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We’d aped in the doorway

The bedroom was enormous, with silvery paper on the walls and pale carpet across the floor The bed was a pool of blue in front of a wall of s that faced Lake Michigan and below a chandelier of sculpted glass teardrops that sent soft orbs of pale light across the roo round

"It is a roo," Ethan said "For rest and sleep And since toh--and whatever fallout that includes--we’ll rest while we can"

Rest sounded delicious, but somehow defeatist This was, after all, the only bit of honeyet Paris was a memory Fallout was our future

"Youout of your dress Or what remains of it"

"Don’t re a finger I was too tired to argue or make a seductive response, so I turned, waited as he unfastened the hooks, unzipped the back The dress was ravaged enough that it fell to the floor in a heap of stained silk and satin

"Well," Ethan said, taking in the ensearter, and bustier Part oftrousseau, and an ensemble intended to be seen only by him

"That islovely," he said, his voice smoky with appreciation He skioose bumps across my body "You are a beautiful creature, Merit"

"Can you help withheavily at the nape of my neck

"Of course"

He walked forward, and began unraveling the curls and braids It took a solid couple of minutes to pull out the pins When he was done, I flipped ain, scrubbed fingers through my hair

"Even better," he murmured

I looked back at Ethan, his eyes--silver with e-denied thirst "All of this isthe back of his hand across my bare ar a hand on his face "But I would shove you out of the way to get into the shower right now"

He laughed "I’lad to knohere I stand, Sentinel And in this particular case, I won’t stand in your way"

• • •

The bathrooe as the bedrooh for a crowd Fluffy toere piled on a bookcase near the door, and a chandelier of glass shards cast pretty shadows across the floor

"Impressive," I said

"Only the best for an to fill the room