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"I want" She licked her lips and took a breath Could she say she wanted him? Could she say she loved hiripped his shoulders, and he watched her with rapt attention She wished she were better ords She wished she could let her body speak for her Her body always kne to communicate perfectly with his Even now, she found herself responding to his nearness, leaning in close, fitting against hiht

His Adaet back to your place Unless you want to try it in the car?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Sex, Stella" The words were hard and clipped in the night air

Her lungs constricted so tight she could barely breathe "That’s not what I was going to say"

"Then we need to end this farce Because I don’t have anything else to give you"

"But you do You listen to me and talk to me and--"

"I will never be able to talk to you like that asshole in there I don’t even want to I’ive a shit about math and economics"

"That’s not true You are sone nowhere I fuck people for h" He aze "I think about stealing it I plan it out in my head, who I’d take it from, the lies I’d say, how I could cover my tracks Because I’ about? He would never steal She had no doubt of it

"You wanted to knohy I hate him I’ll tell you the whole reason" He paused for a heavy second before saying, "He’s so good at cheating he’s fao Haven’t you heard of him? Frederick Larsen"

"I don’t" But even as she spoke, the faed up memories She drew in a sudden breath "The con artist He seduced women and"

"Stole froone so often on ‘business trips’ My mom knew he cheated, but he always cao when he disappeared and his other wife showed up onfor him It turned out every dollar he earned came from some swindled woman And he swindled my mom the worst Before he left the last time, he cleared out her bank accounts and cashed out on enor to the teeth to pay the to lose the shop and her house she’d worked so hard for My sister was going to have to drop out of school because we suddenly couldn’t pay for it"

He turned away fro his tie with violent jerks of his hands "The job I’d been so crazy about--the one I’d traveled across the country for, thinking my family was home safe with my dad--paid such a small amount I had to quit I didn’t have any skills that paid quickly, not like you So I took this thing ht as his, my smile that looks just like his, and I sold it I fucked half of California with it, day and night for ht But by that tiot sick, and she"

The tie fluttered to the ground, and he loosened his top buttons like his shirt was suffocating hiedly

Stella stepped toward hi it drenched with hot tears Her throat was too swollen to speak, so she wrapped her arth He buried his face in her hair and held her back

"It’s not your fault your dad did that horrible thing, and you’re nothing like him," she whispered How could he possibly believe that?

"If I’d been there, I ht have stopped it"

"Shhhh" She sh his hair "Even if you’d been there, you wouldn’t have found anything until it was too late He fooled tons of people That’s what he’s good at"

He tightened his arms a fraction and pressed a kiss to her cheek When he spoke, his voice was rough and inti is, even after all he’s done, even with how much I’m ashamed of him and hate hi criminal, and I love him"

Stella had no words for Michael at that point, so she continued to hold him What did you say when so heart next to his and hurt with him

After aat the tears on her cheeks, he said, "I accepted your proposal because I wanted to help you with your issues, and it’s clear we’ve worked through them You’re ready for a real relationship now If some bastard doesn’t want you because you’re autistic, he doesn’t deserve you Do you hearto be ashamed of"

The blood drained fro "You know?"