"Do you know what I would do to you here?" he murmured, his breath brushing her ear.
A chill rushed down Mary's spine, freezing her feet in place. The warning was clear, like distant bells tolling danger. This was a man who came and went like mist. A man everyone feared.
And yet... she didn't feel cold. She felt heat. It coiled low in her belly, burning where it shouldn't.
"Are you really that naive, Mary?" he whispered, voice cool and smooth but beneath it, a storm raged, barely restrained. Common sense begged her to run.
Then his voice dropped even lower, it turned rough and provocative.
"Or… have you finally decided to consummate this marriage?"
Mary's breath caught. How could she have forgotten what he said at the dining hall? He had made it clear that he wouldn't touch her unless she came to him.
And now she had. But not because of desire. Not because she was ready. She came because she missed him. Because he'd stayed by her side all night, caring for her.
Not because...
