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Page 245
In fact, she wanted to anger him. That way, this would never happen again. She couldn't let it, after all. She had to burn these bridges before she was hurt even more.
It hurt too much, this rejection after all that wonderful, unforgettable lovemaking, with the man whom she, oh, so regrettably, loved.
And what about . . . oh, geez! She'd been so caught up in sensation that she hadn't even considered protection. Though it probably didn't matter here; there was none. What if she were pregnant? If she had to stay here, she might have to raise a baby alone in an era when the stigma could be overwhelming. She had to get home. Now.
Pierce, you bastard! she thought. Get me out of here.
She was completely dressed now, though she couldn't vouch for how accurately she was buttoned. Her whole body shook, and she glared at Thorn, wanting to slap him suddenly, to throw herself into his arms. "You know what?" she said through gritted teeth. "I think I will confide in you after all. Do you really want to know where I'm from, Thorn?"
She hurried to the foot of the bed and sat on a chair facing him. She made herself smile pleasantly.
"Yes," he said softly. "I do wish to know where you are from, Mariah."
"You're just curious, of course," she said. "I know it doesn't make the slightest bit of difference to you, but here it is anyway. I have lived all over the place, just like I said. But I got from place to place by flying on jet planes. Up there, in the air." She pointed to the roof of the stone house.
"You do not need to act crazy, Mariah."
"Crazy? I'll tell you about crazy. I was sent here from the future, Thorn. Just imagine how it felt to be drawn from a time of all the comforts you could imagine to this primitive existence. You couldn't even begin to consider how it would be to take full meals bought at supermarkets from electric freezers, to be cooked in minutes in microwave ovens. To travel with hundreds of horsepower without horses."
She watched as the expression on his strong features changed from coolly interested to utterly incredulous. "Mar-

 
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