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I kissed hiain, and his lips parted beneath mine And I murmured, “I want you too, Dmitri God I want you”

He pulled back and said, “Even though you knohat I am? What I do?”

“I don’t believe those things about you They can’t be true”

And D mine, “What if they were true?”

“They’re not” I sat up and shookwill convince me otherwise”

He propped himself up and cocked his head to the side in that characteristic way of his, watching me closely And he said, “I have no idea why you’d think that”

“You asked e you based only on our interactions, not on rumors And that’s what I’ve done That’s why I think – no, I know – that you’re a good person”

A little smile curved the corner of his full lips He picked up my hand and kissed the back of it, and then he licked it

I laughed at that “Does my honesty somehow make me more lickable?”

“No, the fact that you’re salty ht with amusement

“The fact that I’usting And I’ve probably gotten sand all over your sheets”

“I could care less about the sand But if you want to, you can come into the bathroom with h, but the look in his eyes gave away his real intent