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Yet, it felt as if there was so in the air, an i around thee And she recoiled at adding to it by telling hiht

Would he laugh at her stupidity that she hadn’t even seen through Jackson’s facade for so long?

She grabbed the glass froulp All the while, he stood there like a dark specter, watching her, assessing her And so

She had fallen in her own eyes Did it matter if she did in his? a rebellious part of her mocked

The answer had to be no because she didn’t have a single feeling to spare for hi

“I’ on you unannounced,” she said, once the cold water brought feeling back into her throat “I didn’t even realize I had started walking toward”

Catching the gleaaze, she faltered

He took the glass frooodapart”

“I’ apart”

His blunt-tipped fingers landed on her jaw and tilted her face up

Panic chasing her stringent awareness of hiht his wrist to push it away The pressure of his fingers increased

“Then why are you so jumpy?”

There was no syrateful One kind word froether

Falling apart, in front of him, was not a choice

“I’htened her throat

“Tellon, Clio”

The inherent corounded her

Instead of jerking away from his touch, she slowly pushed it back But the rasp of his hair-roughened wrist, the strong tendons of it, was tootoo loud

“Have you eaten dinner?”

“No”

“How did you get here?”

She raised her gaze “What?”

“To the Chatsfield?”