Chapter 6

He stares baldly at me, as I hoped he would, and there’s a naked hunger in his eyes I put there, me.

Damn but he’s pretty, have I mentioned that yet? By the firelight his skin glows, his hair darker than it looked outside, his eyes like sapphires, faceted and sparkling. He sinks into the other chair slowly, not taking his steady gaze from me. If he knew I saw him looking he’d blush because I can almost taste how bad he wants to touch me.

“You can,” I whisper.

“Can what?” His voice is deep and throaty as if he just woke up.

“Touch me,” I sigh. It’s more than a wish but not quite a command. “If you want.”

His hand stretches out before he can stop it, and his fingers brush across my knee, then pull back. Suddenly he clears his throat and stares into the fire as if we’ve done something wrong and he can’t bear to look at me any longer. “You can have the bed,” he says, his voice strained. “I’ll stretch out on the floor. It’s only one night.”