Husband

"I'm sorry," he interrupted, wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her into the shelter of his body, her back snug against his hairy chest. "I didn't mean to anger you. Here, lean on me." He rubbed his face against the golden glow of her hair. "What a hot-tempered girl."

"I'm not hot-tempered," Torcia protested, for that personality hardly befits a graduate of Lady Doren's training school.

"Yes." His hands cupped her hips possessively. "I knew that from the moment we met. It's one of the reasons I wanted you."

"I said I only want you for convenience."

"Well, I did," he said with a grin, and immediately reacted when she nudged him. "But actually, utility has nothing to do with this. I want you more than any woman I've ever met."

"Why do you insist on getting married, when I ask to be your mistress?"

"Because being a mistress won't do you any good." He paused before adding quietly, "you deserve everything I can give you, including my name."

A serious thought clouded Torcia's pleas