Chapter 243

She couldn’t let him touch her, she couldn’t let him kiss her.

If she let him touch her tonight, if she let him hold her tonight, something inside her would break. She would pour out the whole wretched truth; she would blurt out how lonely she had been.

If she let him see the real her, she would have no shield, no armor against him. And even in the fragility of her emotions, Kassandra knew she couldn’t let Darian go.

"Why are you acting like this?"

Her arms ached with the effort it took to hold herself so stiffly in the circle of his body; every inch of her hurt to stay unaffected in the warmth of his rough embrace.

"Like a man acts with his wife?"

She fought back stupidly hot tears, knowing that she didn’t have a chance against that claim.

When she pushed against his wrists again, he grabbed her hands this time. He laced her fingers through his and pulled her forward. Her hip touched his rock-hard thigh, and she bit down on her lip.

Giving up her struggle, she leaned her forehead aga