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His gaze recaptured hers Leaning his face close to hers, noses alaze as he took her Swiftly, fiercely, his strokes deep and steady

Sheher body to takeher pleasure deep into herself

He clutched her hips, the strong fingers digging into her soft flesh satisfying in a way no gentle loving ever could

As they gazed into each other’s eyes, their bodies joining together with desperate fervor, an incredible lightness filled her chest

He was not ier try to be

Suddenly anything seeuorous stretch, the events of the night flooding back in deliciously vivid detail Her hand drifted between the s down to the dip of her navel, her skin still sensitive and thru

Rolling to her side, she expected to find Seth gone As before Bracing herself, she shoved a hank of hair froled in the sheets beside her Seth

He had not left her Her gaze crawled over his ridged abdomen, the dark line of hair there that trailed into the nest of hair surrounding his rew before her very eyes Her gaze flew to his face to find hi intensity

"You’re awake," she announced, the pulse at her neck ha Would he never cease to do that to her? Reduce her to a shaking mass?

One corner of histoward her with the stealth of a jungle cat "Clearly"

"You’re still here," she breathed as he lowered hi her

He dipped his head until his mouth hovered a hairsbreadth fro the obvious" His forearers softly brushing her hairline

Her heart clenched al suddenly shy

Always they caht of day Never when he could see her clearly… see that she was not Madeline

She sed, atte to push free the awful thickness in her throat The dark of night had always offered aa sense of unreality to their intimacies

His h,her deeper into the bed…

deeper in love with hiainst herhers as he spoke, "From now on, we’ll have this"

Eyes wide, she nodded "Yes," she breathed, heart swelling in her chest, understanding that while he was not pro It was a beginning

Perhaps, in tirow They could be the friends they had once been

They could beto the butler, Julianne worked on her needlepoint She wrung her hands until they felt numb, bloodless Determination burned in her chest She could not keep Julianne’s secret froer Either Julianne told him or she would

One of the tall double doors stood ajar She pushed it open with her palh the threshold She stopped htly and Julianne locked in a passionate e to save everyone the e her presence and wait until she found Julianne alone

With ut, she spun around, one hand flying to her throat, the other pressing against the shut door behind her

She must have revealed some of her panic, for he closed both hands over her arainst the war With a s the concern in his brown gaze directly

She opened her aze flicked beyond her, over her shoulder

As though he could see through the door to the lovers beyond, his eyes narrowed, his concern for her di as his focus shifted fro around her, he turned the knob She didn’t budge as he pushed the door open Shaking her head, she spun around, hoping Julianne and Mr Knightly had ended their heated eht--

Seth’s breath escaped hih her heart like a bitter breeze

The couple was still locked in embrace, oblivious to the world about to crash down upon them

The pins had coe, burying his fingers in the fiery h her as Seth’s enraged bellow filled the air "Take your hands off her!"

Julianne and Knightly flew apart as if a bolt of lightning split theht of his valet ravishing his sister

Shouldering past Jane, he store to lay his hands on Knightly powerful and violent He stopped short of actually succu to the impulse and clenched his hands behind his back

Betrayal flayed his heart as he recalled all he and Knightly had endured together over the years

Certainly enough for the bastard to refrain froe of his sister Her innocence, to say nothing of her disability, should have stayed his animal desires