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It was the first ti it in that incoic made audible, shot liquid fire froled around each other as she approached hi her as she stopped before hi it, hardening its hewn angles “Don’t you know curiosity always backfires, princess? Now you have to live with this sight polluting your aze darted to where his exercise pants hung precariously low on his muscled hips She forced it back up to his drenched face “Your all-out revenge on the punching bag?”

Those obsidian fla that this—” he esture to his tattooed scar “—doesn’t horrify you? I thought you had enough courage and candor to spare les to pretend my scar doesn’t exist, when it’s all anyone can see any, curiosity and the unreasoning worry that it will somehow infect the, especially in men, I know it uidness his nearness provoked “Now listen here, Sheikh Rashid I’ve put up with youraboutto educate you But this is where I won’t try to convince you This is where I’ll tell you” She grabbed his ar dwarfed by him and his sweatshirt, to inject her posture with authority “You have always defined perfection to ut

Shocked? How much more shocked would he be when she touched hi that terrible rift?

Her hand tre need

It stoppedher eyes, she found his face gripped with a ferociousness that would have scared off anyone else

It onlyhim a necessity Her heart felt it would stop if she didn’t

Her other hand rose, met with the same fate, made her almost whimper “Please, Rashid Let me touch you”

“Why? Even if I believed your wild clai of the past, froether So don’t you dare placate or pity me I don’t take kindly to either offense”

This needed taking care of, once and for all

Hands gripped in his, she forced her lips to quiver into a smile “Fine Just remember, I tried to spare you You now have only yourself to blaive you my uncensored opinion”

His hands convulsed around hers before he let theo Then, face empty of expression, he stepped back

Her heart twisted It was as if he needed to hear it from a safe distance He believed her true opinion would hurt

She bridged the distance he’d put between the hier and softer and in one pristine piece, you more than defined perfection for me You filled my ‘mind’s eye’ with your i” She clung to his hands harder when he again attempted to jerk theh to have it, only to coer—how you wear it as a tribute to your fa it the very embodiment of your noble house—it makes you indescribable And infinitely ain was nohen she had hi at the audacity of her confessions, her hands released his,another attempt to reach his scar