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She held out her dripping hands stupidly and looked up at him, struggling to regain control. ‘I ….I can’t get rid of the henna tattoo…. Do you have any idea what this means?’

Sebastian shook his head, looking grim. And gorgeous.

Aneesa was aware of that even in this state.

She said brokenly, ‘It’s meant to symbolise my transition from innocence … except now I don’t even have a husband to seduce me! I’m going to be walking around with the physical mark of my shame for everyone to see for weeks!’

Sebastian just got a facecloth and wrung it out in the warm water. He came close and gently wiped at the trails of mascara running down Aneesa’s cheeks. She could feel the backs of his lower arms brush against her chest as he wiped her face, and in an instantaneous reaction, her nipples stiffened, pushing against the hard material of her bodice top. Her inner agitation died away as a wholly new tension entered her body, flooding her belly with a hot tingling awareness, a sensation of melting.

A