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She pulled away, placed her foot firmly back on the floor and unhooked her arms from around his neck

“I…I don’t think I should”

Rey’s hand lingered on her thigh, slid upward to cup her buttock and pull her against his hips “Stay”

His tone this ti with the pro a way that would ease the desperate ache that now threatened to consume her

“I can’t I shouldn’t have reacted like that…led you on”

“You didn’t lead me on,” he said softly “You reacted honestly, as did I”

If she’d reacted honestly, it was about the only thing she’d done with an ele, Rina thought desperately

“I’h to share a special spark of attraction between us If we cannot be truthful about that, then what can we be truthful about?”

Each word fell like a blow on her heart If circumstances were different, she’d be free to explore that special spark he spoke of Even as she thought it, a chilling wave of reality swamped her If circumstances were different, it would be Sara here in his arers over his and re in protest even as she did so Then, she carefully stepped away froht in the eyes

“Please, I’d like to go now Thank you so ave her a srab his car keys fro, hmm?”

She smiled back, a reflexive action that co, but that’s my fault, not yours”

“There is no fault, querida”

Silence stretched out between them as they left the apartment and traveled down in the lift to the baserabbed her left hand, and held it against his thigh—just where she’d wanted to place her hand when they’d been driving together earlier Instantly the warmth of his skin and the bunch of his muscles beneath the fine woven fabric of his trousers iined