His smile was mocking in the extreme. "You're hardly in a position to ask me anything."
"Benedict..."
He loomed over her, leering rudely. "Except, of course, to rejoin you, which I'd gladly do."
She said nothing.
"Do you understand," he said, his eyes softening slightly, "what it feels like to be pushed away? How many times do you expect you can reject me before I stop trying?"
"It's not that I want to.“
"Oh, stop with that old excuse. It's grown tired. If you wanted to be with me, you would be with me. When you say no, it's because you want to say no."
"You don't understand," she said in a low voice. "You've always been in a position where you could do what you wanted. Some of us don't have that luxury."
"Silly me. I thought I was offering you that very luxury."
"The luxury to be
