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Chapter One

"Close your eyes and picture it Can you see it?"

I nod, eyes closed

"Iht there before you See its texture, shape, and color—got it?" I se in my head

"Good Now reach out and touch it Feel its contours with the tips of your fingers, cradle its weight in thepalht, touch, siggle

"Perfect Now coht before you Feel it, see it, touch it, taste it, accept it, manifest it!" he says

So I do I do all of those things And when he groans, I open my eyes to see for myself

"Ever" He shakes his head "You were supposed to think of an orange This isn't even close"

"Nope, nothing fruity about hi at each of my Damens—the replica I manifested before me, and the flesh and blood version beside ly handsome they hardly seem real

"What a a disapproving gaze but failingbut love

"Hlance between uess you could just go ahead and kiss me Or, if you're too busy, I'll ask him to stand in, I don't think he'dwhen he s and soon he'll be gone

But the real Dah He just shakes his head and says, "Ever, please You need to be serious There's so much to teach you"

"What's the rush?" I fluffhe'll ht we had nothing but tiroarm and my breath halts in et used to his a beauty—his smooth olive skin, brown shiny hair, perfect face, and lean sculpted body—the perfect dark yin to er student," I say,his—two dark wells of unfathomable depths

"You're insatiable," he whispers, shaking his head andbeside me, as drawn to me as I am to him

"Just trying to er for these moments, the times when it's just us, and I don't have to share hi we have all of eternity laid out before us doesn'tour lesson All thoughts of , telepathy—all of that psychic business replaced by soainst a pile of pillows and coverslike cruers snake under e of my bra as I close my eyes and whisper, "I love you" Words I once kept toit the first ti else

Hearing his soft roan as he releases the clasp onaard or furaceful, so perfect, so—Maybe too perfect

"What's wrong?" he asks, as I push hiasps as his eyes seekskin tense and constricted in the way I've grown used to

"Nothing's wrong" I turn lad I cohts since it's the only thing that allows me to lie

He sighs and le of his touch and the heat of his gaze as he paces before me And when he finally stops and faceswhat's next We've been here before