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.Persia fought him with every ounce of strength she had—pounding his chest, kicking and biting.But Zack would not release her.Finally, tripping over a log, Persia fell backward, toppling Zack with her.On her back, pressed deep into the soft snow, she could no longer resist him.His weight held her to the spot where she had fallen.One ironlike hand gripped her wrists so that she couldn’t claw his face.She could only lie there, gasping and sobbing, wanting nothing so much as to be far, far away, hidden from his probing gaze and his lying tongue forever.But even as she tried to shrug away, his mouth came down and took hers with a force of passion she had never known.It was as if he were putting his brand on her for all time—letting her know that he would do as he damn well pleased and she could like it or go to hell.But following close on the heels of his near brutal kiss, his words to her were surprisingly gentle.“Persia, please, don’t fight me.Listen to me.I love you!”She ceased struggling, but the hard lines of anguish in her face did not soften.“I don’t believe you.” Her words were as lifeless as if they had been spoken from the grave.“You must!.What you saw back there at the house means nothing, I tell you.”“Nothing? Then I suppose what you’re saying is that if someone had walked in on the two of us this morning while I lay half-naked in your embrace in your bed, that would also have meant nothing!”“No, no, no!” He shook his head furiously.“That’s not what I mean at all.There is nothing between your sister and me.I love you and only you.And I intend to marry you.”She still refused to be convinced.“Oh, I understand now.Zachariah Hazzard doesn’t have to love a woman to undress her and take liberties with her.He is above such plebeian codes of morality.He is free to do what he will with any woman—his fiancee, his fiancee’s sister, or any other female in any port of the world,” she said sarcastically.Even though he was plainly in the wrong and realized that Persia had a right to her anger, her words wounded him deeply.He was new at being in love and he’d managed it badly.But even ignorance and stupidity shouldn’t be dealt with so harshly.Once, as a new seaman, he had been tied to the mast and flogged for insubordination, receiving the usual ten lashes with a cat- o’-nine-tails.On occasion in his most terrible nightmares, he still relived that burning, flesh-rending, bone-deep pain.But even that paled before the anguish of the punishment Persia was inflicting.Still, there must be some way to make her forgive him.Zack knew his only convincing defense would be to accuse Europa of the seduction, but he had never been one to hide behind a woman’s skirts.If Persia truly loved him, she would have to believe him and forgive.If she didn’t, well…Releasing his hold on her wrists, he rose from her and offered a hand to help her up.She eyed him suspiciously.“You’ll freeze lying there in the snow,” he said matter-of-factly.“Get up.”She took his hand warily.When she was standing upright, Zack turned and started walking away.She watched him go for a time before she cried out, “Wait!”He turned back toward her but didn’t speak.His face looked exactly like the fierce, carved figurehead of Neptune she had seen once on a ship’s prow.She waited for him to say something until it became apparent that he would waste no more words on her.“Where are you going, Zack?”“Boston.”Her heart sank as she asked in a trembling voice, “When?”“As soon as possible.This evening, I would imagine.I’m out of money, but I have a gold watch I can sell to settle up my bill at Jefferd’s and to hire a sleigh and team.”In her present agitated state, Persia didn’t remember that the innkeeper had told her Zack was a rich man.“Zack?”“Yes?” His voice was as stony as his face.“Did you really mean it… what you said?”“Mean what, Persia?” As much as he longed to, he couldn’t allow himself to make this easy for her.If he softened now, all would be lost.“About loving me, wanting to marry me?”“If you have to ask, then maybe I shouldn’t marry you.”He might as well have been in a high-stakes poker game.His heart was thundering.His arms were aching to hold her.Words of love were fighting to get past his tight lips.But he must hold his tongue and breast his cards.He’d tried reasoning with her; it hadn’t worked.Now he must stick to his bluff, play his cards as if he couldn’t care less whether he won her or lost her.Make her come to him.That was the only way.She looked down at the toes of her boots, sunken deep into the snow.“You mean you’d still consider it?”A long, unnerving silence followed before he answered, “I might.But there would be conditions.”His words tore at her tender heart.Conditions! She knew what that meant.He was about to tell her that even if he married her, there would be other women and she must resign herself to that fact or else.Could she live with that? She looked up at him suddenly, and her eyes filled with tears.She would have to live with his conditions because she certainly couldn’t live without him.“I understand.” A tearful whisper was all she could manage.“May I ask one favor?”His own heart was breaking as he stared at the misery in her eyes, misery that he had put there.“Ask.”“Just don’t ever tell me about your other women
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