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“And yet you cannot say for sure that you do.”
“What of the curse?” he suddenly asked.
“Why do you think I ask this of you?”
He wrinkled his brow. “I’m trying to understand why suddenly—” He shook his head, his brow remaining wrinkled with confusion. “Is it that you would prefer that Ididn’tlove you?”
“In some ways, it would make things easier,” she said, though didn’t add that in other ways it would make things much more difficult. What if it was merely lust he felt for her—when she felt much more.
Her naked body was already alive for him, every morsel of her skin sensitive and yearning to be touched. She ached for his hands to cover every inch of her, not to mention his lips, especially those little nibbles and nips she had come to favor. And if that weren’t enough, there was the familiar joyous ache of love that consumed her. She had felt it for Rory though not nearly as strong as she felt it for Reeve.
“So should I have my way with you and not concern myself with love?”
“That way may work to your advantage.”
She could see that the suggestion bothered him as it did her, but she had to protect him, and she had to protect herself.
“You’re not making this easy,” he complained.
“You knew it wouldn’t be easy from the very beginning when you found me.”
Reeve glared at her, pointing his finger. “Cover yourself, or I will see you in that bed and couple with you before you have a chance to protest.”
“What makes you think I will protest?”
Reeve shook his head. “So you want me to couple with you, but you don’t want me to love you.”
“Too much has happened to make me believe other than that the curse is very much alive and active. I don’t truly know how to protect anyone from it. I only know that death stalks those who love me, or wed me, and so I refuse to take any more chances.”
“So you will couple with me, but not—” Reeve stopped as if unable to speak it aloud.
Tara finished for him. “I will not make love with you.”
He took a step back, as if she had punched him hard, and strangely enough, her words had impacted her as much as him, for she felt it deep in her belly.
“You can’t stop me from loving you,” he said.
“No, I can’t, if it truly is love,” she said, shaking her head. “But right now, I can refuse to make love with you.”
“You made a promise,” he said, disappointed.
“I promised that we would finish what we started. Was it love or lust that had brought us to that point? If lust then”–she stretched her arm out, her finger pointing to the bed—“join me to finally satisfy that lust. If it is love you feel—then please leave.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” he said sharply. “Get dressed.”
“Wh—”
“Don’t say another word,” he warned. “My anger is too ripe. Now get dressed.”
He turned his back, and Tara wisely did as he had ordered, a shiver racing through her, and not from any chill.
She was glad the dark blue velvet dress tied high at her neck, and she rushed into her dark stockings though she had trouble with her one boot and decided to leave them off, not dare asking Reeve for help.
“I’m done,” she said.
“Sit,” he said, though it sounded more of a command.
She didn’t argue. She sat at the table, and he took the other seat across from her.
