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"You tell me you want me"

"I want you"

"Me, and no other"

"Only you, Gray, only you"

He slid his hands fro himself at her entrance "You tell me--"

He stopped himself, struck by the idiocy of what he’d nearly said: You tellht to entertain This wasn’t love to her, it was just fantasy and lewd is A chance to satisfy her youthful lust and curiosity He’d been twenty once He remembered what it was to chase pleasure, and he certainly hadn’t confused it with love He’d never contemplated love at all

Until now

She rocked backward, taking hi bliss enveloped hi hihtly he could alo

He clutched at her hips, pulling her closer until they were fully joined God,

he was losing himself inside her, and it was too late to pull away There was nothing he could do Nothing but take the pleasure she offered and give it in return, andas she lived, no et He took her in s, but built on one another--surely, steadily, relentlessly He reached one hand around to cup her sex, part her gently, and strum the sensitive bud hidden there

She moaned She keened She arched into his thrusts and took hihs and intimate muscles that told him her peak was near He raced toward it with her, his cries joining hers as the pleasure consu as he dared

"Well," he finally said, withdrawing froe tainted the lingering treh him "We both did"

"Did we?" She pivoted to face hierous her beauty was He thought it ht be the death of him She smoothed the hair off his brow, and he winced at the tenderness in her touch

"Gray, if you found my book, surely you must know that this kind of …

encounter … is not all I want I want so much more And I want it with you"

He closed his eyes, and that picture of the two of the under atree appeared behind his eyelids He shook his head to dispel it

"You want soination You want a dream that can never come true"

The flush of her cheeks faded as she searched his face "I suppose you’re right That dream can never coh about er to his lips, then trailed the touch down his jaw "What is it that you really want, Gray?"

He seized her shoulders "I want no more lies No more wild tales and secret fantasies I want you to tellWho you are, where you ca softened in those clear, lovely eyes "I’ you But I was desperate, don’t you understand?

You were pushing , compared to what I feel for you now" She pressed her hand to his face "Gray, I--"

"I don’t want to hear this I want the truth, not excuses"

She stiffened, withdrawing her touch "Now there is a falsehood No one ever wants the truth froe it comes in If you really wanted to hear the truth, you’d listen My feelings for you, they’re as true a part of me as my name, or my place of birth But you never want to hear the away"

He sed, uncertain what to say

"And of all the people to accuseto hio to hty God he didn’t want me?

You have no idea how your lies hurt me"

Oh, God "Sweet, if I could only take back those words--"