His arms enveloped her completely. Sliding his hands beneath her short dress, he took hold of the backs of her thighs. He skillfully lifted her up into his arms, straddling her legs around his waist. “Bent,” Sarah whimpered. Sucking on her bottom lip, he gently laid her down on her back. He pushed his muscled chest against hers, letting his fingers explore the sensitive area above her hips. Sarah arched her back as she felt his wet, slippery mouth cover her skin. “Oh my god,” Bent moaned, sensing her body pulsing and responding beneath him.Sarah clawed at his jacket, gasping for breath as his kisses intensified. “You taste like sugar,” he murmured. His tongue licked along the side of her leg. Sarah uttered another moan of surrender as his scorching lips sent her temperature skyrocketing. She squeezed her eyes shut, arching her back against the ground.Bent dropped flat on top of her and, parting her lips, crammed his tender tongue deep inside her mouth.Sarah kissed him in earnest, her heartbeat pounding wildly.”You’re so beautiful,” Bent whispered between breaths. He took up fistfuls of her hair. Forcing her head back, he pushed his delicious, slippery tongue even farther down her throat. She let out another soft whimper. “Sarah,” Bent groaned. He mashed the backs of her legs with his hands, pushing her dress higher so that his teeth could graze up and down her stomach.He let his tongue crawl mind-numbingly slowly along her chest before he dragged his sensitive lips over her neck. She saw fresh sweat glistened off his face as he panted against her cheek.It suddenly dawned on her what they were actually doing.”Bent, no,” Sarah begged. She gently pushed him away, leaping to her feet. At first he looked confused. But then he was angry. “You’re choosing Kurl?” he asked, bitterly. He slowly stood. She saw his jacket was twisted sideways. She frowned, wringing her hands. “I don’t know. This just feels wrong.”He raised an eyebrow. “How is this wrong?” Sarah let out an exasperated sigh. “I can’t be seeing you and seeing Kurl. That’s what feels wrong.” She willed herself not to cry. “And…I can’t do this to Elly. She’s a good person.”Bent shut his eyes, opening them slowly. “Elly is aware that I’m free to see other girls.” He stared at her, unblinking. “That’s fine for you. But Elly will hate me out of jealousy. But you already know that.” This conversation was SO FRUSTRATING! “Who cares what Elly thinks,” Bent spat. “Like I said, most girls don’t matter to me.” “Then what AM I?” Sarah asked. A traitor tear spilled down her cheek. Bent, his hair glowing like an angelic halo in the fading sunlight, shrugged his massive shoulders. “You’re more important than you realize,” he whispered. Sarah crossed her arms. “We’ve talked about this before. So…I’ll say it again. One more time. I like Kurl. I’m the only girl in his life right now. But for you…” She sighed. “For you…I honestly have NO idea what number in line I am. I don’t want a relationship where I’m competing with other girls.” Sarah wiped her eyes. “You told my brother he’d be proud of Kurl. Would my brother be proud of you?” Eek! Did I really just tell him that???Bent was clenching his jaw. His fists were already balled up. He was looking quite scary now, with his features all tightened. A million thoughts seemed to be racing through his mind. Just when he appeared on the verge of exploding into an emotional tirade, his entire demeanor changed. It was as if he mentally and physically…gave up. “Do what you want,” he hissed. His eyes, previously so full of heat and passion, were now…to Sarah’s absolute shock…void and empty. “I expect you to still visit Princess,” he snapped.As if she WOULDN’T!He turned his back on her and stomped away. In one quick movement, he flipped himself onto his horse. Yanking the reins to the side, he whirled Lightning around and galloped back into the woods. Now somewhat frightened and trembling, Sarah threw her arms around Princess’s neck. “I’m not wrong. I’M NOT WRONG,” she murmured, crying into the horse’s gleaming mane. “Bent needs to figure it out. He has to decide what matters most to him.” She twirled the mane between her fingers. It was like spinning a wheel of gold. “What would you do, Princess?” she asked the beautiful horse. The mare’s gleaming, innocent eyes simply blinked silently back at her.