Page 28

“Better?” My voice sounds shredded.

“A little.”

She shivers again. I pull her closer. The instant her body settles against mine, hunger tears through three years of restraint.

She fits beneath my chin. One of her thighs slips between mine. Her palm rests over my heart, feeling every violent beat.

I curl an arm around her back. It should be innocent. Nothing about the way I want her is innocent.

My hand spans her waist. If I moved it lower, I could trace the curve that has haunted me since the night I carried her home. If I tilted her face upward, her mouth would be mine.

I grip the fabric of her shirt instead.

“Samuel,” she whispers.

“Yes?”

“Your heart is racing.”

“I know.”

“Because you’re worried about the alarm?”

“No.”

She lifts her head. Her golden-brown eyes search mine in the firelight. I’ve faced armed men without flinching. Sophie’s lips part, and every defense I possess collapses.

“This was a bad idea,” I say.

She doesn’t move away. “I’m warmer.”

“I’m not.”

Her brow furrows. Then understanding softens her expression.

“Oh.”

I should release her. Instead, my thumb moves against her waist. Her breath catches. That tiny sound nearly ends me.

“I left because of this,” I tell her.

“Because I was cold?”

“Because I couldn’t be near you without wanting more.”

Her free hand slides up my chest and curls into my shirt.

“More than what?”

I stare at her mouth. “More than I’m allowed.”

She moves closer until her lips hover beneath mine.

“You’re the one holding me captive,” she whispers. “Who’s going to stop you?”

The soft glow of the fireplace casts flickering shadows across her flushed skin. I stand up and her dark eyes widen as she watches me undress slowly, deliberately.

"Samuel," she whispers, her voice trembling with a mix of anticipation and nervousness. Her full lips part slightly, her chest rising and falling with each shallow breath. I run my fingers through my tousled hair, letting my gaze drift over her body—her curves pressing against the restraints, the way her thighs press together as if trying to ease the ache I know is building between them.