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Her brow fell to his shoulder He could tell fro froling over the edge, clinging to it by his gritted teeth Pleasure buzzed up and down his spine, desperate for an outlet

Hold out, he told himself Just a minute more

He needed to feel her body convulse around him, hear the cries she less without hers

Knowing full well it would shred the last remnants of his control, he arched his hips for deeper penetration and quickened his thrusts Her breath caainst his ear Her nails bit into the soft flesh of his nape, and her breasts galloped against his chest He was losing his battle for restraint, careening full-speed toas sure to be thepleasure of his life

"Love, I can’t hold back"

"Stay," she said "Stay with ritted teeth "Coether Bucking, gasping, clutching each other tight With the first tight, delicious pulse of her clie into bliss Somehow her mouth found his, and they sed each other’s cries of passion Braht he would burst fro pleasure of his cli her with his seed

She was his now, forever And he was hers, body and soul

They were one

"Stay," sheher damp brow to his chin "Stay with me"

His heart squeezed He wouldn’t desert her, ever But he had orders now, and she needed to get away from this place "Come," he said "Come with me"

She made a sound of incredulity

"I’m perfectly serious It’s not exactly a pleasure cruise, but I have guaranteed passage to the Continent next week Come with ht you believed won"

He forced down the instinctive surge of worry "Most don’t But you’re stronger than most You kno to look out for yourself We’ll sail from Portsmouth, and the captain can al" He skipped a light touch up her spine, tangled his fingers in her hair "It’s beautiful there, Susanna Vineyards and olive trees An ocean so warine, wading ankle-deep in lees The scent haunts you for days" He nuzzled her neck "We’ll let a villa by the sea We’ll ht be nice to make love in a bed, just the once"

"I’ll buy you the finest bed you ever iined Heaped with mattresses three feet thick Sheets of silk and the softest down pillows"

"It sounds lovely, but"

"But nothing Just say yes"

She lifted herself off his flagging erection and resettled on his lap Her lip folded under her teeth, and her eyes were downcast Maybe he was pushing her too hard, too fast He took his ti her afor you You’re feeling confused, overwhelmed, betrayed But I’m here to tell you, there’s only one decision you need to ht now And that’s to trust me Trust me to look after your happiness, Susanna I swear, I will not let you down"

"I do trust you I’d trust you withladies"

He caught her face in his hands, forcing her to aze "Think of you Brilliant, beautiful, res here in Spindle Cove, but I know you’re capable of far more Let me show you the world, Susanna More than that, let me show the world you Don’t let fear hold you back"

"I can’t help but feel a little scared You’re askingand everyone I know, and you haven’t even said" She went silent

Ah So that was the probleuessed aspoint with her?

At that moment, the air trembled with the force of a distant explosion With a surprised cry, she huddled into the protection of his coat Overhead, the sky burst into sparkling trails of gold

She stared up in wonder "A, or are those fireworks?"

He sith a"

Another whistling rocket soared into the air, exploding into silver sparks Bram’s heart lit up like a Roman candle This was just like the first time they’d met She was in his arms, so soft and warm The perfect place to land And she trusted him to keep and protect her, while the world exploded around the the fireworks overhead But even those glittering reflections couldn’t outshine the emotion in her eyes

Ridiculous, how da man All she asked of him were three tiny syllables But somehow, it seemed easier to order his life around the sentiment than voice it aloud What if he said the words, and they still weren’t enough?

He wet his lips and steeled his nerve "Susanna fair IGod, how I--"

Boom

His words were stolen by a fresh explosion--a louder, earthbound, bone-jarring blast

After that, all they heard were screams

Twenty-six

"Oh Lord" Susanna’s heart stalled "What’s happened?"

There was so much noise, and she couldn’tfilled her ears Her blood thundered in her chest Frantic voices rose in indecipherable cries Horses whinnied The soles of her shoes slapped the packed-dirt lane

She was running When had she started running?

Bra at her side His hand settled at the base of her spine, steadying her Pushing her onward They rounded the corner and joined the throng of people rushing toward the carriage house and stables