A ghost of a smile touched his mouth.
“And I’ll win it back for you. Every key, every stone, every hall. Until the only home you’ll ever ache for is the one with me in it.”
Tears clung to her lashes as she pressed into his chest, skin to skin.
“I’m sorry for missing stone walls when you’ve given me everything that matters.”
He tipped her chin until her eyes locked with his.
“I don’t want walls,” she whispered, her voice breaking soft.
She leaned into his touch.
“I only want what you promised me earlier.”
The word left her in a breathless whisper.
“Tonight.”
Her pulse quickened as his gaze darkened, the air between them sparking. And then, lower, almost ashamed of the fear laced in her longing, she asked, “Tory… how will we do this and not be heard?”
His mouth curved faintly.
“I’ll close the window. Lock it tight. And then…” His lips brushed her brow as he murmured, “I’ll have you lie on yourbelly. Bury your face in the pillow. Let you scream where only I can hear it.”
Her breath caught. “Lie on my…”
“Here,” he said softly.
He slipped his coat from her shoulders, guiding her forward onto the blankets.
“Just for me.”
Tentative, almost shy, she lay down on the bed with her face turned toward the window, moonlight spilling across her skin. His fingers swept her braid to one side, threading slowly through her hair.
“Yes,” he whispered against her neck, “just like that.”
She trembled under his touch, his palm gliding down her spine, curving over her hip until his hand closed warmly around her thigh. He nudged her knee forward, opening her just enough.
“And I’ll take you,” he breathed, “right like this.”
He wasn’t even inside her, yet her pulse thundered as if he already was.
She nodded—nervous, aching, desperate all at once.
“I want to try it.”
He kissed the curve of her neck, lingering there, then rose with a growl that wasn’t quite contained.
“I’ll close the window.”
He crossed the room, shoulders taut, every movement threaded with restraint. The shutters latched under his hand with a snap, sealing them in, shutting the night out. The sound shivered through her like a warning.
When he lit the taper, the flame leapt high, casting his body in gold and shadow. The hard planes of his chest, the scars she knew, the hunger in his eyes—every part of him glowed like something claimed. Something dangerous.
She lifted her nightgown over her head slowly, never breaking his gaze, daring him to lose control. Moonlight from the shutter slits and the taper’s glow kissed every line of her, leaving her gleaming and bare, a vision meant for him alone.
She climbed onto the bed again, knees sinking into the blankets, the tremor of anticipation threading through her limbs.
