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Savannah’s cheeks blazed red as she understood Ethan’s intentions were to take her any place, any time, anywhere, much as her fantasies had dictated ‘Why didn’t I think of the rug?’ shetowards him

‘Because you’ve still got a lot to learn?’

‘Everything,’ she corrected him happily

‘So, I’ll teach you Where would you like me to start?’

‘Right here…’ She placed his hand over her breast, and uttered a happy cry when he turned her beneath him

Holding her wrists loosely above her head, Ethan dealt with the fastening on her clothes She loved it when his big, war her to delicious stroking moves as he prepared her She loved to feel those hands caressing and supporting her as he positioned her She loved everything about him—the wide spread of his shoulders, the power in his chest, and the biceps flexing on his arms when he braced himself above her She felt protected and loved She wanted this, needed hiet she had to leave his around hiain

His intention had been to take Savannah to bed andfire in the candlelit room she had made beautiful, there were all the roive her the full fairy-tale romance All that had ever stood in the way of that was his cold, unfeeling heart, but for tonight he had the chance to hold Savannah in his arms while she slept, and he wanted to remember how she felt in his arms, and how she looked when he held her safe He wanted to keep her safe always Safe from him

He knehat hehis arm out from under her, he kissed Savannah awake like some prince in a distorted fairy-tale There could be no happy ending here She sht it to her lips As she gazed at hi to say ‘I love you’ ain, but this time not to wake her, but to silence her He wouldn’t lure her into his cold, dark world, but the moment he released her she asked the one question he had been dreading most ‘Ethan, tell me about your scars’

He turned his face away for a ant assumption that Savannah could ever be distracted fro him back to her, but he pulled away ‘What do you want to know?’ he said coldly

‘Everything’

Everything? The word echoed in his head If he would save her froly certain he would save her fro

‘Ethan, why is it so wrong for me to want to be close to you e just made love? I want to knoho did this to you and why Surely you can trust h to tell me that?’

She had no idea How could she? He removed himself a little more, both physically and mentally ‘I can understand your fascination’ He spoke in a h, his mind set on other occasions when he’d suspected the questioner had obtained some sort of foul, vicarious thrill out of the violence

‘Fascination?’ Savannah’s voice called him back ‘Ethan, you don’t know me at all How can you think me so shallow?’

‘Aren’t all women shallow?’ The bitterness burst out of him before he could stop it