One Night of Sin (Mansforth Chronicles Book 1)
One Night of Sin: Chapter 5

As fate would have it, every article of Braxton’s clothing had been stuck to him like glue as a wild, gusty deluge swept across the countryside. He’d been right. The rains had been on their way, and the sky had opened up, pouring out its sorrows for as far as the eye could see. What a formidable, miserable night, he thought.

All thanks to this vixen that had blown right into his life.

Like drowned rats, the two hid beneath the shelter of a tree at the edge of a clearing, though it was far too late to conceive of staying dry. The winds had been howling viciously for some time now, swirling violently as they shook the branches angrily in the wind. Thank God this was a sound, sturdy tree, he thought, or any sense of safety would’ve been nothing more than a fanciful wish.

‘I’d like to believe the rains will let up soon,’ he said sorrowfully. ‘But, at the rate this evening is unfolding, I’m not confident they will.’

Lilliana stared over at him as he continued pacing the tree line, watching with bated breath as the storm raged on.

Clearly, the man could not sit still if his life depended on it! It was infuriating, watching him pace back and forth like a wild, brooding animal, and between his persistent sighs of aggravation, and her soaking wet clothing, any hope of having a decent night’s sleep had vanished.

‘And how, pray tell, do you have the energy to pace constantly? I would’ve thought you’d been well on your way to exhaustion by now.’

‘Well, I’d like to think this damn storm will be over soon. The first sign of it letting up, and I’ll be on my way.’

‘You mean we will be on our way?’

‘Yes,’ he said tersely. ‘But should you continue to drive me mad, I will have no problem leaving you here.’

Once more, it was another lie, one he realized he never could truly carry out. He hadn’t the heart nor the stomach to leave a woman in such wretched conditions.

In fact, he very nearly was beginning to feel… something for her, something peculiar, indeed, that made his heart hammer in his chest.

Lilliana closed her eyes and sank to her knees, wishing she could be anywhere but here right about now. What this man possessed in looks, he possessed nothing of intelligence. Or kindness. Or any of the other redeeming qualities a gentleman was supposed to have. Yet, she could not stop feeling a pull to him. Like oil and water, the two of them had collided, unable to replace their balance, their sense of peace. Yet somewhere deep within his dark, shadowy eyes, and behind his wicked grin, a softer side was there, hiding in the corridors of his soul. She could see it. He didn’t have to utter a word about it, but it was there.

Lilliana drew in a deep breath, steadying herself against the anger that threatened to unleash itself upon him. ‘Yes, well, I know you did not set out to have an evening such as this, but I am still grateful you’ve been able to assist me all the same.’

Even in the darkness, Lilliana watched as the hardened look on his face softened. Was he finally letting her in? She should hope as much, for underneath it all, she knew a great man had the potential to exist.

Even if she just hadn’t quite seen the evidence of it yet.

‘Well, I would’ve been a fool to let that man lay a single finger upon you. And that man was no man at all, but a coward of the highest degree! No man should ever place his hands on another lady.’

Lilliana was stunned, genuinely stunned by such a profoundly bold yet refreshing statement. ‘You don’t believe us to be your obedient slaves?’

She colored, feeling utterly mortified of saying something so brazen to a perfect stranger. She could almost feel the anger rising in him for saying such a thing.

Except… it didn’t. There was simply no outrage at all.

Braxton shook his head. ‘Not at all. Unlike the rest of society, I have a great deal of respect for the fairer sex, even if they are a bit… trying at times.’ He smiled ruefully, hoping his words would not incense her.

“Well, that is a refreshing change, I must say. We are much more than what we seem, and we are capable of far more than what most would believe.’

‘Most people lack the intellect to see as much,’ he scoffed. He walked to the edge of the tree line once more, craning his neck in the darkness as he watched the rain fall. ‘At least the rain is subsiding.’

A cold shiver raced through her as the winds swept across her skin. ‘Yes, well, it is still terribly cold. Surely, we will be ill by morning.’

His eyes danced mysteriously as he turned to face her. “You know, there are plenty of ways to keep warm, but some are a little more pleasurable than others.’

Heat raced across her cheeks, and Lilliana stood to greet him, stepping forward as he drew near. Was he goading her? Or was she only assuming as much?

‘Whatever do you mean?’ she asked demurely.

‘I think you damn well know what I mean.’ His heated breath tickled her cool skin, and Braxton lowered his lips very near to hers, his mouth threatening to claim hers with an all-consuming kiss. ‘I think you know that quite well.’

‘Well, I… I do not, I’m afraid.’

A slight grin pulled at the corners of his lips. ‘Then I’ll have no choice but to show you.’ Gently, his lips claimed hers, sending a wave of fire through her body. Who was this strange man that had captivated her so? And better still, why had he refused to let her go earlier that evening? Truly, it was a mystery she could not quite resolve. And yet…

She did not want to solve it.

She did not want to contemplate the reason as to why he was here, only that he was here, showing her the tenderness and passion she had craved for so long.

Instinctively, her arms wrapped about his neck, and her lips parted, letting his tongue tease and caress her own in a way that both shocked and electrified her senses. She had tasted the lips of a man before. Many times before, if she counted the kisses she’d shared on stage. But his kiss was different, consuming her in a way she had not expected, nor realized she had been missing.

She moaned, relishing the sensual pleasure his kiss had afflicted her body with as he teased her tongue with his. It would’ve been wise of her to stop the madness before it had begun, but she was powerless now, unable and unwilling to push him away.

The truth was, she had wanted him from the moment he’d come into view, despite all the terror that had coursed through her veins at the time. She’d never ran into the night with a perfect stranger, but now as his kisses burned through her, she knew right to her very core she would make the same choice all over again.

The world had begun to fade around her, blending into the background as he deepened the kiss, and for this one moment in time, nothing seemed to matter. It did not matter that she had been soaked to the bone, nor had it mattered she’d never felt such a bitter chill in her life. This man had breathed life back into her, warming her and filling with a need she never knew she could possess.

Slowly, he nibbled her bottom lip, pulling it gently with his teeth. Dear God, he could do this endlessly if she would let him! And oh, he prayed she would. It was all he could do to keep from hauling her to the forest floor, letting her ride him into oblivion. But he was no animal, despite the raw, carnal instinct she had ignited within him. Feelings that he had long since forgotten he could possess had taken over in the most maddening of ways as he kissed her deeply.

And though she’d been the most stubborn, foolish woman he’d ever met in quite a long while, he wanted her just the same. He’d wanted her from the moment he had seen her there, her voice filling the theater as she graced her presence on the stage. Like a priceless gem, she was the most brilliant of all, standing out amongst the sea of ladies, for no lady could possess her beauty, nor could any woman dare to think herself an equal to this woman’s angelic voice. He could, quite literally, hold her in his arms forever.

If only she would let him.

Abruptly, he felt her hands upon his chest, the heat inside him rising until he felt the defiant, forceful push of her palms.

‘We cannot do this,” she breathed. ‘I should never have let you take such liberties with me.”

Ah, yes, the vexing little shrewish side of her was back, he thought. Had this moment meant so little to her that she would throw it all away for the sake of propriety?

He stared at her longingly, wishing he could crush his lips to hers one final time, though he knew in that moment one more kiss would never be enough. She’d cast a divine spell on him, it seemed.

And he would be addicted, hopelessly at her mercy for all eternity.

“I do not know what has come over me!” she cried. “But we simply cannot be seen like this.”

‘Seen? Why, here isn’t a soul around!’

Lilliana glowered up at him. ‘It simply wasn’t the proper thing to do, and I regret doing as much! Now if you’ll excuse me, I must—”

Braxton seized hold of her arm, pulling her around to meet his gaze. ‘You are not going anywhere without me,’ he said. ‘And do not think such foolish thoughts. There is so much more that can be said through one’s kiss than with words.”

She squeezed her eyes shut, knowing deep down that her traitorous body had betrayed her, yielding to him and his animalistic demands. It had felt good to be in another man’s arms after so long, to be kissed as passionately as characters in her favorite romantic novels. But she should not want this pleasure, nor yearn for his kisses. Yet, she did.

And she had let a terrible lie spill forth from her lips.

She did not regret the kisses they shared, any more than she would regret anything else that might transpire between them. Merely, she’d only been elated to discover that she wasn’t the cold, dead fish Giovanni always referred to her as when she did not yield to his attentions. She was, however, a live, sensual creature, capable of feeling, of wanting…

Of needing.

At least, in the arms of Braxton Cuthbert.

“I’d dare say your lack of response proves me right,’ he declared. ‘You did not regret one damn thing about that kiss.’ He lifted her chin, commanding her to meet his gaze. ‘Tell me that you do not wish I would devour you right here and now.’ When she did answer, he continued. ‘Go on. I dare you to.’

Lilliana shook her head slightly. ‘I… I can’t.’

Braxton broke into a smile, wide and wicked as he lowered his lips to the soft space just below her ear. ‘That’s what I thought,’ he whispered. ‘You cannot escape me.’

Gooseflesh prickled her skin as his heated breath caressed her ear. How dare he do this to her, appealing to her senses in such an erotic way! She should not be so wanton, nor so desperate for his touch, but the effects from all the cold and wind and rain had seemed to all but subside once his lips began to taste her skin.

Like fire and ice, his kisses elicited a bittersweet symphony of feelings that washed over her as his lips trailed down her neck.

There was something different about this man, this man that had engulfed her soul into flames, ceaselessly keeping her at his mercy. But she did not want this to stop. No matter how maddening it was, this man had turned her world upside down, forever changing the course of history. She’d begun the day as nothing more than a well-trained slave, singing sweet songs of ecstasy to crowded rooms, all for a man who had not respected her. Now, she was a woman on the run, fleeing from the only life she’d ever known, and straight into the arms of a complete stranger, a stranger so handsome and tantalizing it was as though he’d manifested straight from a dream into reality.

His lips parted, letting his tongue lathe the soft hollow at the base of her neck, and she gasped at the sensation, feeling the heat gathering low in her belly. Gentle as he was, a sinister side of him lay just beneath the surface, waiting to be unleashed. She could feel the tension brewing inside him with each melodic swirl of his tongue against her heated skin. He himself had the power to make her whole body sing.

And sing she would, if his tongue ever dared to taste her elsewhere.

Just the mere thought of that sent heat to her cheeks, nearly scorching her skin with embarrassment. She should not want this man so. But she did.

She wanted to feel the warmth of his skin against her bare breasts, and the way his heart pounded in unison with her own as their bodies joined together. Irritating as it was, she wanted to feel it all with this man, this man who had aroused such desire from deep inside her.

‘Please,’ she begged. ‘We cannot… we cannot do this. Not here.’ Her mouth had managed to form the words, but even she herself did not believe them. She needed him so carelessly that there was no doubt if he aroused her any further, she would not allow herself to deny him his pleasure, for she, too, had no choice but to surrender to his kisses.

He captured her lips once more, his kisses powerful and greedy as his tongue swirled around hers, and she clung to him, grasping at his arms as though she was on the verge of her dying breath. She could scarcely breathe as it was with his intoxicating kisses, and as his hand firmly cupped her bottom, she leaned into him, pressing herself against him until she felt the hard ridge of his erection straining against his clothes. She was playing with fire now, summoning forces within this man that she had no business truly summoning, yet she’d walked along the tightrope all the same, tempting him as she was.

Kiss by kiss, his lips ventured slowly down her neck, trailing ever so lazily down to her breasts and he pulled the fabric downward. ‘Oh surely we would not do this here,” she rasped. “Not here in this dreary place.’

His breath tickled against the sensitive bud as he spoke. ‘Would you rather it be a fine summer day in a field of wildflowers?’

She smiled warmly as the vivid image of a brilliant summer day came to mind. ‘Yes,’ she breathed. ‘That would be much more…romantic.’

Romantic! Braxton nearly scoffed aloud. He was not a man of poetic nonsense, nor was he a man of superfluous romantic gestures. He was a man of hunger. A man of motivation.

A man with a very strong desire to claim this woman despite all the protests his mind had been making. But those protests had only been from his mind. Every other part of him—especially that particular part of him—had an entirely different story to tell.

Lilliana sucked in a breath, gasping as Braxton teased and lathed her nipple with his tongue. She was spiraling now, spiraling at the sensations coming to life inside her as his heated breath fanned against her naked skin. Gently, he stroked her nipple, capturing it and tugging it gently with his teeth until her knees nearly buckled beneath her. ‘Oh dear God,’ she cried.

‘I don’t believe God is going to save you from my wrath,’ he said, smiling against her skin. He drew the sensitive bud into his mouth again, this time nibbling harder until a moan escaped her. He wanted to hear that moan again and again and again if he could. And he wanted to hear the sound of her coming undone, trembling beneath him as she submitted to his wicked ways.

“Believe me when I say that if he wanted to save you,’ he said between kissing her skin, ‘he would’ve never let you cross paths with me.’

With his lips occupied, Braxton’s hand delved beneath her skirts, tracing his fingers up her inner thigh. She was warm —perhaps a bit too warm, all things considered. But he had done this to her, setting her on fire in a way he’d thought inconceivable before this night.

And somehow, he did not care any more about Vivienne. He wanted this woman, this beautiful, majestic woman, to grace his stage and make the crowd roar with applause when the show ended. And applaud they would, for they never would have been so astounded by a performance, nor so enthralled with such exquisite beauty!

It would not matter that she’d played in lesser roles before. She would be the star of his show for ever more until they both grew gray and tired. And even then, her legacy would live on. She would always be the pinnacle, the bright, brilliant star hanging quietly in the night sky while the world below her turned about.

She exhaled with intense pleasure, her eyes closing as his fingers worked deftly to pull her drawers to her feet, the anticipation building inside him so much so that he was nearly alarmed at how badly he wanted her. She was, as he soon realized, a new, tantalizing frontier he’d yet to endeavor, and without hesitation, he pulled the dampened fabric to her feet, and his eyes darkened at the sight of her bare flesh. He craved her, craved to feel her warmth surrounding his shaft as he sank into her, and suddenly all her vexing moments had gone by the wayside, drifting away like a distant memory.

His lips nibbled inner thighs, tickling her until she nearly giggled aloud from the uncontrollable sensations sweeping across her body. Between his kisses and the heat of his palm against her thighs, the combination was wickedly unbearable yet pleasurable all the same, and she gasped in surprise as his fingers swept against the soft curls nestled between her legs. She was trembling now, unable to constrain her own anticipation as the pad of his thumb brushed the sensitive bud, rubbing and caressing her into a sweet oblivion. Her toes curled in her slippers, and she nibbled her bottom lip, wishing the pressure building inside her would subside. Never before had a sensation so keenly aroused her and vexed her all at the same time, and his touch had been pure fire and pure bliss all rolled into one. Even her legs quaked from the tension, threatening to fail her as he slipped a probing finger into her slick, wet heat. Such an intrusion should not feel as pleasurable as it was, for it seemed so vulgar and profoundly brazen in such a setting as this. But if there had been one thing she had learned this evening, it was that with him, she could always come to expect the unexpected. She would let him worship her.

Plunder her.

Tease her.

But she could never let him love her.

Love? The word still left a bitter taste in her mouth, though she had not grown cold entirely to the idea, she supposed. But whether Braxton was capable of such a feeling—nor she herself, for that matter—was an entirely different thought altogether.

Still, something was different with this man. The sweetness of his kiss and the tenderness of his touch had given so much more life to her, tempting her body into a paradise of unknown consequences. But consequences be damned. He could have this moment with her.

She whimpered against him, feeling his fingers stroking the tender flesh between her legs, and as he lowered himself downward, a scalding wave of heat hit her cheeks.

Surely, he would not…

He could not…

Her eyes widened in surprise as he dipped his head once more beneath her skirts, his warm breath brushing against her inner thighs. One could only have dreamed about this sort of seduction.

And now, she was living it, living in the ecstasy of what life could always be like.

And what life should always be like.

Lilliana’s eyes rolled back as Braxton’s tongue licked at the sensitive bud, circling and swirling as she swayed uncontrollably against him. She could not sit still. Not when he was doing this unspeakably delicious thing to her body and driving her to such dizzying madness. She was a woman practically on the verge of crawling out of her skin, though only in the best of ways.

He plunged his fingers into her, stroking her rhythmically as he tasted her. One could never grow tired of such a delicious, sinful pleasure, and though she was nothing more than a mere stranger, what was one night of sin in the arms of a beautiful woman? He’d sell his soul just to do it all over again!

The pressure within her began to increase, heightening with every stroke of his fingers as he plunged in and out, and then on a withering plea, she cried out, begging for an end to the madness.

And then the world around her went black as the madness reached a fever pitch, his touch her absolute undoing as he pushed her over the breach. She was breathless, barely able to cry out in pleasure as her release came, coating his fingers with wetness.

Braxton’s hands wrapped around her thighs once more as his tongue lathed against her dampened skin, tasting the raw, carnal taste of desire on his lips. She was, without a doubt, the most bewitching woman he’d ever had the pleasure of tempting. And though some secret part of him still wondered about Vivienne, he had to admit that what he’d found with this tantalizing minx had been more than he’d bargained for.

And everything he’d ever wanted.

He pressed a light kiss to her soft curls, making her sigh with sheer delight as he kissed a trail up to her navel. He was ruined for life, desperate to devour only her for all his days. But he could not have her. Not beyond this night.

Not unless…she wanted him to.

And he was praying like hell that she would.

He emerged from beneath her skirts, nearly breathless himself from the heat.

“Lift your skirts,’ he commanded. Lilliana obeyed, her nipples hardening at the feel of the cold air brushing against her skin.

‘Christ, you are truly a sight to behold,’ he growled. His hands shook with anticipation as he fidgeted with the buttons of his trousers. There was no time to tear everything off. He had to have her, to consume her until she could not think of but one man when she thought of real pleasure again. He could just imagine it now, taking her to the brink of sheer pleasure just one more time.

But he knew very well it would not be just one more time. Not if he had anything to say about it.

He would make her his in every way possible, bringing a hammer to every wall of defense she had carefully constructed around her heart, for no woman should be forced to live an existence without being desired.

The last button of his breeches nearly fell to the ground as he tore at the fabric and pushed his hardened shaft through the opening, desperate to plunge inside her. He could nearly feel the warm, wet heat surrounding him, and as he brushed the tip of his cock against her slick skin, her breath hitched.

She whimpered softly in his ear. ‘It’s hardly fair you are so…so…’

The words died as his cock pressed into her, sinking into her sweet, silken flesh slowly as she opened for him, and she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, clinging to him as though she would never let him go.

‘So wicked?’ he asked. ‘Because I could certainly say the same about you,’ he breathed. He pulled out of her, just enough to tease her slick, swollen entrance, then plunged into her once more, this time with a force that left her breathless as he thrust inside her.

Lilliana gasped at the sensation, digging her nails into his back as he continued the motion, in and out until she could scarcely breathe from all the panting. Never in a million years would she dream of taking such pleasure in such a formidable place, but it was of no consequence now. It felt far too blissful to surrender to him, taking every inch of him as he buried himself to the hilt. ‘Braxton,’ she pleaded. ‘Braxton I’m—’

Her words failed her as he bent his head downward and kissed her on the neck. Everything from the heat of his kisses to the scorching fire of him inside her had set her body ablaze, coiling the tension again deep within her. She was a ticking time bomb, on the verge of sheer explosion from the force of it all.

Her heart sank as he withdrew from her slowly, and he watched with absolute pleasure as her glazed, wanting eyes met his gaze. “Turn around,’ he commanded.

Lilliana sat motionless for a moment, her chest heaving frantically as she took air into her lungs. ‘But, I—’

Braxton cut her off mid-sentence, seizing her lips with his own. ‘Do not ask questions,’ he breathed.

Lilliana obeyed, gathering her skirts high as she turned to face the old oak, and she gasped in surprise as he entered her slick, wet heat from behind. Sweet mercy, this position had never felt so absolutely delightful as it did now! She could feel him thrusting deeper, ever deeper than he’d gone before, and she gripped the tree, her palm digging into the rough bark as he thrust himself inside her.

And to think she’d quarreled with him earlier! Oh, how could she quarrel with a man so devilish, so sinfully inviting as he? She had been nothing short of a fool to deny herself the pleasure of his company. But she would not make the mistake again. Not now.

Not ever.

His hands gripped her hips tightly, pressing into her soft flesh as he pounded into her. Never in his wildest dreams would he have thought of taking a woman so shamelessly, but she had stirred something inside him, something raw and primal and thoroughly pleasing on every level. And if he never found pleasure with another woman again, he would still be a happy man, so long as she would always stay with him.

Even if she was a persnickety little thing.

Braxton’s jaw tensed, and he swore under his breath as his seed spilled inside her. He had meant to stop, and he damn well should’ve, but what had been awakened inside him couldn’t be put back to slumber again. He’d wanted to claim her, every part of her, and damn the consequences!

The whole world seemed to stop as he floated back down to reality, coming down from the high he’d been riding since he’d first tasted the sweetness of her kiss.

Braxton buried his face in her hair, kissing the back of her head as his heart still pounded in his chest.

He was ruined. So completely ruined, that just the thought of joining with another woman seemed an absolute impossibility, for he had already experienced pleasure unlike any he’d ever known.

And just the thought of her in another man’s arms was enough to enrage him senselessly.

Heat began to crawl into Lilliana’s cheeks as she smoothed out her skirts and turned to face him. True, she was no virgin and no stranger to womanly pleasures. But never before had she done something so unabashedly wicked before!

Yes, it had been exhilarating. But it had been shameful to want a man so carelessly.

Even if she had enjoyed every second of it.

‘We really must be on our way,’ she said hurriedly.

Braxton fumbled with his trousers, nearly failing to set his swollen shaft back to rights, and by the time Lilliana had reached the edge of the clearing, Braxton had reached her side, gently tugging at her arm.

‘I don’t regret anything that transpired this evening,’ he said matter-of-factly. ‘Not at all. And I do hope you are not feeling the pangs of regret.’

Desire? Yes. Regret? No, not in the true sense of the word. Though, in hindsight, it seemed foolish to feel even a slight bit of embarrassment, all things considered. It was the dead of night, after all. Not a soul was around. It had only been the two of them, frenzied and spiraling into a pit of lust and desire.

It had been so long since she’d felt even the slightest tender touch from a man, yet Braxton had arrived like a storm in the night, throwing her off course. Her body and soul were his for the taking, his for the plundering. But would it always be this way? Or had this just been a single moment of pleasure in time, a happenstance that had only occurred because fate would have it that way?

The thought nearly drove her to tears. Had she really been so foolish as to dally with this man, this beautifully handsome stranger that never before this night had she laid eyes upon?

She was a foolish, foolish woman indeed, yet yielding to his touch had been the most freeing experience she’d ever had the pleasure of feeling.

“I do not regret anything,” she said stoically. “But in all fairness, I should think it wrong to let it happen again.”

“Wrong?” he quipped. The word lingered in the air in a most unsettling way, and Lilliana picked up her pace, wishing to distance herself from him. No matter how much she desired him, she could not allow herself to fall victim to his charms again.

Not when she’d already done so once before. She’d already let one man nearly ruin her life before with his promises of fame and fortune on the stage and the sweet nothings he had whispered in her ear.

And she could not—and would not—let herself succumb to such a temptation again.

She proceeded briskly, her ankles nearly failing her as they traveled across the uneven earth, and all at once, her ankle gave way beneath her, nearly sending her to the ground. Had Braxton not been present, her face would have indeed met the dirt.

But as it was, he was there, wrapping his arm about her waist so swiftly she could not conceive of how he was able to react so quickly.

“Good heavens, thank you,” she breathed, her voice faltering slightly as her eyes met his gaze.

“I should think it wise to get back to the main road where the ground is more even.”

Lilliana’s heart pounded in her chest at his kind words. Clearly, their rendezvous had softened him, making him less combative than he’d been earlier—a fact she was most pleased with. And if his mood continued to improve, he’d be well on his way to being a true gentleman.

“Yes, it has been quite difficult otherwise.” She limped forward slowly, her ankle singing in agitation with every step, and she winced as the sensation surged through her.

“You appear to be in a great deal of pain,” he said. It was more of a question from him than a statement, and Lilliana forced a smile despite the pain.

“Yes, well, you mustn’t worry,” she said, ambling along. “Truly, I am fine. Once we have a moment to rest, I’m sure I’ll be on the mend in no time.”

Braxton stared up at the heavens, wondering just how many more difficulties the two of them would be forced to face before daybreak. Truly, he hoped with every fiber of his being that the madness would be coming to an end soon. But that had been wishful thinking.

And wishful thinking was simply not something he could afford to do.

“Yes, but we still have quite the journey ahead of us. Are you certain you do not need to rest now?”

“And where would I do that?” she asked, flailing her arms in exasperation. “In the middle of this field?”

“I would think resting anywhere would be much more preferable to walking with a limp,” he said dryly. “But do as you wish. I cannot force my will upon you.”

“Well, you are right when you say that you cannot force your will. I am fully capable of making my own choices.”

Her mind wandered back to their forest interlude. It seemed as though her body had been in control more than anything.

Resisting anything at this point would be futile.

Especially around a man like him.

“As am I,” he said. “But I know a wounded creature when I see one. The more you walk on it, the more trouble you’ll end up grappling with in the end. There’s no sense in exacerbating a problem any more than necessary.”

“And what do you propose as the solution? Surely you must have an answer since you seem so adamant on the matter.”

“The solution is simple, really. You cannot continue putting weight on the foot. I’ll have to carry you the rest of the way.”

Carry her? Like a damned child? There would be no way on God’s green earth that he would be able to do such a thing. Not for a long distance, at least.

“You would tire of that, quickly,” she replied. “Very quickly. I’m not exactly as light as a feather.”

Braxton eyed her curiously, his eyes roving up and down her willowy body. “Like hell, you aren’t. I should think it wouldn’t require much effort in the least.” He stopped mid-stride, then swept her into his arms, cradling her close like a small, precious child.

“See? Right as rain,” he said, smiling down at her. “Absolutely right as rain.”

“You will tire of it,” she said smartly. “And I’ll be right back in this conundrum once more.”

The two traveled in companionable silence, and for the briefest of moments, Lilliana felt her eyes grow heavy, weary from the weight of the night’s events.

And eventually, she drifted to sleep in his arms.