laid siege to the city of Boston. You have killed thousands. Whether or not I desire you is of no importance.”
He pulled his head away from her so she could see his victorious grin. “Oh, but it is.” He stepped into her, forcing her to take one backward. She bumped into the backrest of a chair, and she was caged by the enormity of his frame and the wood object. “It is of great importance.”
“I—” She struggled to keep her voice a normal pitch. She swore at herself for how childish she was. How weak, how careless. She should be crying at his feet. Instead, she was nearly swooning each time he touched her. He was terrifying. He was exciting. The combination should not be as attractive as it was. “Am I always going to be losing debates with you?”
“Now you are cross with me.”
“No, I would simply like to prepare myself for the future, should I live that long.”
He laughed again, a real and mirthful sound. He stroked his hand over her hair. “If I have my way, you will live long enough to lose many such debates with me.” He crooked a finger under her chin and tilted her head up. His lips ghosted over hers once more. “I can be gentle. Do you fear that I will hurt you?”
Her response came out as little more than a breath. “No. But I am afraid.”
“I will not take from you that which you do not wish to give. You desire my body. You asked me not to let you die a virgin, did you not? Let me fulfill that wish.”
“You say it as if you do not stand to benefit as well,” she murmured, feeling her resolve weakening. He was everywhere around her. His touch, his emotions, his power, they wrapped around her like a cocoon. There was no escaping him.
And that made her want him even more.
“Hardly. I must confess something to you. Something I think you may already know.” He took her hand and placed it over his heart, and she felt the beating tempo. His gaze was smoldering, lidded, watching her with an intense hunger and passion. “I have loved many a soul in my long years. But never have I known anything like this. I need you, Maxine…”
17
His words echoed in her mind. She knew he meant that he needed her more than in just a physical sense. She knew he meant it far deeper than that. She had brought him hope—the first he had known in thousands of years.
Oh, how she loved him.
He kissed her. Slow and passionate, it drove all doubts from her mind. He teased her lips, urging her to reply in kind. She was helpless to fight what rose in her like a tide. Her hands were tangled in his vest, and she chased his lips with her own. He slipped his hand to cradle the back of her neck, holding her as he deepened his embrace. Soon it became more demanding—harsh and bruising. With a flick of his tongue against her lower lip, she parted for the invader and let him take her mouth the way she knew he wished to take the rest of her.
She was the spoils of war this night.
And she wanted to be.
Beneath it all was the current inside him, pulling her deeper. When she let her tension ease from her shoulders, surrendering to her own need, he let out a hungry growl in his throat.
Without warning, she was lifted into his arms. He carried her with an arm under her knees and the other behind her shoulder. She squeaked at the sudden movement and threw her arms around his neck to hold on.
The world folded away on itself, and suddenly they were somewhere else. It was a dizzying transition, and now she knew why he had picked her up. If he hadn’t, she would have fallen to the ground.
It was dimly lit, but warm. She did not know where they were, precisely, but she knew the nature of the room well enough to set butterflies loose in her stomach. The enormous silk-covered bed was enough of a hint. A fire in a hearth by one wall chased away the cold and cast amber light dancing across the floor.
Fear gripped her once more, and she locked up in his arms. He chuckled at her reaction and gently placed her on her feet. Taking her hand, he led her to the edge of the bed, and he