Marcus felt the weight of Evangeline's challenge settle into his bones like an old, familiar ache. The woman's words had stripped away the careful justifications they'd built around their self-imposed restraint, leaving only the raw truth of what they'd been denying themselves.
"I can practically hear the gears turning in that ancient mind of yours," Evangeline observed with amusement, watching Marcus's internal struggle play out across his features. "Though I must say, for someone who's supposedly putting his needs aside, you're holding your mate rather possessively."
Samantha shifted in Marcus's arms, suddenly hyperaware of the way his grip had tightened during their conversation, how his thumb had been unconsciously stroking along her ribs in a pattern that was both soothing and claiming. The simple touch sent sparks of awareness through her hybrid senses, reminding her body of responses she'd been carefully suppressing.
