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Reeve didn’t want to disturb her while she tended his brother, and so he left. He wondered over Bliss’s remark and told himself to remember it well. He couldn’t be selfish when it came to loving her. If he needed to wait to love her or make love to her or sacrifice for her, he would do it. He would do whatever it took to free her to love him without fear.
He went to his bedchamber, thinking she might be there, but doubting it. And so when he found her naked in his bed, he simply stood there and stared down at her, tangled in his bedding, a leg, an arm, and a breast exposed.
He didn’t think, didn’t hesitate; he shed his clothes. Only when he was about to climb naked in bed with her did Bliss’s words return to haunt him.
An unselfish love will save Tara.
If he crawled in bed naked with her and began exploring her exquisite skin, he’d never stop, and that would be selfish.
He yawned, and she turned on her stomach with a sigh, her backside peeking out to torment him.
He should dress and leave. He yawned again. He was tired, his sleep having been brief and disturbed over the last few days. He could use a rest just like her. After another yawn claimed him, he decided to join her. He promised himself he’d be unselfish. He wouldn’t touch her; he’d simply sleep cuddled against her.
With an earnest determination in his heart, he crawled into bed with her, cuddling up against her, and, surprisingly, he was asleep in no time.
Tara felt safe, so very safe that she never wanted to leave the lovely warm cocoon that sheltered her. She wasn’t sure how she had gotten there, but there was where she intended to stay. There was a lovingness she couldn’t describe but could certainly feel. It settled over her, every part of her and deep inside her, so deep it seemed as if it had always been part of her. And she never, ever wanted to be separated from it.
Her body tingled from the protective warmth and she moved closer against it. Her hands explored, seeking what she wasn’t sure, only knowing she enjoyed the touch. And she sighed with pleasure when her touches were returned.
Lips soon nibbled at her, and she smiled as the nibbles rushed over her body, sending the most exquisite shivers through her. It was when the nibbles settled between her legs and the sensation grew beyond bearable that her eyes flew open.
“No,” she moaned when she realized that it all was real, and suddenly she felt safe no more. “No, Reeve.”
Reeve rose up over her. “Don’t do this to us.”
“Get off me,” she said, shoving at his hard chest.
“Don’t,” he begged. “Let me love you.”
Lord how she wanted him to love her, but she wanted him safe and alive more, and so she pushed at him harder. “Get off.”
Reeve fell off to her side on his back, and she sprang out of bed, hurrying into her clothes.
He bolted out of bed. “What good does it do to deny our love?”
“It saves your life,” she protested, aching terribly for him to finish what he had started. Or had she started it?
“Please, Tara, let me love you,” he begged. “Let me end your fear.”
She bit at her lip, tempted, so very tempted to say yes. Instead, she shook her head and ran to the door, flinging it open. Bryce stood on the other side and shoved her back in, shutting the door behind him.
“We have a problem.” Bryce grabbed Reeve’s clothes and threw them at him. “A big problem.”
Reeve got dressed. “What’s wrong?”
“Neil got word as to what disturbs the king,” Bryce said. “It seems that the king had plans to wed, and his intended’s caravan was attacked on the way here. At first he had thought her killed and her bride price stolen, but he had come to learn that she along with her bride price simply disappeared. He intends to find both.”
The two men glared at Tara, and she knew there was no longer any point in denying it.
“Are you the king’s intended?” Bryce asked.
“Yes,” she said, her shoulders sagging, as if finally a weight had been lifted. “My father agreed to the marriage arrangement.”
“Who is your father?” Bryce asked.
Her chin went up. “That’s not important.”
“Yes, it is,” he insisted.
