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“To my chamber,” he answered in a cold voice. “You can’t possibly mind—the entire castle thinks you’re mine anyway. God’s Blood,” he added with a harsh laugh, “when they discover my identity, they’ll be grateful I took you in hand and kept you safe.”

She gritted her teeth and said nothing, knowing she would have to weather the storm of his anger. They went down one flight of stairs rather quickly for a man who supposedly had a broken leg, but John didn’t seem his usual cautious self.

When they reached his bedchamber, they found a candle lit, as if Philip had been there and gone. Elizabeth waited for the door to close, then turned to face John, prepared to hear his arguments.

But he threw the crutch on his bed, grabbed her by both arms, turned until her back was against the door, and then kissed her.

This was not the delicate, romantic kiss that their first one had been. Nay, this was a full-scale assault, hot and invasive and powerful. Her head was tipped back, her body was pressed hard into the door by the sheer strength of his. His tongue swept her mouth, announcing his possession of her right here, right now.

One of his large hands held her face, as if he thought she’d revolt. The other swept down her neck and then lower, cupping her breast, an intimacy that shocked and angered her. This desperate need to touch her made her realize how much he’d been holding back since he’d told her the truth of his identity.

And how angry that seemed to make him.

In the heat of the moment, every emotion from passion to fury swept through her, and she kissed him back, hard, putting her tongue in his mouth, battling with his for supremacy. Their mouths opened wider and slanted, their heads twisted as they sought to merge deeper.

She could not press herself into the heat and power of him any more than she already was. She put her arms around his neck, pulling him into herself, a wild desperation making her reckless.

Her anger and her passion merged and she became something she didn’t recognize anymore, more animal than human.

Fifteen

As he kissed Elizabeth, John’s anger dissolved into the passion he’d felt for her since the moment they’d met. He couldn’t get enough of the taste of her mouth, of the soft fullness of her breast in his hand. And she wasn’t fighting him—nay, she was as aggressive as he was, holding fistfuls of his tunic to keep his body against hers.

It took both his hands to remove her wimple even as he continued to kiss her, but finally he was pulling the pins from her hair and letting down the reddish-blond curls. He buried his face in them, knowing the ultimate satisfaction: she was his.

But she’d let him go on feeling guilty for desiring “Anne,” when he was really desiring the woman he was to marry.

He stumbled back from her and wiped his forearm across his mouth as his fury returned.

Bathed in candlelight, she stood against his door, curls tumbling down her body, her breasts rising and falling with each quick breath. Her eyes glittered as she stared at him.

She had matured into a beautiful woman, although it was easy to see why he had not recognized her with her hair hidden.

“You haven’t changed all that much since childhood,” he said in a low voice. “You still want everything your way.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You cannot blame me for trying to protect myself and Castle Alderley.”

“I am here to protect you and your castle! I should take you out of here right now⁠—”

“And prove yourself no better than Bannaster.”

“And that’s what you believe of me, isn’t it,” he answered coldly.

“That you want me for my property and title? Aye, why should I think differently? ’Tis true, isn’t it?”

He paced away from her. “I want you to fulfill a contract between our parents, a vow they made to unite our families. ’Twas what my parents wished me to do.”

“Nay, they wished your brother to marry me. Instead you’ve done nothing but slur him since you arrived, although he is but months into his grave.”

He closed his eyes, trying to control his temper, knowing and regretting that she still loved William. “I am not lying to you about what happened to Rame Castle.”

“And I say that mayhap you don’t know the full truth yourself. And the fact that you lied about your identity⁠—”

“As did you!” he countered.

“Aye, we both misled because we felt it necessary.”

“You continued to lie even after I told the truth and asked for your help.”