Aria sat still, her knees tucked under her as she faced Lucien with furrowed brows.

Silence stretched across the room as she thought about her answer.

The soft cackle of wood in the hearth was the only sound that filled the silence.

The flickering light of the hearth danced across his naked chest. Aria found herself completely entranced as she lost herself in the gentle shadows that perfectly sculpted his muscles.

The longer she kept silent, the longer a storm of questions brewed within Lucien’s mind. He had decided that he wasn’t going to rush her, he was going to let Aria answer on her own time.

And if she...