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been too forward. I would never force myself upon you, but if you would allow me to see you, to court you, perhaps I—”
    “No!” she said. The hot blood in his veins turned to ice.
    Slowly she turned back to him. “No,” she said again, “you have not erred.” She looked down and he saw the color rise in her cheeks. “I feel the same as you,” she murmured, and then much louder, “I feel the same as you!”
    He threw his arms about her, wrapping her tight within them, his heart racing, his blood warming.
    “You have cast a spell on me,” she said, smiling up at him before she laid her head against his breast.
    “And you have placed that same spell on me.” Joy filled his heart until he thought it might burst from his ribs.
     
     
     
    Chapter Seven
     

     
    Talaitha took his hand and they walked together, Harry leading the horse with his other hand, to the top of the hill and then down the other side and into the woods to the little stream.
    She said, “I came here alone to weep about you. I carried one of the beautiful handkerchiefs you gave me.” She felt the heat rising in her cheeks, but in spite of the Romani reluctance to speak of such things, she was determined to tell him. “I soaked it with my tears.”
    He put his arms about her. “I swear that I will do everything in my power to assure that I never cause you to weep again. I wish to bring you nothing but happiness.”
    They stood quietly, holding one another. She found comfort in his embrace, and joy. She thought she could stay there forever, but after a minute he stepped back slightly and reached into his waistcoat.
    “I carry the handkerchief you used to wipe your brow that first time I saw you. I keep it near my heart, a most treasured keepsake.” He pulled it out and brought it to his lips as he had before. This time, she felt her heart contract and then expand and her cheeks grow hot—this time not with embarrassment, but with the stirring of desire.
    She lowered her eyes and stepped close, crossing the few inches he had left when he moved back. He wrapped his arms about her again, and she could feel his arousal against her belly. She had learned of such things from her sister, and she had learned also what might follow from this. She decided in that moment that she wanted to do the things of which her sister had intimated with this man.
    Talaitha also decided she cared not if her people would shun her; she wanted only to be with him, to give him her all. She had known it from the first moment she saw him listen, obviously enchanted with her singing. She had fought against her yearning for him, and so had her grandmother and her clan. But she would fight no longer. This was what she wanted, and she would have it, come what may.
    Shyly she slipped her arms about his waist and laid her head against his shoulder. She could feel the heat through his clothing.
    “My darling,” he murmured. Yes, he was her ves’tacha , the one for whom she was destined.
    “I want to do the hidden things women and men do together,” she said softly. “I want to do all those things with you.”
    He said her name in a strangled voice. Then he brought his fingers to her chin and tilted her face upwards. She met his blue eyes boldly.
    “I am not afraid,” she said—almost the truth. He leaned down and gently pressed his lips to hers, kissing her gently, warmly, and, she thought, lovingly. All she wanted in the world at that moment was to be in his arms, to feel his body against her own, to have his lips on hers—and thus they stayed for some time.
    As she put her arms about his neck and pulled him closer yet, she felt his tongue pushing past her lips and entering her mouth. She felt a stirring in the secret part of herself, as her sister had said happened to women when they desired a man. She pushed her own tongue against his and as their tongues tangled and played, he held her close and groaned.
    He pulled away and kissed and licked first one ear and