Her mind swirled with possibilities at the question. Push him away. Keep him at arm’s length. It was the only way to protect herself. But honesty whispered louder than logic. It demanded action. Pull him closer. End the ache and taste. “You. I want you. Now,” she whispered, and turned her hand beneath his, palm to palm.

“You have me.”

He slid the hand cupping the soft cheek, in search of the slender nape of her neck. On his way, he became distracted by the pins holding the dreary bun in place. With slow, deliberate movements, he drew pins from the black, silken mass. Drawn down by its weight, it spilled over, caressing his fingers as he tangled them in its skeins.

The cool strands burned like separate flames, and his hands tightened. “You make me wonder why you bind this beauty so close. Why your clothes don’t fit you. Why you have keepsakes you’d never own.”

“Later, Gabriel. I’ll explain, I swear.”

“I need to know you.” He lifted a handful of glorious ebony hair between them. “Is this you?”

“Yes.”

With his thumb, he smudged away the last remnants of the bronze gloss she painted upon her lips. “Is this you?”

“It’s who I am now. Do you want who I am now?”

He said quietly, “I don’t want to hear another lie from you. When we kiss this time, I want only the truth between us.”

“I’ll give you all the truth I can. I promise.”

Erin reached up, drew him to her. Desire churned inside her, demanding she take what she had been denied so long. His mouth met hers, warm and firm, as eager as her own. But she refused to speed through. This moment, this man, she would savor. Revel in a freedom too long a mirage.

Gabriel felt her choice, and for once, he refused to question. Mysteries always caught him and he peeled away at layers, determined to know the truth, no matter the cost. But with Erin, he believed he would get his answers, and so he allowed himself to ignore the shadows.

A breath sighed out between them, and she breathed deep. It told her of need. Of craving.

Her sigh, he had to believe, was the truth.

The kiss thundered through him, hard and fast, though his mouth barely moved. Then her lips parted, and he could do nothing but sink inside. Exploring, he found the serrated edge of teeth a spur, the satiny tongue a revelation. It danced with his, and he dragged her closer, diving inside. Soft, wet, perfect, her mouth met his every thrust, parried with delight. Flavors so exotic they could only be called Erin burst inside the kiss, and he reveled. Turning her, he pressed them together, not daring to separate.