I wanted, but I’d never wanted anything so badly When he reached down to unlace the front of ht his ear in my teeth and whispered, "Don’t stop"

"I don’t plan to" He unpicked the ribbons with ni his hands onto his body on instinct

He jerkedcorsets!" he growled

I went for the first hook and eye, to show hiht ue down my neck and over the tops of ainst the corset I moaned and bucked, and he ran one hand down my side and over my hip, to the place where my dress and petticoats puddled in velvet and lace As his hand plunged into the ain in a kiss barely less fierce and soainst him, ablaze inside as his hand stroked closer and closer to the place where I knew I truly wanted hi but hi

He finally stroked er slicked between hs, and I cried out in amazement and passion and fierce joy

And that’s when I heard the door open and Keen howl, "Goddammit!"

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Her boots clo to put hts, my face flushed to have been seen in such a state Was it so wrong, e had done? Did Casper hatedown, but I could hear Casper putting hihts, too

"This isn’t over," he said, his voice half growl and half whisper

When I didn’t look up, he put a gentle hand under aze

"Don’t blush," he said, as serious as I’d ever seen hi ance The quiver in my lip betrayed me

"Yeah,was hazy, like the dregs of a dream The bludwine, what had passed between us--it was like waking up suddenly, cold and confused in harsh daylight, not sure as real I fidgeted, not knohat to do with ht in one of round

"Aren’t you going after her?" I finally asked

He smiled sadly "She doesn’t want to be chased She needs to sulk alone She’ll come back when she’s ready Believe me--it’s happened plenty of ti more silly and pathetic than ever

Of course, I was just one in a long line of girls he’d seduced No wonder Keen was always angry at me She seemed to think of Casper as a father; she must have felt about his wo of disposable lovers Disgusted and hateful

What little rapport I had recently found with the girl would be gone Strangely enough, that made mesad Thousands of ers, it had been nice to talk to someone who didn’t wanthard against his thighs I couldn’t i His breathing was fast, and when he stopped to look at me, his pupils were pinpricks in the darkened blue of his eyes Ashis beast, what I saw in him noas madness of a different sort, and it worried ed, harsh Tortured

"Maybe you should go," I said I realized thatthe white corset underneath I held the velvet together over led to lace it, sure that o"

I turnedtears that I couldn’t stop

"Ahnastasia, please--"

"Just call me Anne," I answered quietly "It will be easier that way"

For one long ined his hand held out, so me But I didn’t lethis ht instead Maybe he had a deal with Miss May I just wanted hio, Casper"