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“Reg, I love you”
“I knoeet And I you”
“It’s okay if you don’t want to wed me I shall still stay with you”
He cupped her face in both hands, his blue eyes softening “Why would I not want to wed you? You are everything to me”
“I have so to tell you,” she said, her heart a hard lump in her throat
“What is it?”
“I am not” She squeezed her eyes shut and hot tears traced paths down her face “That is, I have been”
“Don’t cry, love,” he whispered, kissing tears from her cheeks “Whatever it is—”
“I am not a maiden,” she blurted
He stiffened and his co arms dropped “You’ve been with a man?”
She nodded “It was against my—”
“Who was it?”
She sed to try to keep bile fro up her throat She couldn’t tell hi would never want her if he knew that vile man had successfully ruined her
“It was”
Lara slapped Reg across the face, grateful that he suddenly looked like Reece again Reece flinched “What did you do that for?”
“She about to lie to hi she could possibly do, but she’s afraid he won’t love her if he knows the truth”
“So you slap me?”
“We have to fix this, Reece She loves hi love her?”
“He’d kill for her He’s jealous of whoever claimed her maidenhead—did I really just call it that?—em, popped her cherry”
“Reece! Don’t be crude”
“He’s hurt, but he’ll get over it Did she get carried aith so?”
Lara shook her head “She was raped by Abbot”
“God! Why didn’t you letbastard?”
“I’ the truth if I can You need to ot it?”
“Yeah, I’ll try He’s not going to be jealous He’s going to be uarantee you that”
“And then we have to help her get over her fear of sex She thinks it’s disgusting, hu to show her that it’s none of those things”
“How?”
“Saa and Eirick”
Reece et behind”
Lara grinned at hi back “Take it easy, okay? Don’t jun of surrender”
“Me?” He atteh
“Stop,” she said “This is serious”
“So why do you keep volunteering to help these women with their sexual problems?” Reece asked
“Maybe that’s e’ve been sent here To help”
“Or et into my pants”
“In your dreams, Jericho”
“And they be very wet dreams”
Lara shook her head at hihty thought that occurred to the bored with her life “Holdsafe and coh”
“You were feeling safe and comfortable?” he asked hopefully
She eh “Have I ever told you that you’re impossible?”
He grinned nostalgically “All the time”