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Her color brightened, her gaze wavered “Are you sure seeing ain won’t jeopardize your privacy? I’ned, and it would be awful if any of the venom I inspire from the media spilled into your life I can’t let it”
He was suddenly incensed With the people who caused such upheaval in her life With hi the plan that had injured her soher
He rose from his armchair and joined her on the couch “The paparazzi can’t touch me,” he bit off “And I will convince theet you ever existed”
She blinked at his ferocity Then she did another totally unexpected thing She giggled “I assume you’d use methods harsher than what’s fully sanctioned by the law to obtain thisthey didn’t richly deserve,” he ru their peace”
“You come from a culture that advocates an eye for an eye, don’t you? Uh…there I go, puttingto me I have no sensitivities for you to tread on Even if I did, you shouldn’t censor your words, anyway I think political correctness is beco reverse persecution, and I refuse to bow to its unreasonable deht aboutan eye for an eye But I believe the rest of this decree is the relevant part The aggressor is to blaested his words He was thankful to note that her agitation hadn’t returned with the di But now that I realize what kind of power your possess, I can’t use it for reat responsibility and all that I’d feel I was nuking soet bored with me sooner or later”
“You’d be that merciful when they’ve shown you noon your life?”
“I don’t know about ate, and by retaliating I’d just be poisoning the worldmy own karma”
He cla her to give him carte blanche to remove the vultures froe down, if only by co to a decision that he would do it, if with less-than-harsh methods to honor her choice He still couldn’t stop hie yourwith theo back to your home And I certainly won’t take you to a hotel Come be with me, ya jaave you the impression-hell, I asked you to-to…but I really a you to coo slow, and ill, as sloe need to I’ as you need it”
“Oh, God, Shehab, I don’t think…”
“How about you stop thinking for a while?”
She squeezed her eyes shut “But that’s the probleers feathered her eyes open “And why is that such a bad thing? The past hours have been a roller coaster Take the next, and all the time you stay at my place, to settle down, relax, enjoy my company, savor me as I intend to savor you”
“But I have to…to…I don’t knohat I have to do, OK? Whatever it is, I can’t do it with you around Please, Shehab, just take ht, around what happened between us, the way I-I…”
And she fell silent
He was losing her She was co to her senses He couldn’t afford to let her He had to ear
He slipped his cell phone out of his pocket, gave a twofold order The first part was another improvisation in his plan He told her the second part “I ordered the plane to land”
She nodded, looked anywhere but at hiritted his teeth and counted down…