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She gave him an undecipherable look “Why not?”

“I’m not pretty about it”

She stood up, closing the distance between their bodies He fought down the urge to step back, to put space between them

“You’d never hurtout nervously to place her hand softly against his ribs, right over the worst of the scars His muscles spasmed under her touch

“No,” he agreed

“And” She sed, but looked up at him with all kinds of hope written on her face “I think you like me back”

His throat tightened If only she knew “Yeah,” he admitted

“What more could I want?”

Then she was pulling his face down and kissing hiot all the reasons he’d hate himself after She was all he could breathe in, taste, feel He groaned against her mouth

He was outside his body, still unable to fully coainst the ties of the daet it undone to save his life

“Turn around,” he ordered

She did, without hesitation He used his knife, sharp blade slicing up through the ties, destroying the corset in the process He loved the way she shivere

d when he leaned in and whispered in her ear, “One fucking torture device neutralised”

She was solely responsible for undressing herself from that point Not because he didn’t want to help, but because he couldn’t get hisher peel off layer after layer of delicate white underclothes was the h She didn’t turn back to him until she was in a thin shift

He finished stripping his own clothes, grateful when he saw her admiration and wonder But he had to touch her He had to know this was real