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I scoff in disbelief "Oh, you’re saying you’re abovea beautiful model, is that it?"

"No," he says quietly, his jaw hard "I’od you make him out to be, he’d marry a woman who more closely reflected his true heart"

I’ words in that sentence but quickly return to outrage "Rich men marry women for their beauty every day"

"Aye, they do, and those rich men are the sairls once their looks fade and swap thees and lands soor hasethics?

No I’ about He’s just playing devil’s advocate

The oven tis For seconds that feel like eons, Ca silence, neither one willing to back down first Finally I can’t take the tension any under ain, which is the opposite of what I want hi dish from the oven and set it on the stove top with a clatter, then rip off the oven mitts and toss theo back to Kellen’s apartment and leave me in peace with my pathetic one-sided love story"

"Never said it was pathetic, lass"

His voice is gentle, which only pisses me off more "But that’s what you think It’s pretty obvious you think I’ the way I do"

"The heart wants what it wants," Ca me steadily "But sometimes what you think is love is just a beautiful forive yourself away in exchange for nothing"

He’s surprised ering, skirt-chasing beast didn’t have it in him

Then it hits me: this is exactly how he’s so successful o around in his underith his etting girls on their backs with their feet in the air

My heart hardens against hi over in a bitter winter frost The entire population of Manhattan could skate on it, it’s so cold

"Well, my life is mine, and what I do with it is my business," I say stiffly "Now please leave I’et up early to go back in theto hi-hot dish at his head? And why, oh why a this blunt instru!

Caain, but then he breaks into a grin, and the moment passes as if it never happened at all He rises, stretches his arms overhead, then yawns as if this entire conversation has bored hie favor"

"If the next words out of yourto do with your penis, I will kill you where you stand"

"Just hear o all doo-lally on h the kitchen is e from inside my chest "I don’t knohat doo-lally ?"

"You can tell what it means from the context And I’ll call you whatever I want Darlin’"

The sht in his balls

"You or I wish I were asilly "Cute But there isn’t ahis ridiculous biceps to pop out and shine

I pinch the bridge ofon