When he did touch her, finally, it was like she’d shattered a spell.

His hands weren’t greedy, they were reverent, tender in a way that made her flinch more than lust ever could, because he had never touched her like that in a long time and she was starting to realise why she loved it.

It made her feel like she was precious, not fragile, like he knew she could break but didn’t want her to, and the way his eyes never left hers as he peeled her out of her clothes made her pulse pound and her skin flush, because this wasn’t just undressing, it was exposure filled with...