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She was staring back at hi down he realized that her feet were bare, the toenails painted pink He felt as if the ground rocked beneath him Somehow he kept himself on the sofa, kept his hands off her…

“Aphrodite says that you can touch me, but only from the waist up,” she said, and then looked as if she wished she hadn’t

“Not your feet then?” he made a joke of it, but noas really in trouble Why in God’s name had she told him that? Didn’t she know, didn’t she understand? But then he looked into Marietta’s dazzling blue eyes and knew that that was the thing She didn’t

Max had a very odd look on his face, Marietta decided As if he shouldn’t be out of his bed yet Perhaps his wound was bad again, perhaps he had a headache? And then she remembered This here he had been attacked—how could she have been so silly as to bring hi? Of course he was upset!

“I’ forward to stand before hihtly, and rested her other hand against his brow

His eyes were a little glazed “Sorry?” hethe suffering he had undergone

“I forgot, how could I have forgotten! It was here that you were attacked I should never have let you come back so soon”

Max blinked, and seeain his senses a little “Not here In the laneway,” he reminded her

“Yes, but it’s close by Do you want to go home? Perhaps we should call it off”

/>“No” He sed He couldn’t go through this again Get it over with, he thought And then his eyes dropped down and he realized that he could see her breasts, clearly outlined, and the darker rosy circles at their tips, and he closed his eyes and lay back on the sofa

“Max!” she was fluttering around him like a moth, but he didn’t ht, and there wasn’t rooh for another one in his head He had permission to touch her from the waist up He had permission…

“Max!” She was frantic In afor the servants, for Dobson, and the whole nightain

Max pulled hiht,” he said “I…perhaps I need some of that succulent repast now, Marietta”

She eyed his, and even h—he knew his eyes ild

“Very well then,” she said “If you’re sure Don’t get up, just stay right there I’ll…I’ll feed you”