Raina waited like the dutiful daughter she was expected to be outside her father’s office doors. A footman stood blocking the way in. No one had ever barred the entrance before. She wondered what had brought about the new orders.
The overly large silver buttons on the man’s rich green uniform glinted in the sun streaming through a nearby window. For the past four years Raina had come to loathe her father’s distinct service attire. One of them always showed up to collect her husband within hours of his arriving home, ensuring she stayed married to a stranger. But not right now, and if she were a braver woman, possibly never again.
The unfamiliar sense of desire Kevin had awakened with his simple kiss was something Raina needed to explore. If she were willing to challenge her father for her career, she better be willing to challenge him for her marriage. She took a deep, grounding breath to ease the anxiety growing within.
As if he heard a cue she hadn’t, the footman stepped aside and swept the door open. Raina nodded curtly and brushed past. Her father didn’t bother to rise from behind his desk, merely cast her a glance of annoyance. Dressed in charcoal gray and deep red, colors meant to intimidate, his large imposing frame made her steps slow as she crossed the room. He shook his head in irritation and sighed. Childish repentance at disturbing his work time had her clasping her hands in front of her and sitting primly before his desk on the edge of the chair.
“You know how busy I am, Lorraina. What do you need?” he inquired, reaching across the desk for a sheet of paper.
Raina swallowed against the nervous dryness coating her throat. “I had an interesting conversation with Master Guardian Raiventon last night.”
He quirked a brow, but still basically ignored her presence. “Not a deep enough one to refer to him as anything more than his rank, I see.”
And had Raina used Kevin’s first name, her father would have sneered at her apparent familiarity, along with what that might mean. Keeping calm and careful not to show any outward emotion, Raina continued to regard her father. “Since you used the inheritance clause to force him into a contract with me, I wanted to make sure you’d be voting in the affirmative at the E&R meeting.”
“Sent you to ask the dirty question. I didn’t expect Merrick to be a coward. Perhaps I should reconsider his constitution.”
Raina bristled at the insult. “He’s unaware of the purpose to my visit.”
Synintel waved a flippant hand. “Don’t worry daughter, you won’t be left a commoner.”
“I can’t be a commoner, I’m a Gen-Heir. Your genetic heir.”
He sighed. “You know what I mean. Of the lower-class.”
“Kevin already assured me of that.”
Finally, her father looked at her. “Did he, now?”
“Would you really strip his rank?” She tried to keep her voice even, but the faint crack of worry wouldn’t be denied.
“I think the question, dear daughter, is would he really do that to you? Make you live well outside your comfort or station? No. There are many reasons I chose him, his honor was one.”
“Where is your honor? Has he not earned what his father has, and then some? He works for you, does he not?”
The Arch Guardian sighed again, as if she were the small child who used to sit before him so many years ago. “Lorraina, you don’t understand how things work. You’re my daughter, and really, a Master Guardian is below you, we both know it. But Raiventon is… unique. And when the threat against you is over, naturally your marriage will be too.”
Raina couldn’t stop her incredulous gasp. “Threat against me? Father, won’t that be never ending?”
“In one sense perhaps, in another no.”
One of the dragons snarled at her from the desk corner and Raina had the urge to throw the heavy bronze beast at her father. “You and your riddles. They’re as meaningless now as they’ve always been!”
“And your husband’s impertinence is rubbing off on you. I won’t have you speaking to me in such a manner, Lorraina.”
She went to hang her head in remorse the way she would have done when she’d lived under his roof. But learning Kevin had the backbone to stand up to her father and walk out provided much needed courage. She stood. “Then I’m finished speaking. But know this father, if you take away Kevin’s rank and his home, you take away mine too. I made that contract for life. I won’t let him tell a lie that will cost him everything his family worked for just because you want to have your way.”
Anger flared in his pale brown eyes. “You silly little girl, you never did grow up. One day you’ll see the world for what it is. I hope by then it’s not too late. Your husband will do exactly as he’s told, when he’s told to do it, regardless of how you feel about the matter. Now stop concerning yourself with things you can’t change and don’t understand.”
Raina fought tears, her hands fisted at her sides. Anything she said would fall on deaf ears. Turning on her heels, her lavender gown billowing around her ankles, she stalked from his presence. At least she knew her father hadn’t changed even a little. Now, more than ever, she wanted out from underneath his control. And her reasons why doubled in importance.
“Tell me again why we need to be here?” Katria Blackbain, Primary Guardianess of Wintersfall asked her husband, leaning in a little closer than social norms dictated acceptable.
Her husband, Sean, glanced down at her, his jaw shifting to hide a smile Kevin knew his friend was tempted to give. “Because you refuse to do anything else social and I don’t want us to look like cowards hiding in our house.”
Katria heaved a sigh of annoyance and rolled her eyes. “Fine.”
To hide his own smile from his bickering friends, Kevin glanced around the ballroom searching for Raina. She’d spotted her friend Patricia when she had entered and immediately departed for her. Across the distance of the room he finally saw her. Their eyes met for the briefest of moments before her attention shifted to Katria standing next to him. A small frown crossed over her features.
Not wanting to give anything away, Kevin kept his expression neutral. Katria turned toward him. The inky black length of her hair fell in cascading waves down her back, adorned with small glittering flowers. Their rich purple matched the shimmery silk of her violet gown. Her startling blue eyes fixed him with displeasure. Apparently since her husband wasn’t biting, she’d see how far she could rile Kevin. Their little sharpshooter was in one of her moods tonight.
“Where’s your wife? I’m beginning to doubt you actually have one.”
Kevin laughed and shook his head. “Just for that, I’m going to make you wait. And maybe even guess.”
Exhaling in a dramatic fashion, Katria wrapped her arm around her belly and rested her elbow on it, tapping her chin in thought. “Let’s see, too condescending, not pretty enough, too short, not old enough, too… something. Maybe her? No.”
Kevin crossed his arms over his chest and fought another wave of laughter, wondering if the too short woman had indeed been Raina. Once again he found his attention drawn to her. The cream gown accented with glittering navy beads hugged her curves. A braid curled into an elegant crown atop her head, small white crystals in each fold sparkled in the warm light. Simple makeup brought out the pale shade of her eyes and the curves of her cheeks and jaw. Everything about her was beautiful.
“Your husband could tell you,” he said.
“What’s the fun in that?” Then all traces of humor left Katria’s face and Kevin followed the direction of her stare.
Sean let loose a low curse only the three of them could hear. “Well, there goes my good mood.”
Shield Guardian Enbrackon sauntered in from the arched entrance to the social room straight for Raina. The cream jacket he wore glittered with dark blue beadwork. Navy slacks and shirt, along with cream-colored boots completed his flashy outfit. Kevin clenched his jaw and fisted his hands. Katria shifted back, her already pale skin turning a sickly shade. In a protective motion, Sean stepped forward, sheltering her.
“I should have given in and let her bring a gun,” Sean said with a shake of his head.
Kevin frowned. “That would have been unwise.”
“Probably, but satisfying.”
Since the statement was true enough, Kevin didn’t argue. “He likely didn’t know you’d be here, or he wouldn’t have shown.”
“I don’t know. He’s an arrogant scab.”
Raina had taken a large step back when she’d noticed the Shield Guardian, the shock on her face genuine. Kevin flexed his fist. “She didn’t know.”
Sean raised his brows. “That he’s a stalker? How could she not know? Maybe she’ll figure it out now.”
Kevin’s frown intensified. “Can you tell me anything by what you see?”
“I think you’d know her body language better than I would.”
Yes, one would think so. And yet Kevin knew much less than he wished where Raina was concerned. Especially her body. What he could tell, he didn’t like. Enbrackon crowded her space, isolating her from the group of women she’d been conversing with. Slowly, he forced her to walk nearer to the greenhouse doors, his perfectly styled head low to hers, whispering words. Raina’s frame was tense, her steps compulsory. If Kevin didn’t do something quick, they’d be out into the greenhouse and he’d be forced to make a scene.
“I need to borrow Kat.”
Sean stared up at him. “For what?”
“Chess.”
“Chess?”
“Yes.”
Sean glanced at Raina, who’d managed to stall the progress. The Shield Guardians hand raised to her elbow and with a not-so-gentle tug, they were walking again. “Ah.”
Kevin offered Katria his arm. “What do you say, Kat? Do you want to play?”
“Anything to leave this room,” she answered.
Leaning over, Kevin whispered, “Act like I said something entirely too charming.”
She looped her hand onto his forearm, her brilliant blue eyes wide with mock fascination. “You? Charming?”
“Aren’t I always?”
“Yes, I’m so enchanted when I’m being flipped and land hard enough to have the wind knocked from my lungs,” she muttered.
Kevin laughed and led them from the room. “I’ll remember you like it.”
“Please don’t.” She stepped in closer to him. “Why are we disappearing together?”
“To catch a cat, we must play mouse.”
Katria glanced over her shoulder. “Which one are we hoping to catch, exactly?”
“The pretty one.”
A frown creased her forehead. “They’d both be considered pretty.”
Kevin chuckled. “My wife, Kat.”
That caused Katria’s steps to falter. Kevin grasped her upper arm to keep her upright. “She is your wife? But she’s so much smaller than you!”
Kevin purposefully didn’t look over his shoulder. “Yes.”
“Did you teach her to fight, too?”
The sudden image of Raina locked in battle with him, sweaty, her body pressed in close to his, dressed in the same tight black clothing Katria wore to their workouts had Kevin’s breath hitching. “No,” he somehow managed to get out.
“Probably a good thing. She would run circles around you.”
Kevin had no doubt. Because he’d let her.
The second Kevin disappeared with a beautiful raven-haired woman on his arm, Raina stopped paying attention to any word Phipps spoke. She had chanced a glance at the good-looking man they’d left behind. He was tall, but not like Kevin, his hair two shades darker than her husband’s, though considerably longer. Even from across the room she could make out the intense amber of his irises, probably because he wore a shirt not much different in shade. Like Kevin, he was incredibly fit. Something that stood out among the languid men and women of their society.
“Lorraina,” Phipps barked. “Did you not hear me?”
“Yes, of course I heard you. And I told you, I’m waiting on a radio transmission to see if my plan to get the cargo here sooner is feasible.”
“Of course it’s feasible, we already discussed the method. You just need to use your smart brain, which we’re paying good money for, to see to it. The cargo must arrive by the date I appointed.”
Raina despised when he used events to try to strong arm her professional decisions. Even more than she despised the stout cologne making her itch to sneeze. “I told you we can discuss this tomorrow afternoon, when I’m accepting appointments.”
Two couples walked into the room, arm in arm, laughing. Neither of them her husband and the siren he’d left with. Where were they? She worked her bottom lip. More importantly, what were they doing?
Phipps crowded her space, backing her into a table, making sure she had no exit. “I don’t need an appointment to see you. I’m your best client, the only client capable of making sure you have the means to support yourself without father-dearest’s help or hand. We will discuss business whenever I feel inclined.”
Anger rose inside her. Raina wanted to snap that he could keep his business to himself, and she didn’t need him. But the lie wouldn’t make much impact, so she kept her mouth shut and nodded. Another small group crossed under the arch, none of them faces she wanted to see. Images of Kevin kissing the woman in ways she wanted him to pay attention to her had her stepping free from the Shield Guardian the moment he gave her space. When he reached for her, she quickly sidestepped him.
“We’ve discussed all I dare tonight. I’m sure you don’t wish for any of your trade partner’s secrets to be overheard.”
He frowned. “No, I don’t suppose that would be good.”
Too stressed to care about how he felt, Raina put more distance between them. “Excuse me, I must go find Master Guardian Raiventon.”
Before he could reach for her again, she melted into the crowd, hoping he wouldn’t be bold enough to pursue her. People would already be discussing the mistakes she’d made tonight, separating from her husband early in the evening and speaking to Enbrackon, who somehow matched her again. She’d consider the implications of his attire later, after locating her wayward spouse.
Would anyone be discussing his disappearance with a woman other than her on his arm in the morning? Likely not. As Synintel’s daughter, she was held to a standard no one in the room could truly understand. One she’d been failing miserably at holding even herself to.
As she slipped through the throng of guests, head held high, weariness settled on her shoulders. She wondered if being thrust into the lower class would really be such a terrible thing. Is that how Kevin had grown up? He’d said his childhood had been happy. Raina wasn’t really sure what a happy upbringing entailed, but she figured better than hers.
Shaking her head against the negative direction of her thoughts, she searched through the rooms open to guests. Both the game room and dining hall yielded empty results. For once thankful she was on the smaller side, she easily managed to make herself inconspicuous enough to disappear into the shadowed parts of the house. To make sure everyone knew where they were, and weren’t allowed, the lights had been extinguished in the upstairs and back portion of the sprawling mansion. Though now she wished she’d worn something other than cream, a beacon in the otherwise dark areas.
Nerve’s dancing, Raina reached for the first door she came too. She eased it open and poked her head in. Heavy breathing and a flash of red hair in the available light had her quickly closing out the couple with a grimace. Oops. At the next door, she hesitated. What if she found Kevin with the woman in the same way?
No, if he hadn’t been unfaithful in their less-than-intimate marriage, he wasn’t about to start at a hosted event. Which begged the question, what was her husband up to? Raina’s fingers hovered over the knob. Taking a deep breath, she let the door fall open. Muted lamp light lit one corner of a vast three-story library. Beneath one of the lamps, Kevin and the woman were engrossed over a game of chess.
Or so she thought until she heard the woman fuss. “Wait, wait, I thought that one moved in the shape of an ‘L’.”
“No, that’s this one,” Kevin replied patiently. “How has Sean never taught this to you?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. He never played when we were on assignment. Now? Well...”
Kevin held up his hand. “Forget I asked.”
Raina stepped into the room. Kevin glanced up and set the piece he’d been holding back on the board. “I was wondering when you’d finally appear.”
Unsure of how to respond, she went to open her mouth, but the woman twisted in her seat. Raina gasped at her startling shade of blue eyes. With her black hair and pale skin, she was beyond compare.
“Oh, thank goodness,” the woman said, her body visibly relaxing.
“I wasn’t so bad of a teacher,” Kevin grumbled.
Laughing, the woman turned back around. “You’re an amazing teacher, you know that. But this,” she waved her hand over the board, “is not something to learn in one sitting. Like fighting, it takes practice and multiple lessons.”
Raina raised a brow. Fighting? What were they talking about?
“Do you have your check-mate?”
The deep voice behind her made Raina jump. She spun around and then took a hasty step back as the handsome man she’d seen across the ballroom sauntered into the library. He was much larger than he’d appeared from a distance. Though calm in demeanor, there was no mistaking his air of authority.
Kevin relaxed further back in his seat. A black marble chess piece flipped between his fingers. “I do.”
“Good. Then I can have my wife back.”
Finally, Kevin looked her way. Neither his dark gray eyes nor guarded expression revealed anything concerning his mood. She found herself fidgeting.
“Raina, I’d like you to meet Sean and Katria Blackbain. You may know them better as Primary Guardian and Guardianess Wintersfall,” Kevin stated, still not rising from his seat.
More than a little shocked, Raina’s attention returned to the man. Everyone knew of the various scandals that had plagued the Wintersfall rank for generations, all of them atrocious. She’d never met anyone in the family personally, her father would have none of it. The well dressed, relaxed, commanding man wasn’t the image she’d had in mind at the Wintersfall name.
Sean helped his wife rise, his amber eyes dancing with laughter as he looked Raina’s direction. “That’s how I expected you to stare at me when you found out we were married.”
Raina flushed and quickly looked away. She clasped her hands before herself demurely, embarrassed she’d not only been caught staring, but apparently with the shock she’d felt.
“I was raised so far from Haven City, that wasn’t a concern.” Katria brought his hand to her chest and smiled. “Besides, I loved you as Sean, before I knew you were Wintersfall.”
“No you didn’t,” he correct quickly.
“Yes, I did. I think I know when I fell in love with you.”
Raina pressed her lips together. She didn’t know whether to be concerned or charmed by their banter.
Sean’s jaw flexed. “Yes, at your fathers, after I—”
Katria raised on her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around Sean’s neck and pressed her mouth to his. With a growl, he pulled her close. Smiling, Katria broke their kiss. “Take me home.”
The raw hunger in Sean’s gaze as he stared at his wife stole Raina’s breath. She’d never seen a husband express desire for his spouse before. At a woman he courted sure, or even at a woman he intended to woo into his bed as a lover. Not even Patricia’s husband looked at her with such intensity. In their world, passion and marriage didn’t exist.
“I will take you anywhere,” Sean said.
Katria released her hold and then took his hand, pulling him to the door. A wicked grin turned up the corners of her mouth. “You know exactly where I want to go, husband.”
Kevin laughed and waved an exaggerated goodbye. “See you tomorrow.”
The couple made a hasty exit, but not before closing her in the library with Kevin. The chess piece still flipped and rolled between his fingers, his other hand thrummed the armrest. He motioned at the seat opposite him with the piece.
“Sit. You look like a monster is going to jump out of the shadows.”
Unconsciously, she glanced over her shoulder and then rolled her eyes at the ridiculous action. There weren’t any monsters in the room. Not unless she counted the handsome beast sitting in front of a chessboard.
Raina took the seat, her gaze transfixed on the way muted light cast Kevin’s face in both soft and hard planes, defining angles and textures that made her want to crawl across the table and trace his lines. She settled for focusing on the tallest piece on the board, her fingers outlining the ridges of the cool white marble.
“Do you play?” Kevin asked, still too composed for her to know his mood.
She shook her head. “No, my father does, but he never taught me.”
“That surprises me. I’d think he’d want his daughter to have a clear understanding when it comes to a game built on logistics.”
Raina wanted to hide her distaste at her father’s view of his daughter, but the hurt was too raw, too bitter. To him she was weak. Something needed protection that could only be provided through marriage. Most people were able to test the waters of a relationship with a year-long contract, see if the bond was a good fit with the safety of being exclusive for a set length of time. The security measures were put in place during the height of the Human Rabies Syndrome epidemic, since HRS was transferred via sex during its inactive phase. The simple option had never been one Raina could entertain. “If my father had his way, I’d have married some distant prince to secure a better future for Sziveria. I’m lucky he let me train in my genetic ability at all after tests confirmed my logic-based talent. Once any prospective husband learned he’d be marrying a highly educated wife, he wanted nothing to do with me.”
The piece paused mid flip between his fingers. “I didn’t know he’d offered you to anyone else.”
Raina clenched her jaw, hating the rise of humiliation she thought she’d managed to get over so many years ago. When she’d discussed their marriage in the greenhouse, she’d been too embarrassed to share her side of the story. Since she already made the mistake of telling how undesirable she was, she didn’t see how mentioning more could hurt. “Twice.”
“And they said no because you’re intelligent?”
“One, the other because I wasn’t pretty enough.”
“Was he blind?”
If his tone hadn’t been genuine, Raina would have thought he joked. She glanced at him and smiled faintly at the sincere questioning in his eyes. “No.”
Kevin sighed and resumed playing with the black marble. “They both were fools.”
A faint flutter in her chest had her breath hitching. Did he think she was pretty and valued her intelligence? She didn’t have time to dwell on the notions before he asked another question.
“And then to me?”
She slid a small piece forward with a ball on top. When the marble moved without effort, she tipped the stone up and noted a glued fabric swatch on the bottom. “Sort of, it was all very strange. A little over four years ago something happened. My father acted strangely for weeks. He wouldn’t come out of his office for any reason except to sleep and bathe. He dispatched footman after footman with letters. I thought we’d gone to war and no one else knew yet. Then he simply announced he’d found me a husband and handed me the contract to read over.”
“And you made two changes.”
“Yes.” Raina’s attention went back to the tallest figure on the board. “Did you make any?”
“I wasn’t permitted to.”
Startled by the information, Raina snapped her gaze to his. “How could that be? Legally you had every right to make changes as I did. I always figured father handled the negotiations with you instead of myself.”
He gave a cold smile. “You assume I had rights in the matter.”
“You must hate me,” Raina whispered before she realized she’d thought the words.
Kevin sighed heavily and set the chess piece down with equal weight. “I don’t hate you. Your father, yes, I have a healthy amount of that emotion for him. But you didn’t exactly have a say in much, either. I imagine the changes to the contract were to piss him off more than me.”
“Yes,” And now Raina worried her act of defiance may have led to Synintel’s decision to dissolve Kevin’s rank. She wondered if he’d still reserve his hate for her father alone if he figured that little tidbit out. Needing to change the subject, she pointed to the small piece she’d moved forward. “What is this one called?”
“A pawn.”
“What were you holding?” She glanced at the oddly shaped black silhouette that reminded her of a horse’s head.
“A knight.”
Raina worked her bottom lip and moved to the tallest. “And this one?”
“The king, also the weakest piece on the board next to the pawn. Capture that piece, checkmate, game over.”
She touched the slightly shorter piece beside the king. “This must be his queen.”
“Yes, and she’s the strongest piece on the board. She can move any direction she wishes.”
The beautifully carved white marble seemed to glow in the pale light. “Must be my father’s favorite piece.”
Kevin shook his head, leaned forward and set a black pawn in the center of the board. “That’s your father’s favorite piece.”
Raina stared at the small, insignificant cut stone. A pawn. Her gaze flitted to the row of them, neatly line up, ready for their master to send them forward as sacrifice to keep the more important, more maneuverable pieces in play longer. While she wanted to rail against the fact that she was one of the ones thrown forward for sacrifice, she couldn’t ignore the truth any longer. To her father, she was one of the important pieces, lined up in the back, waiting for the next move.
Her husband was the pawn.
Suddenly, the game lost any appeal it may have had. She pulled her hands away, not wanting to touch another piece. “Why did you come in here?”
Kevin shifted the pawn back into line. “Shield Guardian Enbrackon matched you again. The less time you stood in his presence, the better.”
“Why didn’t you just join us?” she challenged, squaring her shoulders.
The stormy depths of his eyes lingered long enough to make her shift in the padded seat. “Because I can’t get within a foot of him.”
“Why?”
“He’d end up a twitching puddle on the ground.”
The imagery both confused and amused Raina. The gruff, entirely masculine delivery did something else to her. “I don’t understand.”
“All the better Trust me.”
Raina glanced over her shoulder at the closed door. “We should probably return to the event.”
“For what purpose?”
Because it’s expected of us. But she hadn’t exactly been meeting expectation the past couple months. The reason would sound hollow even to her ears. “People will talk.”
“People always talk.”
She flattened her hands on the chair’s arms and rose. “True, and I’m tired of being their topic.”
“Then stop giving them so much to discuss.” His words were more suggestion than order.
Still, they rubbed Raina the wrong way. She stalked over to him and stopped at his knees, hands fisted at her side. Sitting, he wasn’t taller than her. In fact, if she straightened, she’d be able to look down at him for a change. “I have nothing to defend against baseless gossip. If they want to speak, nothing I do will change the lies.”
He lifted her arm and caressed the distance to her hand. The warmth of his touch slid up her forearm. Without resistance, her palm opened at his urging. The tips of his fingers glided along the sensitive skin and up to her inner wrist and then back. The undemanding touch was sensual and riveting. Rational thought fled her mind.
Raina’s pulse quickened and her breath echoed in her ears. What was he doing to her? A strange sensation built deep in her belly. With a gentle tug he pulled her closer and she didn’t object. A mild pressure at her back eased her forward, sinking into his waiting embrace. Her knees settled into the spaces beside his thighs. Straddling his lap, Raina tried not to be overwhelmed at the intimacy of their position. The breath rushed from her lungs as his chest met hers.
Tender at first, his lips brushed across hers. Raina closed her eyes. The subtle, clean scent of Kevin invaded her senses, heightening her awareness of him. His tongue slid along her bottom lip and with a sigh, Raina accepted the invitation. The second her mouth opened and his tongue caressed hers, everything changed. A sharp, intense sensation burst to life at her center and she whimpered, rising on her knees, her hands grasping his strong shoulders, desperate for more.
Kevin’s hands pressed into her back, forcing her down onto the hard mass behind the buttons of his pants. Primal pleasure tingled as her center settled over him. Too many layers of fabric bunched between them, but somewhere in the part of her mind that still held to lucid thought, she knew she could do nothing about that. Not here. His mouth slanted over hers, possessing, claiming, pulling her deeper into a kiss she hadn’t known existed.
Under her hands, every muscle in his shoulders drew tight and his mouth tore from hers. Breathing heavily, he relaxed his hold and put some distance between them. Confused, Raina stared at him.
“Wh—”
“We’ve been discovered, my dear.”
Heat crept into her cheeks and she chanced a look over her shoulder. A man and woman quickly exited the library. The woman’s giggles carried to Raina a second before the door closed again. She drew in a shuddering breath, unsure if she should be embarrassed or not.
“I suppose we should leave. They’ll have plenty to say now,” she said.
Kevin helped her rise, straightening the front of her dress while she adjusted the corset style top. “Yes, and none of it will be a lie.”
Shocked, Raina stopped in her adjusting. “Is that why you kissed me?”
“Would you be upset if I said yes?”
She blinked, unsure how to take the question. “Would I? I should think so.”
The smile he offered was less than kind. “Yes.”