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He clutched her tightly as though shehis body as the loneliness he’d held within unleashed in a torrent The sound of his anguish pulled tears to her eyes He cried like a babe unbidden as shehis soft hair

After a ti ended She dried his tears with his dressing gown and then held hiht of the wall sconce above and the quiet of the house surrounding them She loved him It had always been so His arms relaxed, and he turned his face into the crook of her neck

"I love you too," he whispered tenderly "So very h and let her head fall against his

"Say hosted over her lips "Benjamin"

He nuzzled the sensitive hollow of her throat, creating little shivers down her back "Again"

"Benjamin"

His lips found hers

"Benjaht his face in her hands, one cheek warray eyes locked onto hers, and his lips curled into a sh with eh, clean cheekbone and then on the corner of his s tohis soft hed "You are mine"

He pulled her closer "I have always been yours, Miranda Fair Just as you have been the only one for me Only you Always"

The hard swells of his shoulders quivered beneath her touch but he put a staying hand upon her when she moved to kiss hirew haunted "I ad able to reason where you are concerned I see you, and I want you I love you to distraction" His forehead rested against hers "Miri, if we had only one night together"--he sed hard--"would you still want this?"

His words slid cold down her back "What are you saying, Archer?"

Archer ran his thumb over her lip "The killer is still out there There isn’t a cure for me I…" His eyes closed "I wish the situation were different"

She clenched his wrists, as if they could anchor her A treers slipped into her hair

"What did you say before?" she whispered "That life is here and now?" Her hand went to his cheek "We shall take the here and now" Miranda sed past the lump in her throat Slowly, her hand went to the ribbon at her breast and pulled the tie loose The peignoir slipped froh; now make me your wife"

Archer studied her with an expression that was almost fierce The avid heat and want in his eyes sent a bolt of heat straight through her Tenderly, he cupped her cheek, holding his gaze with hers as he slowly bent forward, giving her tie her ainst his, their sighsHis kiss was deep and sure as if they had all the time in the world She murmured her pleasure as he pulled her farther onto his lap to straddle hi Muscles shifted and bunched beneath her questioning hands Smooth, cool marble became heated stone as his kiss deepened and beca arhtened "Don’t stop" It was part plea, part deotten," he whispered, "how it felt to be touched To have hands upon my skin"

Then she would never stop Tremulously, she caressed the smooth slope of his back to the rounded curves of his shoulders Archer sighed, his long body ainst her hand like a contented cat "And kisses?" she murmured and placed a kiss on one corner of his mouth Then the other "More of those?"

His eyes drifted closed "If you must" His breath hitched as she kissed the tender spot at the juncture of his neck and shoulder The skin was satin there, cool and strong She moved to the other side, where the scent of him was heady and warm, and his pulse juhting the lazy crackle of the fire in the grate She pressed each soft kiss along his shoulder, increasing the cadence of Archer’s breathing

Firelight flickered over his skin, setting it aglow like sunshine on winter ice Down her hand went, over hard, flat pectorals, along the little ravine that divided his abdominal muscles His navel was a small half-moon and ticklish, she discovered as taut th of his sex lay al toward his navel It was changed, the color of ice Fascinated, she wrapped her hand around it

Archer hissed sharply His hand locked on her wrist "You will kill htened as if to pull her away, but then he stilled, and his fingers settled over hers, holding her there, urging her on Enthralled, she stroked down A weak curse tore froainst her shoulder Heat swelled over her as she stroked, watching hi He was hard aswith life She squeezed and a choked sound rumbled in his throat

"Harder?" she whispered Vividly, she reers probing her The helplessness and urgency, the luscious heat Her insides tightened

His brows knitted, a look of agony darkening his features yet his mouth was slack with pleasure "Yes… God, yes"

She co up to meet her as if compelled Her core pulsed in response She wanted to bite his neck, lick his skin, drive hi, Archer burrowed his face into her neck, his hands weakly clutching her upper arms

"Faster?" He swelled within her hand

"Yes"