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Gabriel led her through another fewin a world that swayed and careened Even though this variation of the waltz was ht, her inner gyroscope couldn’t e even three-quarter turns Soon she felt herself break out in a cold sweat, a queasy feeling co to be sick," she panted

Gabriel halted iainst hi her, while she struggled to bring the nausea under control Slowly the sickness retreated

"To put it in ter her da is er," Gabriel said, "I’ll eat an entire carrot in front of you"

She slitted a glance up at him "Would I be able to choose the carrot?"

His chest vibrated with his low laugh "Yes"

"Thisapart froedly resumed the waltz position

"If you choose a fixed point so as possible during the turn--"

"No, I’ve tried that It doesn’t work for s rush by you without trying to focus on theuided her into the pattern once ly that when she stopped trying to orient herself to her surroundings, and focused only on Gabriel’s face, she didn’t feel quite so sick He was relentlessly patient, leading her through turns, glides, and change steps, paying attention to every detail of what she said and did "Don’t lift so high on the balls of your feet," he advised at one point And when she wobbled dangerously at the end of a turn, he said, "When that happens, lether instincts, which screa direction whenever her balance was off, which was most of the time At the end of the next turn, she tensed and tried to stabilize herself when it felt like she was pitching forward She ended up tripping over Gabriel’s foot Just as the floor began to rush up toward her, he caught her easily and held her close

"It’s all right," he murmured "I have you"

"Bollocks," she said in frustration

"You didn’t trustto--"

"You have to let me do it" One of his hands moved up and down her back "I can read your body I can feel just before your balance falters, and I can tell how to compensate" His face lowered over hers, and his free hand came up to caress her cheek "Move withyou It’s aour bodies communicate Will you try to relax and do that for me?"

His touch on her skinthat low, velvety voiceit seeht place inside her The knots of fear and resentain, it started to feel like they orking together, striving for a coh one waltz after another, they negotiated through various difficulties Was a turn easier this way or that? Was it better if they er or ination, but the turns weren’ther quite as dizzy and disoriented as they had at first It seemed as if the more she did the whenever Gabriel praised hergood girlyes, that’s perfectand it was even ratification She felt herself surrendering by gradual degrees, focusing on the subtle pressures of his hands and ar moments when their steps matched exactly There were also moments of near-disaster, when she lost the measure and Gabriel fixed the break in their rhyth his partner and ti their steps "Relax," he would murmur every now and then "Relax"

Gradually Pandora’s brain quieted and she stopped straining to oppose the rushing, wheeling scenery and the constant deceptive sensation of falling She let herself trust hi the experience, exactlybut it was an interesting feeling to be so completely out of control and yet realize at the same tiht the their clasped hands Theeyes "Why are we stopping?"

"The dance is over We just completed a three-minute waltz with no problems" He pulled her close "You’ll have to find another excuse for sitting in corners now," he said near her good ear "Because you can waltz" A pause "But I’ your slipper back"

Pandora was very still, unable to take it in No words would co curtain had been drawn back to reveal another side of the world, a view of places she’d never known existed

Clearly puzzled by her silence, Gabriel loosened his arms and looked down at her with those eyes like a clear winter , while a tawny lock of hair slid over his forehead