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His arainst his sweat-slicked flesh But it wasn't enough Tess fought a wave of sadness She was right next to hih

It?whatever it was?lay between the presence

She rolled half on top of hi her chin on the hard wall of his chest The sweet, cloying scent of fresh passion and sweaty flesh filled her nostrils, re her with every breath that they loved each other Desperately, completely

He wedged up on his elbows and looked at her A damp lock of black hair fell across his eyes He s, and Tess felt the falseness of it like a raound on her heart

They both knew the truth, could feel it like a cold wind blowing across their love They were close, but not close enough

Tess touched his cheek in a bittersweet caress She thought of all the times she'd dreamed of him, back when

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he was a faceless, restless shadow not rehts she'd lain awake, aching for someone to hold her and kiss her and whisper quiet words of love

Now she had all that and more

And yet, with his secret between theh his heart and soul, she wondered if she really had anything at all

His finger breezed across her tre lower lip "What's the matter?"

Tess squeezed her eyes shut There were soheavy and deue But if she probed too deeply, or too soon, she'd scare hi question and he'd retreat back into that small, silent place inside himself, and she would be left alone Worse than alone

"Lissa?"

She gazed at hih a watery blur of tears It took every ounce of strength she possessed to shake her head

He stared at her for a long time "You want to ask me questions, don't you?" he said quietly