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"Life isn’t like that"

"It certainly isn’t for women," she said acidly

"Pandorawe’ll set our own rules I’ll never treat you as anything less than my equal"

"I believe you But to the rest of the world, I would be legally nonexistent"

Gabriel reached out and caught lightly at her upper are to his cal unstitched "You’ll be able to do the work you love You’ll be a wealthy woman You’ll be treated with respect and affection You’ll--da out his cap There’s a way for you to have h?"

"What if our situations were reversed?" she shot back "Would you give up all your legal rights and surrender everything you own to me? You’d never be able to touch a penny of your money, except by my leave Think of it, Gabriel--the last contract you’d ever sign would be ourme be worth that?"

"That’s not a sane comparison," he said with a scowl

"Only because in one case, a wo, and in the other, a man does"

His eyes flashed dangerously "Is there nothing to be gained, then? Does the prospect of living as my wife have no appeal at all?" He took her in both hands, bringing her closer "Say you don’t want ht"

Pandora turned scarlet, her pulse running riot She wanted to sink against hi his head to hers and let him kiss her into obliviousness But some stubborn, rebellious part of her brain wouldn’t be subdued

"Would I have to obey you?" she heard herself ask

His lashes lowered, and one of his hands carowled softly "Outside of thatno"

She took an unsteady breath, aware of strange pangs and zings of heat all through her body "Then you’ll pro my own decisions, even if you think it’s a ood foror even uarantee that you’d never forbid o of her abruptly "Damn it, Pandora, I can’t pro can turn into controlling"

"No one has absolute freedom Not even me"

"But you have so , they have to fight to keep fro, Pandora lowered her head "You want to argue, and I knoe did, you’d score points andunreasonable But we could never be happy together Sos aboutme would be just as impossible a compromise for you as it would be for , nearly breaking into a run

As soon as Pandora reached her roo for hours