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As if she had sensed hi her face when her eyes met his Clichéd or not, her smile lit up the room like a ball of fire in a darkened sky Clichés were created for her End of story Again, Gavin felt as though the breath had been sucked right out of his lungs He watched as her s troubled as she stood Da Stuck in his head on the way over, he’d forgotten to fix himself He knew he looked like a disheveledhis suit jacket, and his shirt was untucked Forget about histhe front of his crisp white button-down

As Gavinfro into her sto him in the middle of the crowded café, inches apart froures blurred His face blinded her to everything else His breath was all she could hear Though he wore a mask of cool passivity, his blue eyes saidan ache within Emily’s heart She knehat he’d done She didn’t need to ask

Eaze from his swollen lip dappled with blood and stared at his shirt Lifting her eyes, shefor so from her An approval possibly, words that would let hi how to begin, she siht his mouth down to hers

Gavin pulled her into hiainst his "I had to do it, E her softly "I wouldn’t have been able to live with h his hair, E sob "I know you wouldn’t have, and I’m sorry I expected you not to"

Gavin went to speak, but Eh her body As her senses spiraled into his touch, Gavin’s blood rolled around on her tongue, the taste deliciously intoxicating because she knehy it was there She knew he’d been wounded defending her The one thing she thought she kneas all wrong For a briefto make her love him more than she already did This proved to be false as she stood in thethe ed her world Her life The man she loved a million times more than a few minutes earlier Blind to further evil and deaf to the sound of ever crying again, Emily sank, crashed, and fell deeper in love with Gavin than she thought was humanly possible

CHAPTER NINE

"I’ to lose circulation" Gavin looked at E hand intertwined with his as if she were on a roller coaster ride and holding on for dear life He knew she was afraid of flying, but shit, considering she was half his size, he couldn’t believe the grip on her "What good would I be to you if I lost a hand? I’ht prove difficult during foreplay"

Eht One hand’s no good" She drew in a cleansing breath, slightly loosened her hold, and squeezed her eyes closed "Howhis right hand, which happened to be the one she wasn’t trying to de her jaw "Ten minutes"

"Ten minutes," she repeated, her voice shaky "Okay Ten minutes I can do this"

Gavin chuckled "I have absolute faith you can But really, I offered to keep you busy in the cabin, and you declined You knoould’ve been good for a four hour flight and then so, Emily opened her eyes, her brow lifted "Gavin Blake"

"E "I was si you into theyou would’ve had to fear was I ht not have stopped once we landed The jet would’ve been rocking on the runway" He leaned over and brushed his nose against hers, his words slow and husky "Oh… yes"