“Scandalized,” she agreed with a sigh. “Utterly ruined.”
He hummed. “Then I’m afraid we shall have to marry.”
She lifted her head at that, one brow arching high. “Is this your version of a proposal?”
“No,” he said, teasing, even though a part of him was not. “This is my version of a threat.”
Her thumb brushed slowly against his skin. Once. Twice. Thoughtful little sweeps, like she was mapping all the lines into her memory.
“I don’t know what happens next,” she said at last, her voice barely above a whisper. “When we walk out of this lodge. When someone finds us.”
“I know I’m not going to walk away from you.”
Sebastian exhaled, slow and deep. Relief—unexpected and unfiltered—settled through him.
He brushed his lips against the crown of her head. “Then it’s done.”
She tilted her face upward. “You make it sound like a treaty has been signed.”
“It’s possible I’ve never been more terrified of losing a war,” he murmured.
A small smile curved her lips. “This is not a war.”
“Isn’t everything in love a war?”
She chuckled. “Sebastian.”
“What? I’ve just battled my way into your bed, your affection, and your future.”
She snorted. “Believe whatever you wish.”
“What can I say? I take after my mother. She always said one must secure the strategic advantage before someone else makes a claim.”
“Oh dear,” she sighed dramatically. “I’m bedding a man with battlefield logic.”
“Not just bedding,” he said, nipping her ear gently, “lounging, entwining, and thoroughly seducing.”
“That sounds exhausting,” she said, clearly not sounding exhausted at all. “No wonder I can’t feel my legs.”
“Then you’ll simply have to remain in my arms and allow me to carry you around.”
“Of course.”
She laid her head back against his chest, and her voice, when it came again, was softer.
“What if it’s not enough?”
He stilled.
“What if we leave this place,” she continued, “and everything changes? What if the world looks at us and decides we don’t belong together?”
Sebastian let the question settle between them.
Then, slowly, he lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to her knuckles.
“Then the world can go to… argh,” he said. Then he stilled and exhaled. “I love you so much.”
“I love you, too,” she whispered back.
