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“My Mariella,” he whispered, lifting a hand to her cheek and cupping it

“Don’t,” she choked, her eyes drifting shut anyway “Luca, I can’t take it You said all you needed to yesterday”

But he ignored her, cupped her other cheek and dropped the sweetest of kisses on her eyelids

“That’s where you’re wrong I said too s You, Mariella Ross,I like in myself”

His breath ar,” she whispered breathlessly

“I’m afraid of you I’m afraid of me, how I feel when I’ary I realized how incredibly difficult it must have been for you to say what you did And how you deserved better from me”

She leaned back, searched his eyes “And that’s why you’re here?”

“That’s what frightens ive you more You ain”

“I don’t understand”

He tugged on her hand and led her to the table and chairs that covered the space between the kitchen and living room When she was seated he pulled a chair close and sat so that their knees were pressed together, the saht she’d told him about Robert

“Mari, you deserve so iven a thought to love, and everything that goes with that You’re just now stepping out of the shadow of all you’ve been through I said what I did because I was too selfish to end it like I wanted to I wanted us to stay friends, and if not that, business associates that had shared soreat”

His thus I haven’t wanted for a very long ti For you, forI had Charlie bringto fix it”

“You have to go to Paris”