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"I cannot wait another week to take you to my bed," he said

Heat pooled in a place she didn't even want to think about "You don't have to"

"Yes, I do" His griest he was open to discussion on the subject “I will not dishonor you again"

She glared at hiuments swayed him It was either o to stay in the company apartment because he did not trust his libido in the same home with her

They were at an impasse

The last week had been one of the most miserable of Rachel's life She'dShe didn't want to spend another week living in his apartment while he lived elsewhere, but she wouldn't tell Sebastian that and admit her weak­ness to him either

And it only got worse when he took the decision right out of her hands Back in full guiltuntil his mother could be there because it was i her and informed her that he could control hi plans

He didn't re, histogether now, but Rachel latched onto that truth at lightening speed all on her own She insisted on wearing the dress he had picked out for her, appalled when she realized he was going to duown She'd loved the dress, just not the way he'd steaht to what she wanted

She sat on the sofa they hadof warm milk and unable to sleep Sebastian's all-out determination to make her happy scared her spitless If she allowed herself to believe it was personal, she was afraid she would be setting herself up for disappointment Yet it felt really personal

It didn't feel like the consideration of a e for the sake of their unborn child

Of course there was the sex thing He wanted her and there was no hiding from the fact However, could lust, even ra controlled by needy hor and to heck with Phillippa being there?

That week dragged by despite Sebastian's obvious ef­forts to keep her entertained, but histo deny his desire having obvious impact

By the time she met him at the altar of the old Orthodox church to say their vows, she was shaking with nerves Although they had made love before, she was nowhere near certain she could appease the vo­racious hunger she saw in his gaze whenever he looked at her now

There was a quality to it that had not been there before, a need that went beyond the physical It was that quality thathope that he cared for her, her emotions were a mess

But when she looked into his slate gray eyes for the first ti under the warht not love her, but he did care and she loved him Now and forever

Their e would be what they made of it and she was deteriven her to live out her dearest dream

And it felt like a dream as Sebastian took her to a five star hotel on the outskirts of Athens

He carried her over the threshold of their roo in her eyes, if he but knew it

His breath caught and then his lips slanted over hers with tender mastery

When he lifted his head, she was dizzy with long­ing

"Thank you" His voice was husky with the need reflected in his dark gaze

"For what?" she asked, confused

"Forme I promise you, I will make you happy, yineka mou"

"Being with you makes me happy," she said on a burst of honesty, her heart too full to keep all of her emotion in

She couldn't understand what he ain, but she understood the all con­su fire in his kiss, because the same blaze burned hotly inside her

They wereand then she felt the comfort­able fir heat while his hand peeled her dress away fro the slope of her shoulder, he then gently trailed his fingers along her collarbone The pressure of his lips changed subtly with each touch, the quality of the kiss becoentler, more tender

The first ti had happened so fast, but he wasn't rushing anything now Sebastian's fingertips explored every centimeter of her exposed skin, her neck, her chest above the swell of her breasts, behind her ears, along her spine, across her shoulder blades She shivered fro with powerful emotion

His tongue had not breached the defense of her lips and he had touched none of the erogenous zones she had expected Yet Rachel rithing under hihtly closed eyelids

Hisup her face to softly sip the moisture from her eyes

"Why are you crying?" he asked