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“Even with what you have now seen?”

“Yes. Even with that.”

She didn’t say it wasn’t that bad. She didn’t say no one would notice.

He appreciated the honesty.

“You are beautiful. What would you know of it?”

She lifted a shoulder. “I don’t know what good my beauty does. I can’t say that I’ve never thought much about it. I was protected, all that time, from the gazes of men, and when my father saw fit, he decided to use my beauty as a commodity. I have no idea what my beauty might do or work against out in the real world.”

“You will know soon enough. The headlines will scream of it. Especially when you’re on my arm.”

“Will it hurt you?”

“No.” And without thinking, he lifted her hand and put it to his neck. “Many places on my body feel nothing.” He dragged her fingertips down to his collarbone, just to the very edge, where he began to feel touch. Where all the nerves had not been severed. But by God he would swear he felt it anyway. Burning him down to his soul. He had not expected to be so undone by her touch, least of all when he’d been dictating her movements. “It is a metaphor,” he gritted out. “For what you will find inside.”

She looked up at him, and the confusion and questioning he saw in her eyes, made him step back.

Hunger.

This touch that had transcended medical science and made himfeelhad created a reaction in her. And God above it was unbearable.

“Don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?” she whispered.

“Like you want answers to primal questions. Because you do not want me to be the one to teach you. You don’t even know what you’re asking for, do you?”

She shook her head.

Because she was reacting to him only because he was a man she was in close proximity with. Judging by what she had said about her life, about her childhood, it was a rarity.

It had nothing to do with him.

“Tomorrow we will be married.” She swayed slightly in his arms when he said that. “And we leave for Europe in two days. The event is in London. We will go first to Paris.”

“Why?”

And he decided on honesty. Because what else was there?

“Because I have always loved Paris.”

CHAPTER EIGHT

THEWEDDINGWASarranged quickly after that. She still felt terrible about his arm. About the fact that he had been bitten coming after her. She didn’t know why she should feel terrible. He had taken her captive. And then he had frightened her.

Because in actuality what he’s offering you is protection. And you know it. Because in actuality, without him, you would be in trouble.

That was true enough. Without him, she would be on her way to marry a madman.

He had taken her prisoner, initially, it was true.

But still, the wedding, the thought of it made her tremble. He had made it very clear that he wanted nothing physical from her. She saw a flash of his face in her mind’s eye again.

He was... He was terrifying.

Would he kiss her?

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