Women were false, traitorous beings, unable to return the love men invested in them. In his disappointment, he attributed Priscilla's character flaws ...o every woman, and several neighbours' daughters, invited by his mother to lighten his mood, found him a brooding and cold man, unwilling to enter into conversation and downright hostile to their modest advances.Once his wounds were closed, he took up fencing in his father's barn. Edward and sometimes their neighbour Mr. Wilson practised with. I press the octagon.The water stays clear, and for an instant I think maybe the button is broken. Then I smell it. The water has turned fragrant, a combination of musk and cinnamon. I breathe in deeply as the water caresses my shoulders and back. I can’t get enough and open my mouth to let the scent touch my tongue. I even lean back to taste the water, but find it’s tasteless.As I savor the mesmerizing smell, I notice a warmth low in my belly. It only slightly distracts me from my gluttonous. That let me have easy access to the man.He might know nothing about how to fight with a knife, but he could get lucky. I was not going to take a chance with him. I approached cautiously, and the man foolishly backed up until he was trapped in a corner. With no way to go except straight at me, the man began to cry. Uh-oh, that probably meant that the man had given up hope and was easily capable of doing any number of foolish things.I slammed the end of the rebar down on the man’s wrist holding. Apologize. Do whatever it takes.”“I can’t do that.”“Why not?”“He’s seeing someone.”“Oh hell, Melanie! What a mess.”“I know. I ruined everything. And now even you won’t have sex with me.”“You’re right. Go call Pete. Fix it. The man loves you. He can’t have been seeing anyone for more than six weeks or so. Do it, Melanie.”“I can’t.”“Yes, you can. Now go call him and don’t talk to me until you do. If he blows you off, come back. If he doesn’t, fix it.”“But...”“Melanie Spencer! Do you want to live.