“Did your mother and father love well?” she asked carefully.

Would he answer or refuse her questions? Gwenyth bit her lip as she waited through long moments of silence.

“Aye. After my mother’s death, even after he took a young wife, my father spoke often of her with fondness.”

The strong tones of his voice gentled as he spoke of his parents’ love for one another. Gwenyth felt tears sting her eyes. She wanted such a love for herself. Did Aric seek that kind of bond, too?

Placing her palm over the warm ruby, Gwenyth regarded Aric with a mixture of hope and fear she could not quite understand. “Why did you give such a gift to me?”

Aric scowled. “Do you not like it?”

“I like it,” she assured. “Never have I seen anything so lovely. ’Tis simply that…well, the pendant was your mother’s, of import to her—and of import to you. Why share it with me?

” His lips curling upward, Aric reached for her and placed his hand at the back of her neck. His warm fingers settled against her skin, attuning her senses to his scent, his heartbeat. The pad of his thumb caressed her cheek and left tingles in its wake.

“You are my wife, and I vowed to share all I have with you when we wed.”

Gwenyth’s heart warmed. Though Aric had little of value to give her, he had gifted her with one of his most precious possessions. That fact lay in his eyes.

“Thank you,” she said again, feeling suddenly warmed.

He nodded. Then his smile turned mischievous. “And if you would like to remember what time to meet me for a tryst or two, I would have no complaints.”

“Aric…” Heat spiked within her. Her warning sounded more like a breathy plea.

His intimate whisper became a breath as he bent closer, closer, until his mouth was a moment away from hers. Gwenyth’s hands shook as she raised them to his shoulders, whether to ward him off or pull him closer, she wasn’t sure.

She did neither. Time passed in moments registered by her unsteady heartbeat. As he loomed above her, Aric’s eyes darkened, seeming without beginning and without end. Her world became a swirl of misty, mesmerizing gray.

Then he inched closer again, and his lips covered hers, a mere shimmer of breaths. Beguiled by his touch, her lashes fluttered shut as his mouth slid across hers, nibbled and teased, warmed as he sampled her slowly, as if he were a man with infinite patience. Gwenyth swayed against the solid breadth of his chest, her limbs suddenly heavy, her thoughts receding.

Again, his mouth covered hers, sensitizing her to the feel of his touch, to his rich scent surrounding her. His other hand joined the first at the back of her neck until he cupped her jaw and gently brought her lips more firmly beneath his.

Her pulse skipped a beat as he made her mouth his gentle captive again. Gwenyth strained closer, utterly willing. Some distant part of her warned she could not remain here with Aric, but another insisted on allowing the indulgence of his exploring lips as he parted hers and eased his way inside.