Free Deception by A. S. Fenichel

was the telling so emotional? “I cannot say.”
    She had expected him to shun her or find her origins disgusting. He was a noble like the man who had bought her for a few coins. Somehow, she could not compare the two men with any success. Dorian opened his arms, inviting her back into the circle of his embrace.
    A stronger woman might have cursed him and slept in the cold grass. Weakness or not, she moved back to the blanket and allowed his arms to envelope her. They stretched out on their sides with her back pressed tight against his chest. “I joined The Company because I had nowhere to go, and Reece was the only person in the world who cared if I lived or died.”
    “Thank you, Lilly.”
    “For what?”
    “The truth.”
    “I thought you would hate me. You should hate me, Dorian.”
    “It might go easier on us both if I could, but I am grateful for your trust, and my admiration for you is only increased by your story. I am curious about one thing.”
    “Only one? What is it?”
    “Why take a French surname?”
    “My mother sometimes took me to London where she got temporary work with a dress maker. She was French and very elegant. She called me Lillian and told me I was beautiful. She was very kind to me and her name was Madam Dellacourt. Not even Reece knows that part of the story.”
    His arms tightened, and his lips pressed against her temple. “Why did you not marry Foxjohn?”
    “He asked. Whatever you may think of Reece, he is a gentleman. He asked me many times at the beginning.”
    “And yet you did not become his wife.”
    “No. I did not love him in that way, and he certainly was not in love with me. Within The Company, I did not need the protection of marriage. Eventually, he stopped asking.”
    “I am quite glad you did not marry anyone.”
    She turned in his arms. “Why is that?”
    “Because I’m quite sure you would not be here with me if you were Mrs. Foxjohn, or Mrs. Anyone for that matter.” His full lips were only a sliver from hers.
    Her breasts were flush to his chest with only her thin chemise and his fine linen shirt between them. “Most men of your station are not interested in a woman who is no longer pure.”
    Her hair had dried in a tangled mess, but he threaded his fingers through and gentled the knots away. “Again, our definitions are different, Lilly. You are all that is good, and I will challenge anyone who claims otherwise.”
    Her heart skipped faster. “That seems a bold statement. You hardly know me.” Their breath mingled, and her body tightened.
    “I have known you from the time of those letters from my brother.”
    “I do not know what to say.”
    “I want you to understand something, Lilly. This is not an end of something.”
    He was going to kiss her, and she might have agreed to anything to stop him from changing his mind. Whether or not she believed it was a different story. “All right.”
    Ever so slowly, his mouth covered hers. His hand skimmed along her waist. Every touch sparked excitement that was new and different from any experience she’d ever had. She wanted to pull away even though it was what she longed for. She had come to the safety of the pond and its standing stones with seduction on her mind, yet it was he who had done the seducing.
    Her desire was more than the need for release after a battle. She had fought hundreds of times without needing a man’s company afterward. She wanted Dorian, wanted to have all of him, yet the voice in her head screamed a warning.
    Desire warred with Lillian’s need to be in control as his tongue pressed at the crease between her lips and begged entry. She touched her tongue to his, and it was as if her entire body caught on fire. Her lips danced with his, and she fought to stop what could only end horribly. She wrenched her mouth away. “Stop.”
    The madness ceased and Dorian froze. He stared down at her, eyes filled with regret, which she had caused.
    She pushed against his shoulders and moved out from