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And so for the next half hour, they sat there in silence answering question after question about their likes, dislikes, personality and general topics Lea had to adh she knew their results would turn out as incompatible

“Finished,” Xander said as though this had been a race

Lea had one h one

What do you like most about your partner?

Since all of the ansere h the answers Eyes? Shtfulness? And the list went on

Well, she did like his eyes In fact, she could stare into the

And as she recalled, he did have a good sense of huh at himself

And there was his voice—his voice was so rich, like a fine dark chocolate

How in the world was she supposed to settle on just one thing?

“Is there a probleh the debate in her head

She clicked on the first option His eyes After all, weren’t they the mirrors to one’s soul? If so, there was a lot more to this , but she was curious to know more about him She tried to tell herself it was for the baby When their child grew up, if Xander backed out of their lives, she’d be able to tell their son or daughter about their father But she had a hard ti that excuse Her need to know came from a much deeper place

“Finished” She looked up and found herself gazing into those eyes—the eyes that felt as though he could see through her thinly veiled excuses and the wall around her heart

She glanced away He couldn’t see that much She wouldn’t let him

So was up

Xander had noticed a difference in Lea since they started the survey The questions of which he found unusual and sometimes quite probative Like the one about what he liked best about Lea That had been one of the easiest questions He was drawn to her kindness

Sure, she gave him a hard time, but that was because she perceived him as a threat—to her home, her independence and her ancestry But he reether Once the business portion had concluded, she’d been sweet, kind and totally irresistible

And he’d seen her with her employees She was co that she wasn’t willing to do He recalled her sopping up water in the honeyalow She hadn’t hesitated, not for a otten the messy job done