He frowned.“Don’t cry.”
“You can’t order me not to cry,” she sniffled, tearing her head away.
“Why were you crying before?With the General?”
She shrugged and he wrapped his arms around her, kissing her roughly.“Oh no, my little Kitty.You cannot hold out on me now.”
She kissed him back just as hard, trying to memorize the feel of his lips, the taste of his tongue.
“Well?”he demanded, his breathing hot and heavy against her mouth.
“I was crying because I didn’t want to leave…” No.That wasn’t the whole truth and it felt like a lie.She whispered the rest.“I didn’t want to leaveyou.”
His mouth captured hers in a blistering kiss.One that left her breathless as his tongue swept between her lips, laying claim to her mouth, exploring her ruthlessly.His hands were in her hair, holding her close.
But it wasn’t close enough.She could never explain why this man made her feel this way.Why she was desperate for more of him.Like she couldn’t get enough.Why he felt so perfect it made her knees weak.
He dipped down and scooped her into his arms.She thought he might set her on the settee again, and part of her—all right, all of her—hoped that he’d take her again.That he’d set her body on fire and then sooth her in the way that only he could.
She knew that now.Just like she knew that she needed him to know it.
Rather than heading toward the settee he headed toward a door on the far side of the room.
“My quarters,” he said to her unasked question.
His bedroom.
She swallowed hard, and his gaze studied her closely.“You can say no, love.”
Her heart melted.It melted into a puddle at those simple words, said so easily, but setting all the power in the world at her feet.
“I don’t want to say no,” she whispered, her fingers toying with the dark hair at his nape.“I just…I need you to know…”
His brows drew down.“What is it?”
“I’ve never…never done this.”
A hint of a smile tugged at his lips.“I know, pet.I was there when you lost your innocence, if you’ll recall.”
She tipped her head back as he set her on the edge of his bed, tilting her chin up so he could see her gaze in the candlelit room.“That wasn’t what I meant.”
Oh blast, this was difficult.But it had to be done.After the way he’d shut her out the other night, the betrayal and suspicion she’d seen in his eyes…
He leaned forward and she cupped his face in her hands.Surprise flickered in his eyes but he stayed still, his hands gentle at her waist as he waited for her to speak.
“I’ve never felt this way before,” she said through a thick throat.
He could still toss her out.He had rules, and she understood them.They were for everyone’s protection, including his.He didn’t sleep with maids, and he had no use for a lowly bastard from the docks in his bed.But it was his heart she worried about, not hers.
She’d leave and she’d be hurt, but she’d heal.But this man…this powerful ruler who everyone feared…
He needed this.
He needed love.
She understood this now, and she wasn’t even certain how.But this man who kept everyone safe with his rules and his reason, he also kept everyone at bay.He was respected, and he was feared…but he had no one to love him.
So no matter what happened tomorrow, no matter how much her pride and her heart would suffer in the morning, she owed him the truth.