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‘You could have kept theain for another baby’

She flinched and shook her head ‘And hoas that going to happen—when you wouldn’t come near me afterwards? You couldn’t even bear to touch me, because I’d failed I’d failed to provide a son and heir for the continuation of the Kanellis dynasty!’

He groped for the right response, but he as so fluent could find no words in his vocabulary suitable for what he wanted to say ‘I couldn’t—’

‘You couldn’t bear to touch me,’ she repeated ‘And that’s the truth!’

‘Because I didn’t kno to comfort you,’ he said ‘I didn’t knohat to say I’ it now’

His obvious remorse stabbed at her heart It made her want to comfort him, but Lexi knew that she couldn’t afford to crumble For both their sakes she had to face facts

‘Then let me say it for you The first tione and I hadn’t had et used to it But the second tinant In some countries, that’s only a week away fro which people take seriously But nobody seeest thing I’ve ever had to go through and yet I felt as if everyone wanted to forget abouthad happened’

He felt as if someone had driven a stake deep inside his heart His hands were tre as he stared at her ‘Oh, God, Lex’

She shook her head, trying to blot out the look on his face because so it a et over it That you can go out and “have another one” As if it’s a coat that you left on the train which you can replace by going shopping’

The silence which folloas broken only by the sound of her breathing

‘Why didn’t you tell me you felt like this?’ he demanded ‘Why the hell didn’t you talk to me about it at the time?’

‘And as I supposed to do that?’ she said ‘You threw yourself into your work as if it was the only thing which mattered and ly obvious that your disappointreat, you could hardly bear to look at me’

He saw for the first time how she must have interpreted his behaviour That his inability to deal with his own feelings had helped create the vast chasrown between them

‘I was disappointed,’ he said heavily ‘I cannot deny that I guess that was —the only way I kneare that I needed to be strong for you—but how could I do that if you could see that inside , too?’

Her lips buckled as she stared at hi he’d ever said And never had she felt the pain of their parting so profoundly—nor been swa wish that it could all have been different She felt a sob rise up in her throat like a hipped up during a high storm

‘Oh, Xenon,’ she said, her voice breaking

She saw his jaw clench Saw him shake his head before he pulled her into his arinable His ainst hers and she felt the heat of his hunger Opening her lips beneath that first fierce onslaught, she clung to hi her face like a h of her, and solasses had slipped off She heard them clatter onto the floor But Lexi didn’t care She didn’t care about anything because noas backing her into the bedroo her and she could scarcely breathe as he tore his mouth away from hers, and pushed her down onto the bed

She guessed he was giving her tie herhis belt, his eyes not leaving hers? He peeled off his white T-shirt and briefly closed his eyes before easing his zip down She heard hi off his shoes and the rustle as his jeans and boxers followed

Suddenly he was completely naked and he came towards the bed and straddled her ‘Lex,’ he said

She could feel the hardness of his thighs as he leaned over and brushed his mouth over hers She could see how aroused he was but he seean to unbutton her dress She squirmed as each button popped free and the cool air hit her skin She saw the darkening of his eyes as he caught his first sight of her bra and knickers and she couldn’t hold back any longer Reaching out, she caught his erection in her hand, gasping in a shocked breath as her fingers closed round hi since she’d seen him naked like this