"No," she exhaled the word in a rush, and those fingers which had trembled uncertainly against his cheek moved now, raking loosely through his hair to encircle him with her arm, making a soft sound not unlike a swallowed sob as she buried her face into the side of his neck.<br/><br/>"No, I would not, and cannot change the way my heart feels pulled to your own. But..." she paused, hating to say it, and yet knowing it was in the forefront of both their minds. "...our families. They'll never allow it, Claude."