Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 82367 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 412(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82367 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 412(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
* * * *
About thirty minutes later, they’d moved through jabbing, straight punching, and he’d even thrown in some martial arts moves, which she had mimicked well. He stopped and pushed her to the seat by the fire and poured her some of the water he always kept in the room.
“Does this mean you’re not mad at me anymore?” She tipped her head to glance up at him from beneath a few strands of her thick chestnut hair.
He plucked the glass from her and emptied it before filling it once more. “Not even close. I’m furious with you.”
She huffed and he tried not to smile as he watched her. “Why? And why did you bring me here?”
“You belong here.”
The words slipped out before he could stop them, despite him knowing they were the truth.
Rosamunde didn’t jump up in joy, didn’t wrap her arms around him and pepper him with kisses. None of that. In fact, she snorted and shook her head.
“We both know that’s not true. My father confronted yours today. About the marks on my brother.” She flattened her lips and moved the stubborn hair again. “Yours mentioned the bruising on me.”
Bryn lifted an eyebrow, trying to convince himself it was best she continued her incorrect thoughts how she did, that this between them was all to give her the experience she wanted. This way he could continue to not get attached because he was leaving. Right?
Right.
“Your brother?”
She wiped sweat off her head with the back of her hand. “I guess he had gotten beaten up and my father thought you did it. Made the mistake of speaking to your father about it.”
Yeah, he bet that hadn’t gone well.
“I didn’t beat up your brother.”
“He said you choked him. At least that’s what he yelled at me when he had his hand around my throat. Wanted me to know how fun it was to not be able to breathe.”
Bryn’s blood boiled and he ground his jaw. “That fucker is lucky I didn’t know any of that. I would have beat him far worse than whatever has happened to him now.” He cupped her cheek, and the warmth of her skin from her working out singed his palm.
She shrugged and didn’t meet his gaze. Bryn didn’t like that. At all. His woman was proud and brave.
“Do you think I hurt your brother, baby?”
She finally gave him her eyes. “My baby brother?”
The smile was tugged out of him. “Didn’t we go over this already?”
“I think whatever my brother got, he deserved.”
“Not even close,” he growled, edging between her legs.
It wasn’t easy to ignore how the material of her simple dress stretched around her legs as he widened them, so, strong man he was, he only looked once.
Twice.
Okay, fine, three times, but he had to ensure he wasn’t stepping on her.
Lifting her chin with two fingers, he dipped his head to put them nose to nose.
“Tell me to back away.”
She shook her head. “No.”
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
“Then we fight.” He tipped his head to the open space in the room.
She gave a small shake of her head. “We’ve fought already, you’re better than me. I’m learning still. I’ve been punching for a while now. And you, while I don’t know where you’ve been or what you’ve been doing, we both need something else.”
His lips curved up. “Getting brave, lioness?”
She didn’t look away. “Not even close. Everything about you scares me, Bryn. All the ways you make me feel, how badly I want to touch you like you did me. How much I want to experience what we did before.”
Bryn’s cock swelled and pushed hard against his trousers. Rosamunde’s tongue peeked out quick enough for her to dampen her lips and he swallowed his groan. He would swear she wasn’t doing it to tease him. She tipped her head back and met his gaze with one of her own that informed him he was in trouble. Rosamunde wasn’t going to have the level head between them. He would have to find the strength to refuse her and…well, he simply didn’t have that.
Nor will I ever when it comes to her.
Movements slow and hesitant, he locked his knees when she reached between them for the fall of his trousers. Two buttons, that’s all that prevented her touch from gliding along his shaft.
He rolled his lip with his teeth and held his breath. He wanted to say she didn’t have to do this, wanted to take the road that would start to redeem him in the eyes of someone much higher up than him. But he couldn’t.
Right now, all he wanted in the world was her touch, those fingers stroking up and down his length. His breath stuttered when she undid the first button on the dark-gray material and it dipped down toward the floor.