More stars than he’d seen in his life. More stars than he’d ever imagined existed. Even the gaps between them looked different – a deep velvety blue only a shade away from black. The unexpected beauty of it held his gaze, leaving him unaware of time passing.

To Sara’s practised eye, this latest episode looked something like a broken heart, even if she’d never seen the look on him before. Or even imagined it happening. She wondered if he’d noticed yet.

Could you get off like that without it? Without the chains?"Without the absolute surrender. "No. And not without you. You more than any of it.

You're not that good a fuck, and really, what else do you have?'Nothing. The answer was nothing. That was why the idea of Carnac targeting Warrick terrified him so much, because Carnac, bastard though he was, had so much more that Warrick might want. So much more than him.

Toreth?" Warrick asked softly.He kept still, breathing slightly irregularly, until finally Warrick climbed into bed beside him. Then it was simply a question of timing the movement right so that they met in the middle, accidentally, and Warrick's arm slipped accidentally round him.Why, he wondered sleepily, did he still bother pretending?

Did you really think I didn't see that watch?

She's Warrick's sister," he said, aiming to sound disapproving and very nearly managing it. "Yeah, and that's why you want to screw her. Because they have that weird identical twin thing going on, even though they aren't." Her eyes narrowed. "In fact, I bet you've thought about doing both of them at the same time. Side-by-side comparison. Or top-and-bottom comparison.""That's disgusting." Toreth said, grinning hugely.

It doesn't matter what you want," Toreth breathed into his ear. "All that matters is what I want. Say it.

You can come round to my flat." Toreth's voice changed, sliding subtly into something hard-edged but seductive. "I don't need chains to make you do what I want. I don't need anything. I can take whatever I want from you, however I want it, and you can't stop me.

However much you wanted someone to want you, there was nothing you could do to make it happen. Whatever you did for them, whatever you gave them, whatever you let them take, it could never be enough. Never enough to be sure. Never enough to satisfy them. Never enough to stop them walking away.Never enough to make them love you.