EXCERPT:

...Elrik frowned. The only thing that would calm Avelyn's worries and allow him to get some sleep was to work out how she could pay for a new gown herself.

At a loss as how to accomplish that, he shrugged. ‘Let me purchase something from you.’

‘What? I have nothing of any value.’

‘A bauble, a ribbon, something. I don’t know.’ He glanced at her, noticing her frown and pursed lips, then said without thinking first, ‘A kiss, perhaps.’

Her eyes widened briefly before she leaned towards him. ‘Since I have no baubles, nor ribbons, a kiss will have to do.’

He leaned away, surprised that she’d taken his offhanded suggestion seriously. She was overly worried about possible gossip at court, but not worried about kissing a man she barely knew?

She dipped her head and looked at him through her eyelashes. ‘It is all I have. I trust you not to seek anything more than a kiss.’

Her breath brushing warm against his lips left him wondering how they’d come so close to each other when he didn’t remember moving. His fingers slid easily through her hair as he cupped the back of her head. ‘You don’t have to do this.’

She shifted on her knees to lean against him. ‘Oh, but I do.’

Elrik groaned at her breathy whisper. Sleep was not going to be an option this night. ‘Avelyn, this is a mistake.’

‘Are you afraid?’

He heard the teasing lilt of her voice, but it settled in his mind as more of a challenge than anything else. Gathering her closer, he asked, ‘Of what?’

‘A dove.’

‘A defenceless little dove?’ Although at the moment he was the one feeling rather defenceless.

She curled her fingers into the fabric of his shirt. ‘One with fangs.’

Elrik covered her lips with his.

He had already guessed that curiosity had prompted her to be so bold, so her startled flinch wasn’t unexpected. However, the sudden catch in the pit of his stomach was more than just unexpected, it was downright disconcerting.

But more disconcerting was her extended pause. After her initial flinch of surprise, she seemed to quickly become…distracted. His original plan had been to chastely kiss her lips, fully expecting that would be enough to satisfy her curiosity. But he’d tarried over-long and her lack of response brought those plans to a crossroads.

Did he end this kiss, leaving her to think poorly of the act? Or, did he veer off his chosen path—a safe path—and recklessly change her opinion?

When had he ever trod the safe path?

Elrik lifted his head, leaving barely enough room between them for a breath of air to escape, and asked, ‘Not quite what you expected, little dove?’

The second she parted her lips to reply, he captured her open mouth beneath his. Threading his fingers through her hair, he tightened them against the back of her head, tilting it slightly before sweeping his tongue across hers.

Avelyn gasped at the stroking touch, thankful for the tightness of his arm around her, preventing her from falling to the blankets beneath them.

She was more thankful that he’d changed his kiss into something that dispelled the disappointment that had been building.

His first touch hadn’t been at all what she’d expected from a man’s kiss. From what she’d overheard the other girls talking about in her father’s kitchens, she’d been certain the act would prove so much…more. She’d foolishly worried that her expectations had been too high.

But this…this was far better than what she’d expected or what she could have hoped. It wasn’t just a kiss. There was nothing gentle or soothing about this kiss. He wasn’t cruel, but he silently demanded that she respond, that she follow his lead. She willingly did so, knowing that she couldn’t have ignored the demand had she wanted to...

REVIEWS: Chicks, Rogues and Scandals: Wow! Firstly, If I rated book’s, which I don’t this would be way, way over five stars! What a wonderful introduction to a new to me author’s work, this is the first book I have read by Denise Lynn and I can say without a doubt, it will not be the last. My goodness me this is good, I do love Medieval Romance, there is something tantalizing and raw about this era that instantly grasps hold of your attention and this is no different.... Click here for FULL REVIEW
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