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"You doona know that," he snapped

"Trust ht stuff"

"I doona knohat this right stuff of yours is, but I know that I anantly "I look as all the villagers do" He thought hard for a moment "Verily, I believe I am more well fors h for her "See? And irth, with no excess fatty parts" He preened for her, and it was everything she could do not to drool More well forht through the roof!

"Whatever," Jane said, purloining one of her teenage niece Jessica’s uaranteed to provoke, issued in tones that iht interest her

"You would do well to not disrowled

They stared at each other for a long tense ardless of whether I’s that you wish ed her to deny it

Jane sed hard Should she pretend to order him not to? Should she concede? She was on tricky terrain, uncertain ould push his buttons just a teeny bit further He was so close to falling on her like a ravening beast--and God, how she wanted him to! As fate would have it, her very indecision provoked hi on her lower lip, a thing she did often while thinking hard, his gaze fixed there His eyes narrowed

"You do wish ht"

She nodded

"Why?" he asked hoarsely

"It will… er,a strand of hair around her finger

He nodded, as if that were a fine excuse After a moment’s hesitation he croaked, "You wish this now? At this verythe parchreen lad’s He felt incomparably foolish Yet… also as if he faced a moment of ineluctable destiny