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Andi stared at him, breathless, and for the first time, unable to speak

Tristan, on the other hand, had no trouble at all

"I love you I vow you feel powerfully fair incame forth Her tear ducts, on the other hand, worked just fine Tears slid down her face She lifted a hand and hesitantly touched first his cheek, traced his eyebrows, then ran her fingers through his hair The sensation nearly ue lacking the muscle to speak Tristan found better uses for it

He stared down at the woman in his ar hisrocked hiht He had dreamed of this moment for what seemed like eternity, and never did he believe it could possibly ever happen

And yet he felt the weighty proof in his ar toHis own hand shook as he took off his glove with his teeth and set it aside Lifting his hand to her cheek, he grazed it with the back of his knuckles He tried to speak again, but found a solid lu his breath He sed past it "Damnation, Andrea, you’re powerfully soft" He drew a deep breath, and his words flowed out on the exhale "I vow I could hold you here and stare at your beautiful face for the rest of my days"

He watched tear after tear slide down her cheek as she stared up at him with those warm hazel eyes He could wait no aze trained on hers as hislips So war more He brushed his lips across hers several times, then with strained control, deepened the kiss When her hand grasped the back of his neck and pulled hie He tasted her, deeper and deeper, sing her gasp of surprise

Tristan lifted his head from Andi’s but didn’t break eye contact Their lips were a whisper apart, and he could do nothing save stare and thank God and the saints above he had been given such a gift His breathing panted with the effort of having to maintain control He wanted her so badly, his insides shook Suddenly, a loud snort sounded in the bailey Only when a brave soul tapped him on the shoulder did he relared at the snorter

His entire garrison formed a half circle around hiround He kept his arripped her tighter still She stood, staring, eyes wide Her lipscame out, but, damn him, he couldn’t understand a word Saints, but hehis head, he leaned toward her mouth Her warm breath caressed his ear and neck, and he all but hit the floor fro his head, he focused on her words

Her question floated out on a whisper "How?"

With a sot tirin widened "I have another question for you, and by the saints, I aze re him all the way down as he knelt on bended knee He cleared his throat and grasped Andi’s hand, unsure if the tre came from hers or his own More likely than not, ’twas both

"Andrea Kinley Monroe" His voice ca you, wed ret it"

He watched several an in the corners of her mouth and crept into her eyes

"Yes" So soft, he could barely hear her at first, but then she threw her arms about his neck and squeezed "Yes! I’ll hts erupted across the bailey, drifting on a North Sea breeze Tristan looked into his love’s eyes and smiled, then stopped whatever words were about to make their escape from her lovely ood and sound, leaving no question as to how much he loved her

And would do the like Forever

My vision clears and alights on Tristan’s handsome face I smile "Oh, ," I say "Now, that’s romantic, for sure So your noife read the verse that undid the curse and set you and your knights free Then once you materialized into hu pile of grossness" I punch the big knight in his arm "Quite a story, Dreadht of Bene’s streetlamp "Aye, for a certainty" His stare is intense "And do not ever forget that, nomay appear, there is always hope" He sive hi "I will"

With four large white plastic bags filled with batter-fried haddock, chips, and several meat pies that all sate and into a ht A couple passes us at the entrance, and the wohts, a broool aze

I’d already banked her features to memory