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She trusted him, when she’d never trusted anyone in her life And she knew she shouldn’t, especially him He was the son of the man who controlled her--his family held her life in their hands They could kill her, and she’d be defenseless to stop it But she trusted him anyway She could feel it in every inch of her body, every beat of her frenzied heart

So about this boy had burrowed under her skin

Car an inch froave her, and closed her eyes as she tasted his breath

His face grazed her cheek, the sparks froh her body She could feel the slight stubble of his facial hair, rough and scratchy, as he inhaled deeply He breathed her in, and she allowed herself to wonder ifcreature could want the sa as she could, not wanting to let go, but her body’s need for oxygen won She exhaled as Carot up, but she kept her eyes closed She didn’t want to face reality yet

Car to put some space between theht, and everything surrounding him was a blur It was difficult for hiirl senseless, but when it ca one, he had no clue what to do

Love The word perplexed hi in lust any drowning

Carht Blinking a few ti one before heading back to the bedroom Haven lay on her stoave her a s the book out to her "The Secret Garden Thought you ed "A garden, maybe? A secret? I don’t know Read it and tellas she eyed the cover

He chuckled A book flustered her "Look, you don’t have to I’ht it would give you so to do"

"Oh, I want to! It’s justwhat if your father finds it?"

"Don’t worry about hilossed over with tears as she opened it halfway "I don’t think I can read this There are a lot of different words"

"Well, I think you can do it," he said "Besides, you have help now"

"Help?"

"Yeah I mean, if you don’t want help, fine, but I’ain "Okay"

"Okay," he echoed her word "Is that an, ‘Okay, I’d like to do this reading shit with you,’ or is it an, ‘Okay, you’re really fucking nuts if you think you can helphim it was probably a combination of the two

He kicked off his shoes and sat down next to her, playing a few chords on his guitar as she read the book It made him warm inside, and for a while, it felt like it was norirl, both of them a bit fucked up, but they were just themselves

And he savored it

He tried to keep his attention off her, not wanting to make her uncomfortable, but from the corner of his eye he could see the look of concentration on her face as she sounded out words "What’s tyr--uh, this word?"

He set his guitar down and rolled onto his sto over to see what she pointed at His chin rested on her shoulder "Tyrannical It’s like a tyrant You know, like a master"

She turned to him, their faces so close the tips of their noses touched

12

Haven stood in the kitchen, heras she o, her nerves on edge about last night Her body controlled her when she was around Car the lead over her erous to spend tiht

She’d preheated the oven and put a batch in when there was a knock on the front door Glancing out the , she saw a sain, more forceful the second time

She couldn’t open the door The alarm was enabled, and she still didn’t have a code Quietly locked in a dilemma, she was relieved when Car door better have a search warrant"

Haven strolled to the doorway as he answered the door Before he could say a word, so into the house "You’re such an asshole!"

While Haven was stunned, Carmine’s expression reht?" Lisa spat, glaring at him, the look on her face re at Master Michael She wondered what Car any indication of a response

Carlanced toward the kitchen as Lisa repeatedly cursed at hi Lisa noticed the exchange "Is she the reason, Carmine? That bitch?"

Carood for you, you’ll shut up right now"

"I thought you were better than that! Look at her!" Lisa glared at Haven "Howyou to screw his son?"

Her words set Car open the front door with so much force it slammed into the wall He pulled her out to her car while she continued to yell, flailing and trying to strike him, but Carmine ducked out of the way He yelled back--Haven couldn’t hear him, but she could see his ainst the hood of her car

The oven beeped, the cookies done Haven pulled thes on the kitchen counter Carmine walked in and paused beside her at the"You should have answered it and told her I wasn’t home"

"I couldn’t I don’t have a code"

He looked at her peculiarly as he grabbed one of the peanut butter cookies fro a bite, he turned away "Eat a cookie, Haven They’re good"