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She stared straight ahead, not ht The lies were thick, coating her tongue, sliding off and sounding totally believable "You were supposed to becoldly, he stood and looked down, "I would have been your last" For a irl what she was, the luster of her skin, the haunted expression in her eyes--all of it was hidden by make-up and the costuirl She was young Maybe this was to play out some fantasy, but when he looked at her face he didn’t see the eyes of a na&iu his head, he said, "I can’t fathom why you’re here This isn’t aboutelse" Froht track, but he couldn’t put his finger on the reason Golden eyes locking on her face, he deazed at her, insanity clutching at her throat The desire to tell him filled her until she couldn’t stand it Like Eric, she’d been alone for so long They had so much in common, they were so alike, but she couldn’t reveal herself There was no forgiveness for what he’d done No, she couldn’t tell him She couldn’t tell anyone She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was still safe with him He didn’t realize who she was, or what she was If he did understand, he wouldn’t be asking

She relaxed a little, dodging the question, replying, "Eric, I could have handled you" Her voice was cold If he wasn’t the man who destroyed her life, she would have liked to handle him There was no one she ever met as as infatuated with pain as Eric It peeked her curiosity several tiht he tor he needed to was even worse, but it would have made a difference to Natalia She tried not to be cruel, and cruelty lined every inch of Eric’s body

He walked over to her, gripped her wrists and yanked her off the bed "No, you couldn’t If that charave you worked, you would have died" His eyes burned a hole in hers Natalia didn’t back down Eric’s hands slid under her robe, his fingers tracing the steel bars inside her corset

Why wasn’t she afraid of him? Even here, now She should realize what he would have done to her, but she just stood there with those cool blue eyes like they were at the park

Eric wanted to shake her up and make her realize what he would have done "I would have left you chained to the wall, and ripped this off of you so I could get at the ger than a push pin After what happened with Jocelyn, I couldn’t bla when he said the other girl’s naed on her corset heh

Natalia felt sick She knehat happened to Jocelyn, in all the gory detail Eric had done that and he was here tonight to do it again She sed hard, too stunned to e received," she said softly "You’re completely fucked up" Apprehension and co What made him this way? No! She scolded herself This is Eric, at his core, this is what he is Saying he was a good , this monster, was the one that doh to her, Eric nodded, releasing her

Natalia’s eyes slid over his bare chest She was fighting her instincts so hard, but his skin was so smooth, and he was so close Eric’s scent filled her head, and she couldn’t help herself Stepping closer to him, she slowly raised her hand, and pressed the pads of her fingers to Eric’s chest She watched him as she did it, his eyes locked on hers the whole time He didn’t swat her away He didn’t throw her like she expected He remained perfectly still Natalia had to see, she had to know if her touch had any effect on hi fro hers--but she didn’t There was no transfer of power

"What are you doing?" he breathed Every er over his pecs, feeling the ser on his, but slid lower, following the path of her finger like she was mesmerized And she was Her body didn’t care that it wasn’t absorbing his power, it was still fixated on touch--on sensation It didn’t matter how loudly her subconscious screamed at her, Natalia could not withdraw her hand The succubus part of her wanted hi that drove her crazy This iically, to think It only seemed to happen when she had the most to lose, like now

Eric breathed deeply, feeling her finger trail over his flesh His lips burned, wanting to press against her skin The aching in his groin could be eased if he slid inside of her, but he didn’t touch her He didn’tto control himself, Eric kept his hands at his sides, otherwise he was afraid of what he’d do Of how he felt

"She’ll notice that you didn’t hurt me" Those words were a bo between the her caress

"What are you asking lanced at her wrist in his hand and then back up at his eyes, "I think you know"

Silence passed between them A million scenarios played out in Eric’s mind, each one sexier than the last, but he couldn’t allow any of the her arhtstand "Then, this ork," he looked up at her, not saying what he was thinking or what he planned to do What rong with her? Why wasn’t she afraid of hi it down, slowly scratching her skin without cutting her The wake of the pin’s path left a white line on her arm There was no trace of fear in her eyes