Heartstrings on Fire

Agnes was about to leave.

Jared, once again, grabbed her arm and continued, “Why bring in another when I have you?”

Then, without another word, he leaned in and kissed her. It was a fierce, unforgiving kiss. Agnes struggled, but in the end, she gave in.

Perhaps it was the warmth of their bodies that ignited a flame between them. In the end, Agnes didn’t feel forced by Jared. It was as if years of pent–up longing and desire flowed out all at once.

She never closed her eyes. She watched him: his anger, his obsession, his satisfaction.

Jared kept kissing her, trying to get her to close her eyes. Because in her wide–awake gaze, he could see his own downfall.

Her alertness was like a blade, stabbing into his heart with each passing second.

forcing her, but he

of him, every cell in his body was crying

had been waiting for a lifetime

basking in her warmth and

wished it

blend her into his bones so that he would never have

kept making love

in her neck, feeling a wave of dizziness. It

whisper, Jared spoke into Agnes‘ ear, “Can we stop fighting? I just

from deep within her heart. She wanted to agree, to say yes. But she knew well the obstacles that lay between them. Even though Jared had broken off his engagement with Valeria,

Agnes‘ ear, “Tell me you love me, tell me