“Inform James what happened so we can rescue you.”

“No! You will admit no knowledge of the rescue attempt.”

“Fine, but I will come for you… always.”

Slatter still hadn’t stopped shaking his head. “I know I’m going to regret this.”

Willow took his face in her hands. “Never. Never will there be any regrets between us.”

Slatter finally stilled his head. “One regret I’ll never have is the day we exchanged vows. I’ll always cherish that day because it was what I wanted. I wanted you as my wife then and always. And I want us to take our vows again so all know, without a doubt, that we are husband and wife.”

Willow’s eyes lit with joy. “We’ll have a celebration this time, a feast, and family to share it with.”

Slatter felt the same joy and it frightened him. He never thought he’d have a woman to love or want him with the tenacity that Willow did and he feared losing her. So why he had agreed to let her go with him on this rescue mission troubled him. Though, maybe, just maybe it was because it might help her understand when she finally discovered the truth about him.

“When do we go rescue them?” she asked.

“When it’s deep into the night and the only sounds heard are the creatures of the night. So until then—” Slatter found himself kissing the blanket instead of his wife, since she had jumped off his lap so quickly.

“Now tell me the plan, every detail, so I know what to expect and what I must do,” she said, pacing back and forth in front of him naked.

He sat up and watched as her anxious steps gave way to a seductive sway of her hips and a gentle bounce of her breasts.

“Tell me it all, don’t leave anything out, and don’t forget alternatives in case anything goes wrong.”

“I go get them and bring them back here, though keep them hidden from Sterling,” Slatter said, paying more mind to how she enticed with every step she took rather than her words.

Willow stopped, her hand going to rest on her hip.

Damn, but he loved when she struck that pose, especially when naked. It really tempted when she was naked.

“That’s your plan?” she asked and her hand went up and she shook one finger at him. “No. No. No. You must have a plan.” She returned to pacing. “I believe I know the area they’re being held. It’s to the west of Tarass’s keep, a dense patch of woods not far from it.”

Slatter didn’t hear a word she was saying. His mind was far too occupied with his wife’s seductive movements.

“No doubt Lord Sterling will have guards posted,” —she stopped and tapped her cheek with one finger— “though he might think that Tarass’s sentinels would be sufficient, another thing to consider... Tarass’s sentinels.”

“That’s it,” Slatter said, popping up off the bed and heading straight for his wife with determined strides.