Page 66 of The Warrior's Innocent Captive

She made no move to leave.

He took another step forward.

His gaze locked with hers and the rest of the room fell away. There was only Linota, nothing else.

He reached for her and she didn’t step away as his fingers traced the backs of her hands and up the length of her arms to her shoulders, bringing them to rest along the soft skin of her neck.

Her lips parted and her pupils darkened.

Gently he lowered his mouth to hers. She lifted her head as if welcoming his touch and he deepened the kiss, pouring all the months of longing and despair into his actions. Her tongue met his and he grunted, pulling her flush against his body.

Her hand stole into his hair and she gripped it tightly, almost painfully, as she held him in place.

His hands found the ties of her tunic and he began to pull on them, loosening the garment and pushing it to the floor. It hit the ground with a soft thud.

His hands ran down her back, feeling her soft curves through her dress. She whimpered as his hands skimmed the curves of her bottom. His body roared in satisfaction at the sound. He began to pull at the ties on her dress, his only thought to get her beneath him, to give them both a release from this raging desire.

One tie came undone and his fingers drifted to the next one.

His mind was almost totally lost.

But he wasn’t so far gone that he didn’t feel the press of hands against his chest.

He lifted his head and gazed down. The palms of Linota’s hands were pressed against him, pushing him away. He glanced at her face. Her cheeks were flushed, her pupils wide and her lips swollen. She looked like a woman swept away with desire, but the stance of her body said otherwise.

‘Please stop,’ she whispered.

He heard the pain in her voice and he stepped back as if scalded. She stumbled and he reached out a hand to catch her.

Once she was steady he removed his hand once more.

His body clamoured to take her back into his arms. Instead he strode over to his worktable and began to arrange his already ordered tools.

He concentrated on his breathing, in and out. He was a man, not a beast. He would not touch a woman unless she was willing.

‘Why are you here, Linota?’ he asked again.

There was a long pause and he turned to check she was still in the room.

She was where he’d left her, her embroidered tunic still at her feet.

A flush of shame washed over him, but he didn’t move to pick it up. He didn’t trust himself to be near her again.

‘I’m here to celebrate my sister’s marriage to Borwyn.’

‘Aye, I know why you are in Borwyn’s fortress but why are you in this chamber,my chamberto be exact?’

Her fingers twisted into the folds of her dress, her gaze darting towards his storage chest and away again.

‘Would you believe me if I said I was lost?’ she asked in a quiet voice.

‘No.’ It wasn’t possible. His chamber was in the opposite direction to the Great Hall.

She smiled sadly and bent to pick up her tunic, her braid falling over her shoulder as she did so.

He tore his gaze away from her and focused on a point on the wall behind her.

‘Linota, please tell me the truth as to why you are in here.’

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