Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 106398 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 532(@200wpm)___ 426(@250wpm)___ 355(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106398 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 532(@200wpm)___ 426(@250wpm)___ 355(@300wpm)
But the consequences of being naked and alone with Torr also weighed heavily upon her. Owen could refuse to wed her. And she didn’t want to think of what her brother would do. Death actually might be more preferable.
She pushed his hands away. “The fire will warm me and dry my garments.”
“Not likely. You need to rid yourself of them and get warm.” He stood and held out his hand. “Let me help you get out of those clothes.”
She bit at her lip that was beginning to quiver uncontrollably and couldn’t help but stare at his naked body only inches away from her, though she properly kept her eyes above his waist. He was all muscle, not an ounce of fat. The men who had stopped at the abbey through the years were never sculpted as he was. Every cut and curve defined his muscles as did the light from the flickering fire. She tried to avoid looking at his private parts. The nuns at the abbey had warned her that the only naked man she was permitted to look upon was her husband and that was only when he bid her to do so.
When ill travelers had stopped at the abbey seeking help, she had been forbidden to help tend or even see them until they were well, out of bed, and walking about. Of course watching the animals had given her some indication of how a man was built, but she had always been curious and with Torr sculpted so magnificently she couldn’t resist—she had to take a peek.
The peek turned into a glaring stare so shocked was she by the size of him. It protruded from between his legs thick, large and hard. How could something that large fit in… Heat rushed to stain her cheeks.
“Keep staring at it with that hungry look and you’ll find it inside you fast enough,” he warned.
Her head snapped up, her eyes turning wide.
“I am an honorable man, but that doesn’t mean my body doesn’t react to the sight of a beautiful woman.”
Beautiful.
A word she had grown tired of hearing. No one had paid her heed when she was young, but as she showed signs of becoming a woman everything had changed. The nuns had warned her that men would seek her for her beauty and women would hate her because of it. The only compliment about her beauty she ever cherished was from her brother. He had returned to the abbey after not seeing her for three years and when he laid eyes on her, he had stared and said nothing for several moments. Then he had taken her hand and told her that she was as beautiful as their mother had been. He had brought tears to her eyes, for the three of them had been such a loving family, and she missed them so badly.
Even Owen’s thoughtful expressions of her beauty had not meant much to her and had made her wonder if a man would ever see more than only her beauty.
“Though your stubborn nature does mar your beauty at times,” Torr said.
That had her slapping his hands away when they reached out to help her as she struggled to get to her feet. “I am not stubborn.”
“So say you as you prove my point.”
“You are insufferable,” she argued, while continuing to struggle to her feet.
“You will wear yourself out if you don’t let me help you,” he warned, “and then I’ll be left to undress you on my own.”
“You will do no such thing. I will dry my clothes, while they remain on me, in front of the fire.” She had finally gotten to her feet and the icy chill that shot through her made her shudder. She took an unsteady step, her arms stretched out in front of her, her palms up as if warding someone off, and took two more cautious steps to the hearth.
She pulled her hands back, the heat so hot it felt as if it scorched. She crossed her arms and squeezed them tight to get some warmth and water gushed from her soaked garments.
“They need to come off,” Torr said, stepping up beside her, though not laying a hand on her. He turned his bare backside to the flames and smiled. “Naked and getting warmer by the minute.”
The truth of his words hit her hard, and she hated him at that moment. Her garments were much to wet to expect them to dry quickly, which meant she would remain chilled much too long. If she wanted to survive, she had no choice but to strip them off and get dry and warm.
“Turn around and do not look,” she demanded.
“You bark orders like your brother.”
“Then obey me as you would him.”
“Get those clothes off fast or I will,” he said with a growl and turned.