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She gaped up at hi you need to be in absolute comfort and security, you and anyone you want, will be yours”
“Are you talking aboutyou’ll ever need or want”
She lowered her eyes for a long ht she wouldn’t comment, had accepted Then she raised her eyes to hi to say this once Once, Malek I don’t want, and I will never take, anything froain, and never, ever try to—to …”
She fell silent, breathing hard, her fists clamped at her sides And he lost what reo, Janaan”
Her eyes flared, hesitant, raw
“I can’t take … what you offered” Her eyes diritted his teeth “But you caun I can’t let this experience be a total loss for you just because you had the grossthe job you so love, that you do so nificently well Stay and let me show you your land”
She bowed her head, tore at his heart with her anguish, with everything that made her herself Then she nodded His heart ale, to throw itself at her feet
Her sood plan On longer exposure youpain, and I rown brat, and when it’s over we’ll be glad that it is …”
And she was in his ar her flippant words
It hen they were both writhing in agony that he drew back, his every nerve cursing him for the deprivation
“This is the last kiss, Janaan,” he panted “I’ll keepto him “Even if I don’t want you to? I don’t want you to! Malek, please!”
He took himself out of reach at the cost of yet another portion of his soul, groaned, “Especially as you don’t wantabout protecting yourself”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
IT HAD BEEN A crazy plan
One hatched by a clearly unbalanced reed upon by another ether, in the saether wasn’t only crazy, it was heart-shredding, sanity-colorious As they carried on their oon, their rapport deepened, their appreciation of everything about each other soared Malek was astounded by how right everything was Their ideologies meshed, their wits, their senses of hunificent
She objected fiercely to his protective ways, called it his sheikh shtick, his terminally chauvinistic streak, and he was driven to distraction by her overly independent, if very effective, ways They clashed, collaborated,he’d ever dreamed of
Beyond love and need, the concept of soulmates, one he’d only ever scoffed at, floated constantly in hisinto his heart to beconized and surrendered to their unprecedented connection