Page 11 of The Gathering Storm

Will gazed at her for a long moment, his green eyes far too shrewd for a man of his relative youth. After a moment, he nodded. “Sure. I’ll drive.”

Humor rose, erasing the lingering annoyance over George’s cowering attitude, and she graced Will with a grin. This one, now, he was a Son. Strong and sharp, confident and a touch arrogant. This man had earned her grace through the kisses he’d dared to steal from her, and so, she would afford him a simple boon.

“All right,” she said. “My car or yours?”

If she’d surprised him, it didn’t show. His expression remained open and calm, pleasing her all the more.

“Yours.” He stepped forward and took the jacket from her, then held it out and helped her put it on. His hands lingered on her shoulders, cupping them as he held her gently, her back to his front. “You smell like heaven.”

Pleasure rippled through her, tightening her muscles. His touch warmed her in a way no man’s had in decades. She leaned back ever so slightly into his heat, savoring it and the male closeness she’d forsaken for far too long. “Let me get my purse.”

He pressed a soft kiss to the side of her throat, a fleeting slide of his lips across her skin, and let her go, and she trembled under the simple touch. For a moment, fear flooded through her. Danger, it shouted, run, and she almost gave in to it, almost turned and fled from the man who’d captured her attention so thoroughly.

Immediately, she shook the feeling off. No Daughter ran from a man regardless of the circumstance. This man, with his piercing gaze and tempting heat, posed no threat to her. She would take what she wanted from him and, in accordance with the laws of the People, discard him when she was finished. After, she would remain cold and heartless, as all good Daughters were.

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