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“Jesse,” she sobbed, “Jesse, Jesse…”

The sound of his naue filled him with elation

“Tell me,” he said fiercely “Tell me what you want”

“You You!” Her hands fumbled at his belt “Jesse Please Please I want—”

All at once, the harsh light of a thousand suns filled the room

The poas back, and the lights had come on Every damned one of them

The huge glass-and-copper chandelier in the entrance to the living roolass tables flanking the sofa Lights blazed everywhere, offering brutal illumination to the most intimate moment a man and woman can share

Sienna cried out and threw her hand in front of her eyes Jesse clasped that hand, folded her fingers into her palm

“Easy,” he said

She stared at him, eyes ith shock He’d seen the reaction before, once in a doe frozen by his sudden appearance deep in a wooded valley, and more tiht they were invincible and found they were mortal, after all

It was a look he’d never wanted to see again—especially on the face of a wo love

“It’s the electricity, that’s all It’s back on”

Sienna tore her hand from his “Get off me”

Her voice was shaky Okay He could understand that it would be The lights had spooked him, too

“Sienna Listen to me It’s just the power—”

“I said, get off me”

“Honey, calhts—”

“Get—off!”

Her voice was shrill It ith the way she was looking at him, as if he were a monster instead of a man That was another look he’d seen before It had been in Linda’s eyes the night she’d walked out

Wordlessly, he rolled away, got to his feet She grabbed for the discarded sweats, yanked thee of the hearth

“Look,” he said carefully, “I know the ti was bad, but—”

“Yes It certainly was Another couple of ”

“That’s a lie”

“Lock the door, you said”

“Yes” His tone was flat “That’s what I told you to do”