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‘Wrong?’ A frown creased his brow as he studied her face, rather as a scientistwith it’ How could she fail to understand? ‘But it would never have happened if I had known Why did you not tell me, Sienna?’

Because she hadn’t been thinking of anything except the touch of his lips and the hard, strong embrace of his lean body She had found it i—even though she had denied wanting it Had told herself that it rong to want it

‘We weren’t having much of a conversation at the time,’ she said, aware that her voice sounded flippant

‘Your first time should not be with a casual lover on the floor of an anonyret ‘Your virginity is a gift which you have clearly treasured, as every woman should You should have saved it for a man you love Who loves you’

And with those sad words he smashed all her foolish hopes and dreams He made her feel as if she had offered hi dew—and he had taken theround underfoot into dust and crushed petals

He seeht next to her A ain, but he was not kissing her now The hands which had wrought such sweether now It was done Finished And Sienna felt the dull ache of dawning realization, which eclipsed the deeper aching in her neakened body

She had allowed…no, she had been a ht here To lie with him on this hard stone floor and to…to…She would not use the words ‘ to do with love He had just told her so

So ere erotic and tender i for position in her mind? The way she had called out his name in breathless wonder The way her body had shivered its pleasure, and the way that pleasure had grown and surged and taken her into a place where the senses reigned supreme And she had stupidly allowed herself to believe that for him it meant more than sie so more precious than lust But in that she had been totally wrong

Sienna sed, forcing thebut pain It was too late for regret, but not too late for pride ‘Well, there’s no point in having a post htness in her tone

He was silent for ato know ‘Why has there been nobody else?’ he demanded

It was a question she had asked herself o if she told him what she suspected was the truth: that he was the onlylove to Men had tried, but they had failed Or was it she who had failed—to abandon foolish hope and try to make the best of an ordinary life?

‘You make it sound like a fault on my part that there hasn’t been,’ she said bitterly