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Her brow furrowed "I don’t knohat you’re talking about"

"I’m not an idiot, Haven," he said, his voice low "I have no intention of dying any time soon, that’s for sure I kno to keep my mouth shut, but I can’t hold it in anyo Caro And they don’t just invite people to live with theet close unless they can control them some way, and it freaks me out what that means for you"

She felt queasy "What do you mean?"

"I mean you aren’t some friend of the family I think you had no choice whether you ca Dr DeMarco’s words that first day "We always have a choice"

"Look, it’s not like I can do anything I’m just a kid, and I don’t know your situation For all I know, you could’ve been kidnapped and are being held for ranso I don’t know, but that doesn’t ht be trapped"

She was nervous to talk about it in public "They’re nice to ht, and it e of you"

Her fingernails dug into her pal "Car he loves anyone"

"I love hiuess, he’s the first person to treat you that way? He ss in your ear? He speaks Italian and irl in this building at soe my mind"

"Fine, but like I said, that doesn’t mean we can’t be friends If you need to talk, I’m around"

"Why do you care so much?"

"Because somebody should"

She opened her mouth to tell hi voice rang out behind theht away, not wanting hi idea

Carlared at Nicholas "Helped you hat?"

"Lisa cornered her, so I did what any man would do," Nicholas said "Actually,at it, but I didn’t want Lisa to get her ass whipped at proht"

Carain?"

"I see it’s not a one-tie "She broke my flower"

He took it fro her ahen Nicholas’s voice called out "Knock, knock"

Feeling guilty, she looked at hi, not aot it the moment the words rolled from her lips Tank whoThank you

Nicholas smiled "You’re welcome, Haven"

Soft music played and people paired up to dance as Car her closer "You okay, tesoro? She didn’t hurt you, did she?"

Wrapping her arazed at him "No, Nicholas stopped her"

"Nicholas," Car across the roo hirateful for it," Haven said "Lisa punched him instead of me"

Those words sparked a smile on Carmine’s face "Good"

Haven rolled her eyes as Car her slowly as they swayed to the music Love swelled inside of her This was her Caruard down and let her inside In the middle of a crowded room, no one existed but them He was all she saw, all she are of--his face, his smell, his warmth, his love

The emotion took control of her as tears threatened to spill over The song wound down, and the two of the at each other "Can we?"

"Yeah, let’s go home"

Carmine was all over Haven the moment they stepped foot onto the third floor of the house His lips captured hers in a fiery kiss as he pulled her tightly against him It had been a while since he had kissed her this way, as if he needed to siphon the air fros to breathe

"Carmine, we should" She shivered when his lips moved to her neck "I think we really should" She let out a whimper as he nipped at her skin with his teeth "It’s just that"

She didn’t knohat she was saying, what sheto talk She couldn’t think straight Every cell in her body yearned for hiain, yet the words kept spilling out on their own

"Maybe we should just, you know"

Carroaned, a mixture of desire and frustration "I need you"