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But he still didn’t begin at the beginning.

“I’m glad that you were honest with me,” he remarked suddenly.

Confused, she opened her eyes and stared at him.  “What?”

“That day.  When you confronted me about killing my brother.  I’m glad you didn’t hide your true feelings from me.”  He paused.  “Even if they were awful.”  Another pause.  “Especially since they were awful.”

“You are?”

He nodded.  “Can you imagine if you still felt that way but had married me anyway?  And had continued to hate me?  We would be positively miserable together.”

Her lips twitched upward.  “You are, of course, right.”  She sighed.  “I am not one to keep my feelings inside.  It’s one of the reasons I got in trouble with my father so often.”  She grimaced.  “The only time I was silent was when he was beating me.  I never wanted to make it worse then.”

He smiled sadly at her.  And his thumb stroked her cheek then.

“Why do you keep doing that?” she whispered. 

And her stomach flipped over at the intense expression in his eyes.  It looked like…

…fondness.

“Because I want to touch you,” he whispered.

She glanced at where her hand was still trapped under his against his chest.

“And I want you to touch me too,” he finished, lightly squeezing the hand which he had trapped beneath his.

And her eyes met his again.  No.  Her eyes were embraced by his.  And her heart joined her stomach in tripping along.

“He didn’t bruise my lips,” she breathed suddenly.

And then felt like her heart had just exploded inside her chest in response to her unbelievable boldness.

His eyes widened as he discerned her meaning.  Then a smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

“Are you sure?”  His gaze dropped to caress her plump lips.

And her stomach bottomed out yet again.

She’d never been kissed.  Except for the time that Han Sung had brushed her cheek with his lips.  But that had been an accident.  They’d been chasing butterflies together, and both of them had stopped abruptly.  His head had turned towards hers, and his lips had grazed her cheek.  He hadn’t even remarked upon it.  So she had remained silent.  She hadn’t felt anything.  Neither had he.

But she felt an odd certainty concerning his brother.  She just knew that if Dan Se kissed her, she would feel something.  Because she felt something every time that he turned those chocolate eyes of his on her.  And with each brush of his thumb across her skin.  With each stroke of his fingers, he’d been releasing all sorts of delicious tingles to run along the nerves of her face.  Had the remainder of her body not been feeling so awful, she would have been delighting in his touch more.  Still, she was enjoying his sweet caresses.

She nodded.  Her eyes colliding with his as he raised his gaze to meet hers once again.

He leaned towards her, and his eyes once again brushed over her pretty lips.  He had wanted to taste those lips…

…forever.

But he doubted this was the right moment.  He knew that she was in excruciating pain.  Was she just looking for a distraction?  Or did she really want to kiss him?

He didn’t want her to remember their first kiss as being linked to the bruising pain of her aching muscles and bleeding tissues.  He desired for it to be something…special.  Set apart in her mind.  As it already was in his own heart.

Now that he knew that she was anticipating his kiss, his heart rose.  In hope.  Could she be as attracted to him as he was to her?

Three weeks ago, he had lost all hope when she’d said that she didn’t think of him.  But today, she seemed to be open to his touch.  She hadn’t asked to be left alone.  She appeared to be welcoming him into her bed.  Even if today such a position included only the brushing of her uninjured skin across his and the sharing of words.  Still, this was an excellent place to start.

At the appeal in her eyes, he leaned towards her.  His face drawing close to her own.  He was still a couple of inches away from her lips when a knock sounded on their bedroom door.

Startled, they both jumped.  And she groaned in pain. 

His eyes flew wide.  “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” she whispered, but the agony in her eyes belied the word on her lips.

She closed her eyes.

“Who’s there?” he called sharply.  Irritated with their guest for interrupting such a poignant moment.  And for causing his darling pain.

“Master Seok Dan Se, I’ve brought you lunch,” came a tiny voice.

He sighed.  His father had hired a little girl from the village to keep the house clean and to serve meals.  She’d come cheap, and he’d been able to help her struggling family.

Dan Se couldn’t fault the man’s compassion when it came to that particular family.  He wondered why his father had always had a soft spot for them.

“Come in,” he called.

The girl opened the door and walked in, carrying a tray containing several dishes.  She gazed at him expectantly.  He was still reclining on the bed.  He glanced at the little table to the side of their bed.

“Put it there,” he indicated the spot with his chin, which bobbed up suddenly.

He watched as her little face clouded over.  “Unnie Mi Sook!” she cried out in alarm.  “You haven’t drunk your medicine?”

He peered over at the full glass sitting on the table.  “That’s medicine?” he queried.  He’d thought it was simply a glass of water.

But the little girl bobbed her head.  “To take away her pain.”  Her face convulsed suddenly.  And she rushed forward to set the tray down before picking up the glass.  “Please, Unnie Mi Sook!  Drink this!  I don’t like to see you in such agony.”

She held the glass out towards the older woman, but Dan Se snagged it from her grasp.  “Thank you, Mo Won.  That will be all.”

She bowed to him and flew from the room, firmly closing the door behind her.

“My dear.  Why didn’t you drink your medicine?”

Mi Sook shrugged.  Then she winced.

“Drink it,” he murmured.  Gently.  But firmly.

She pouted suddenly.  “But I’ll have to lift my head to drink it.”

“Yes, you will, my baby,” he teased her.  “But any pain that causes will be quickly relieved by this kind drink.”

She sighed and lifted herself up on her elbow.  He held the glass to her lips.  She reached out to steady it and began to drink.  She tried to hand it back to him after only a couple of sips, but he insisted she keep drinking it.  She sighed deeply and continued to pour the liquid down her throat. 

Finally, the glass was empty, and he set it on the table.

“My dear?” he uttered quietly. 

Privately delighting her. 

“Would you like a bite or two of food?”  He was eyeing the dishes the girl had brought them.  Everything looked – and smelled – delicious.  “Some rice, perhaps?  Or a little chicken?  Maybe some vegetables?”

“I’m not hungry, Dan Se,” she whispered.

“Come now, love.  Just one bite.  I don’t wish to watch you starve yourself,” he murmured quietly.

But she was caught up on just one word which he had spoken.

Love?