An Unexpected Sin by Sarah Ballance Page B

assured I have no intention of evading any of your parts.”
    A loud crackle from the fire drew his attention as well as hers, keeping him from elaborating on that point, though for the better. Regretfully, he released his hold on her and tugged another piece of wood from his pile. After poking at the flames, he tossed the piece into the fire and stood, watching for a long moment, waiting for answers that did not come.
    But Anne came to him.
    It was always Anne.
    She approached from behind, and now her hands rested on his arms. “Josiah?”
    He turned and clasped both of her hands in his, kissing each one lightly. “I will deny you nothing. For the whole of my life, there is nothing I will not do for you, but I have to speak the truth.”
    She looked up at him, brilliant eyes intent with her concern. “What is it?”
    He touched her face, pushing aside tendrils of hair so he could see her fully. “When you come to me, I want you to be of clear mind and decision. As such, I fear taking liberties with your affections after such a tragic day.”
    She clutched his hand. “Do you not see? Everything is clear now.”
    “Tragedy changes people. It makes people want things they may not otherwise.”
    “Do you not think I know this? Do you think I do not know the pain of loss? I am—”
    He silenced her with the crush of his mouth against hers. He had not meant for it, but he could no more resist than deny her, and she had allowed for neither. Her sharp intake of breath left her lips parted and her mouth open to him, so he wasted nothing. He deepened the kiss, his need so overwhelming he had to fight to maintain control. But the battle was a losing one, and with every sweet temptation she breathed into his mouth, he gave up more of his desire to win. He wanted her so badly he shook, but he could not bear to hurt her.
    He could not bear that she might wake with regrets.
    “You heal me,” she whispered through a barely broken kiss. “I do not need to think or to worry about what is proper. I need to be with you, for the one thing I do know is my heart is true. I will never want for another.”
    His heart pounded, for in her sweetly spoken trust, she had given him not just permission, but her heart.
    He would find a way to win her hand.
    He would not live for anything less.
    From that unspoken promise grew assurance, and from within, a desire unlike any he had ever known. She filled him with a tumultuous ache. Need roared through him, fueled by her tiny whimpers and fingertips clutching at his back, until he could take no more of her clothing. He fumbled at her buttons, forcing away the urge to simply rip free the fasteners, for distant logic suggested she would need to dress again…eventually. But he had this night and this woman and he would explore every inch of her until he could move no more.
    Profane words laced his lips at the difficulty of her garments, and in time she was laughing and helping him with the task. Her fingers trembled, as did his, but piece by piece her wet clothing fell away. He did not bother with hanging it—he just let it fall where it may, and when she stood naked before him his heart nearly tore through his throat.
    “You are beautiful,” he said. “Simply stunning.”
    She blushed so prettily by firelight. She had already gifted him everything—verily, she could offer nothing more—but there was one favor she had yet to grant.
    He fingered the tendrils of hair that had escaped her coif and whispered his request. “Please take down your hair.”
    She answered with a demure smile, reaching without hesitation to do as he asked. With her slender arms held overhead, her breasts were on full display, their rosy tips erect. He was lost to the sight of them until the moment her reddish brown hair released from its knot and fell in a tangle of waves down her back and she addressed him in breathless tones. “Is that what you desire?”
    He could utter but one word. “Yes.”
    He wasted not a moment