Page 77

That we did. I sensed it from the very beginning. And now, he knew it too.

“You’ve been poignantly honest with me, Princess. All I can do is to be honest with you in return.”

“Is that why you’re here? To tell me the truth?”

“What else can there be between us now that the truth is out? I want to touch you again. I ache to learn what it feels like to be inside you, and it kills me that I’ll never find out now. But youhad to know that your first time would’ve been with a whore, not even a slave.”

A “whore” who, by his own admission, hadn’t touched a woman for seven years before he touched me. His passion and tenderness had robbed me of breath and stole my peace. It was hard to reconcile all these things into one person. Yet there he was in front of me, with his dark, intense eyes focused on me.

I took another step toward him, which brought me close enough to touch him, but I kept my hands to myself.

“Salas, I’m not going to pay you even a single dented copper coin for tonight. No matter what happens between us, you’ll leave this room no better off than when you came here. Am I still your client in any way?”

His beard moved with a smirk.

“No, Princess. You can’t hire a working man without paying him for his services.”

“Then I’m asking you—not as your client, not as a princess, but as a woman who likes you and appreciates you just the way you are—would you spend another night with me, please?”

He pushed away from the door frame. His arms unfolded and dropped to his sides, exposing his chest to me.

I splayed my hand on it, just over the little horn buttons and the cross-stitch embroidery of his new shirt. His heart thundered under my palm, strong and desperate.

“Knowing your past doesn’t change how I feel about you, Salas. You didn’t come here just to talk, did you? You want me, and you know I want you too.”

Covering my hand with his, he leaned over me. His warm breath fanned over the side of my face, his lips hovering just above my ear.

“I hoped. Yes. I knew I shouldn’t, but I did anyway.” Finally, he stepped over the threshold. His arms wrapped around me,drawing me to him. I melted into his embrace, as if my body belonged right there, next to his.

“It has to beme, Princess,” he said in a hot, firm whisper, trailing quick, hungry kisses down the side of my face to my neck. “Sooner or later, you’ll marry another, and there is not one fucking thing I can do about it. But I have to be your first. No one else. You came to me. You wanted me. It has to be me.”

With his finger under my chin, he lifted my face to him.

“I want it to be you,” I echoed, losing myself in the darkness of his eyes.

A soft rumble of approval came from deep inside his throat as he claimed my mouth in a kiss. He held my face between his large hands, and I gripped both of his wrists for support because I needed to hold on to something when he kissed me this deeply, making me weak in my knees.

“Salas...” I exhaled when he let me come up for a breath. His name fluttered from my lips like a gentle puff of breeze. “I’m so glad you climbed that wall tonight.”

I fisted the shirt on his chest. Holding me to him with one hand, he undid the buttons of my dress with the other.

“Nothing could keep me away from you, Princess. Not the fear of being discovered. Not even common sense. Goddess knows I’ve tried.” He skimmed the top of my breast with his fingers. My heart thundered so hard, he must’ve felt it when he pressed his large, warm palm to my chest. “Nothing bad will happen to you when I’m with you, Ari. I promise. If your past starts to haunt you again, I’ll be here to help you deal with it. And if you ever want me to stop, just let me know. A word, a look, a gesture from you, is all I need. Give me a sign, remember?”

I nodded, feeling incredibly grateful for this man and his kindness.

My past was still there. I couldn’t erase it. I’d tried and failed to bury it for good. I hated to remember it. I cringed when thememories popped into my brain. They still made me sick to my stomach. But their power over me had weakened.

Here, I was safe. And with Salas holding me like this, I felt simply invincible.

“I’m not afraid, just a little nervous. But I trust you.”

“Thank you.” He kissed the tip of my nose, then placed his hands on my shoulders. “I’m going to take this dress off you now. Ready?”

I nodded, excitement spreading through my body with warm tingles as he slid the dress off my shoulders. Crouching down, he tugged it all the way to the floor, leaving me only in my bra and panties.

“You look gorgeous in the moonlight.” He grinned, looking up at me from his crouch.

My face flushed with pleasure. People usually praised things like my speeches, my knowledge, or my decisions. I thought I knew better than to blush at a compliment of my appearance. Yet there I was, with my cheeks warming and my heart fluttering like a preening bird in my chest.