Leashing his hunger was the most fiendish of tortures. But she couldn’t know what she asked. He’d acted the savage with her when he’d been a mere boy, but now he wanted her with a man’s passion. If she’d thought him a barbarian then, she’d quail if she guessed the fierce hunger raging inside him tonight.“I promised I wouldn’t hurt you,” he said in a raw tone. Her gaze was steady. “You won’t.”“I did once.” Shame bit deep, chastened his craving, although nothing could ease his craving apart from having her. The devil of it was that one night, however dazzling, wasn’t going to be enough for him.She touched his cheek with a tenderness that speared him with guilty awareness of how badly he’d behaved. “We’ve both grown up since then, Sebastian. I trust you. Please, trust yourself.”Staring into her beautiful face, he realized she was right. She was no longer the frightened girl he’d first married and he was no longer the greedy, thoughtless boy who hadn’t appreciated the jewel fate had delivered into his keeping.
