Page 118 of Of Sins and Sacrifice

“I vowed to you, Minnie. I will only ever touch you if you ask for it.”

I nod. His tone appears to be truthful, though what do I know? I’ve been fooled before. I may be fooled again. Yet if he truly wanted to do something to me, it would be quite easy to do it now. Nothing could stop him if he meant to harm me.

Yet despite the fact that I am now more vulnerable than I have ever been in my life, I do not feel threatened. In fact, the only threat comes from within me, from my impure thoughts.

“There is one thing I am unsure of, though,” I start. Turning onto my side to get a better look at him, I place my hands under my head. “Why were you laughing at me?”

His eyes widen. A deep flush goes up his neck until his entire face is red. He averts his gaze, glancing at the ceiling of the barn as he fidgets with his hands.

“Well…” He takes a deep breath. “When you said you wanted todo it, that you wanted tolet out the steam, I thought…”

“You thought?” I frown.

“That is a euphemism in my world for sex.”

“Sex…” I repeat numbly. “You thought I wanted to mate with you?” My eyes bulge out in shock.

He tenses, and he shifts around, clearly as uncomfortable as I feel now.

“You mentioned breaking the bed and the desk, and…” He closes his eyes. “Let’s just say my imagination got the best of me, all right? It’s all my fault for misunderstanding.”

He stands up, walks to where he left his clothes, and picks them up.

“No, no. Wait a moment. You can’t just say something like that and then walk off. What do you mean by breaking the bed?” I blink. “And if you thought we were going to m-mate, then you also thought that…” My mouth drops open in shock as I replay our conversation. I’d proudly boasted about my experience and the fact that I’d done this many, many times before.

“It doesn’t matter now, Minnie,” he says in a defeated voice, unwilling to meet my outraged gaze.

“You thought I’d mated with scores of males? That I?—”

He sighs.“I am now aware that is not true.”

“Of course it’s not true! I’ve never so much as held a male’s hand!”

He raises a brow at me.

“Until now,” I mutter under my breath. “Nevertheless, how could you misunderstand me like this?”

“Clearly, my head is in the gutter where you’re concerned, Minnie.” He lets out a derisive chuckle. “To think I was ready to murder every single one of those males you spoke of?—”

“Well, you cannot, seeing that Ialreadykilled them. Really, Mine, you’re not doing much to prove me that you arenota shovel.” The word mine slips out before I can stop myself.

Damn it.

Though I must confess that neither Rìon nor Vitry hold as much appeal as Mine. After all, to me, heisMine…

“Rake,” he corrects.

“Whatever.” I wave my hand. “How is my virtue supposed to be safe with you when the first thing you thought of was that this was an invitation to mate, not to fight?”

He has the decency to look thoroughly chastised.

“How can I be a rake, Minnie, when yours is the only hand I’ve ever held, too?” His voice is low, gravelly.

The question takes me by surprise, and I’m reminded of the fact he said he’s never done it before,itbeing mating. So he…

“Of course you have not,” I huff aloud. “And that is the only reason I am allowing you to court me. If you had so much as looked at another female, I would have never accepted this bargain of yours.”

“So I am allowed to court you?” He quirks a brow.

---