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"You were a child"

"But I’er"

"If you’d told reater care"

She shook her head "You were the first to look at h I were desirable Why would I want to lose that?"

In near desperation, he suddenly took her in his arms and slanted his rily A thrill shot through her He still desired her It was evident with every sweep of his tongue, every low groan that reverberated up through his chest, every press of his hands along her back She yearned for hi else She didn’t care that he ht not want her for always, he wanted her now

She ran her hands over his shoulders, feeling the strength in him as his muscles bunched with his effort to hold her near She wanted this, wanted hi harshly, he pressed his forehead against hers "This is not the reason I sent for you"

He glanced toward the doorway as though he were considering lifting her into his ar certainty that she wouldn’t object In his eyes, she could see hientlee of whatever reason had caused him to send for her?

She knew the moret led with loss briefly touched his eyes before acceptance took hold and he returned his gaze to hers

"Make noI still desire you as I’ve never desired another But now is not the time"

Determined not to reveal her own disappointment with his decision, she kept her voice steady when she reed to h he wouldI’ll show you"

Offering her his arh numerous corridors until they reached the kitchen Inside, stuffing a meat pie in his mouth at the servants’ table, was a boy aswatched as Frannie rushed over and crouched beside the boy He couldn’t ith of purpose it had taken for her to put her past behind her Yes, what had happened to her had occurred long ago, but still she had experienced it, lived through it The more time he spent in her presence, the more she humbled him Did she ever put her oants and needs before others?

She coh it probably wasn’t infested with lice Someone--the cook or Jenkins--had scrubbed the boy’s face clean It was pink and so dareen eyes, Frannie looked at Sterling

"He broke into the residence," he explained

She returned her attention to the boy "What’s your name?"

He stuffedwas surprised his cheeks didn’t burst

"Poor thing," Sterling’s cook said "He’s been eating like that ever since I set food in front of him That’s his third pie"

"Chew your food, then answer the lady, lad," Sterling ordered