"You didn't have to give him a speech," Mailah whispered, her voice thick with emotion as a warm tear slipped down her cheek. She looked down into his dark blue eyes, where the fierce, ancient demon had melted completely into the man who held her hands like fragile treasure. "It was breathtaking, but... you didn't have to defend us to him."
"I was not defending us," Grayson murmured, his raspy baritone dripping with absolute, quiet sincerity. His broad thumb gently caught the tear on her skin, smoothing it away with reverent care. "I was stating objective facts for the record. You are the single greatest event to occur on this estate in three hundred years. His ledger needed to reflect proper historical accuracy."
Mailah let out a wet, breathless laugh, sliding forward out of her armchair and dropping straight onto the Persian rug into his arms.
