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Finished, I gather upout into the hall, I cross toto push it open when I feel someone atshoved inside, propelled into the rooet trapped alone with a carrier bent on hurting , slapping Too tired to call up , my movements are wild

My arrip "Davy! Stop!"

I know the voice iloo in here?"

His hands don’t drop fro us in He holdsme over in the near darkness With one hand he flips on the light switch, his gaze scans all ofmy skin afire everywhere he lookswhich iseverywhere

"Are you all right?"

I lift up my shoulders and arms and throw off his hands "Don’t touch me Please I just can’t have you touch me"

Because it’s all I want All I want and can’t ever have Not anyuish "I’this"

"You didn’t have to--"

"Stop! Don’t say it" I punch him then, furious I slap his arms and chest with both hands "Don’t say I didn’t have to do it"

How can he think I had a choice? How dare he i to is the belief that I had to shoot that man

"Davy" He snatches hold of , I tug o You shouldn’t even be here This is the girls’ floor They’re about to lock up"

He doesn’t budge

"I don’t need theh I know that doesn’t matter anymore

"They already know you’d kill to protect ainst the scratchy thickness in ainst me"

"Well, too bad I’h this alone"

Want I closeabout what I want I want this day undone I want thattime This is what needs to happen" It’s the only way I can live withlike thatUsing me" His voice fades away and he looks down at his hands I study his profile, the lines of his face stark and harshly beautiful in the unforgiving light

"They’ll do it again," I whisper, liftingtiles See only brown eyes Hear only the crack of the gun, the drop of the carrier’s body on the dirt That’s it, all there is, the only sound in ain There won’t be anything left ofleft ofI’raet out of here as soon as possible Get the imprint removed from my neck Gain some seo Don’t coain" I pause, take a breath, and s

He looks up at me and just stares "I can’t pretend you don’t exist forhie, so close, the aroht and wind still upon him, makes h, part moan "Sure you can" I step past hiet that far

He grabs ainst hiain It’s always his eyes The gray-blue so seductive, like s its spell on ers weaving into the wet strands Everything inside ht as his palm curves around the back ofaze drops tojust a half inch frole His hand flexes inthe wet texture

Then he closes the space between us Kisses me finally Sensation explodes inside me when his lips touch mine It’s not tentative or shy like ent and full of need Hungry and desperate The perfect force and pressure I slide h his hair

I stretch onto my tiptoes His hand onainsttheit froh to re sound, kissing hilad for the small room Glad to reach the bed so quickly

His body settles overthe fabric, hating it, wanting to tear it, shred it from his body as his mouth devours mine

His handsHis fingers slide overeverywhere My hair My face My neck Under ainst my stomach

Wild pants break from o of his shirt and slidemy palms test the expanse of his back and chest, touch skin

With a groan, he pulls back, his hands going to the hem of his shirt In one smooth move, it’s up and over his head

Then he’s back Hishotly overin the ain In this, in hi else fades The horror of earlier, a distant, faraway dreairl Another killernotof the elevator, footsteps, doors opening, closing

He says ainst the sensitive flesh ofmy mouth away fro insideand desire for another And not just anyone Sean A carrier who can be the opposite of all predictions Good Principled Heroic