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"Good"

After he’d gotten Noelle back, he’d savagely killed the men who’d held her

Only then, in an effort to be proactive, had he had his doctors screith her nerve endings That had hurt far worse than any torturing the kidnappers had done So no, nothing Hector could do would cause her a moment of pain

"Your dad loved you," he said

Sadness flickered in her chest "He loved the idea of led against hiet back to the good stuff"

His eyes narrowed "You may not feel the pain, sweetheart, but I could still do so sharpness "And now I realize you wouldn’t know if I was causing dae until it was too late We should stop," he added "Before this goes any further"

"No!" Like a dog that refused to relinquish her ne toy, she dug her claws into his chest "Stay"

"I want to, I do I like spending ti rampant lust for you God knows, I want you all the damn time And I care about you, like I said, but I will not hurt you I won’t let myself"

Heti he was, to resist his own needs Hoeet he was, to protect others from what he could do But she felt the sa to let hih she was now scared, too

"What about tying you up?" she asked Anything She would try anything to be with hie? Nice

Shock flared in his eyes, that she so easily accepted, but it quickly dissolved in the face of regret "I burn through rope"

"Chains?"

"Melt them"

Ouch "What do you do with the hookers?"

A blaze of shame "You don’t need to know"

Did he think her desire for him would wane? "Tell me anyway You know I’ll press until you do" His expression reain she pricked at his pride "Remove your tampon and tell me, Hector I’ve pursued you, I’ve won you, and now I deserve to know"

He snapped his teeth at her, reet on their knees and blow o And before you ask, I’o So telling, whether he ht for a ht So you won’t let me blow you What will you letthis room until we’re both sated"

Twenty-two

HECTOR PEERED DOWN AT the wo hi that floored hi scent--now jasar and spice But this … this here the true danger lay The way she looked at hi, valiant, sexy … worthy

When cos Hell, when cos The fact that he and Noelle were so day, a kaleidoscope of colors He was linear, a bold black and white

Yet, throughout their sexually charged conversation, she hadn’t seeed in a different world Desire had--and did--thru his own

And now he knew they had so in common A shitty childhood Once Hector had assu Stupid of hiain when she returned home This beautiful, sexy creature had beenother than pleasure Never fucking again, he vowed He would guard her, from afar if necessary

"Why do you want me?" he asked, truly confused He was a bad bet, no le she studied this And he knew she wasn’t just leading hi for a temporary distraction She could find that anywhere, with anyone, with a lot ht alone nearly caused Hector to rip the silk covers at her temples into shreds

"You fascinate me," she admitted

Slowly he relaxed On that front, at least, they were even No one had ever fascinated hiance

"Your intensity … I wonder, all the ti every bit of it focused on h tocould She was soft beneath hi, he could feel the heat of her Could she feel the heat of him?

"I never noticed this until today, but your face displays every eree," she said "Disenchanter, arousal I don’t knohy you felt the first two a o, but I want you to listen to me I’ve only had one serious boyfriend in my life, and only two sexual partners One of which doesn’t count"

"Barry," he said, still offended on her behalf How dare anyone treat her like that prick had? "I’uy in ICU as soon as toray of her eyes softening to a siver than Ava, and she’s a master But the point is, I’m choosy, and I don’t screw around for fun Wait I do screw around for fun, but it’s also for keeps"

Two rew roots Only two And she wanted him to be number three He was baffled, hulossy hair spilled around her head, her seely delicate shoulders Her cheeks were flushed a lovely rose, and her lips were plump and parted, her every breath shallow and laced with need

Noand valid his fears, he couldn’t, wouldn’t, spit on her gift to him

"I’ve, uh, never had sex," he admitted "Never been with anyone"

Those exquisite eyes widened "You’re a virgin?"

A stiff nod, cheeks flushing