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‘What’s wrong?’ Ja her to finish ‘Not jealous, are you?’

‘Why should I be? She’s welcoht, were you?’

‘And if I was,’ James countered urbanely, ‘is that really any business of yours?’

For some reason that she could not quite define, Poppy found his relaxed and indeed al as well

‘Yes, as a matter of fact, it is,’ she told hi froht even have quite a high opinion of yourself for being soood measure ‘But I am not promiscuous and I have my health to think about and—’

‘Oh, do you indeed?’ Jaet the impression that your health was one of your prily

Poppy shot hiht-eyed look of defiant fury

‘That was because—’ She started to defend herself, but James would not let her finish

‘Because you wanted to pretend I was Chris,’ he finished for her, knoell by now the way her ansould come out ‘Well, I have news for you, Poppy When it coure you seem to think he is, of the two of us I suspect that Chris would toll up the greater number if we had to list our previous bed- your “health”, as you so coyly put it, would be rather greater with him than with me’

Poppy told hi Chris has neverhe would never He’s not like you,’ she told him flatly ‘He would never sleep with someone just forjust for sex’

‘I never suggested that he ht,’ James corrected her ‘I sireater number of partners, and for your information, Poppy, I do not sleep omen “just for sex”’

The look in his eyes warned Poppy not to try to take the argury to pay it any attention

‘You did with me,’ she pointed out recklessly

For ato reply After all, as there that he could honestly say?

She soon found out

‘I had sex with you,’ he told her with cold e out each word, so that there was no way she could avoid their impact—like so many carefully aimed and deliberately fired bullets, she decided as she tried sickly to absorb their spreading pain—‘because you wouldn’t letelse’

‘You’re just saying that toto punishas she tried to blink away her shamed tears

‘No, Poppy, I arimly ‘There comes a point where a man—any man—simply cannot stop That’s a known fact and I can hardly deny it, but way before I had reached that point you were the one as You were the one anted—’

‘Not you,’ Poppy cut in swiftly ‘I didn’t want you I could never want you’ She moved away from the stand abruptly—so abruptly that for ato listen to Ja on her heel and hurrying, al away from him

How dared he say those things to her, o and spend all day with his new Japanese woht with her as well She only wished he would

‘Poppy, what is it? What’s wrong?’

As Poppy looked up into the kind, concerned face of Gunther, she came to a sudden decision

‘Gunther,’ she told hi of the region is still on, I’ve changed my mind I would like to come with you’

‘It will besh’