Linsy froze.

Michael Helwart’s words struck her like the sharp crack of ice splintering underfoot. They weren’t shouted; they didn’t need to be. Low, deliberate, with that deep timbre that seemed to vibrate through her bones. She never imagined he’d say them, at least not to her.

Before she could fully grasp the meaning, his mouth was on hers. At first, the kiss was almost tender, a brush of lips she might have mistaken for something real. But it deepened fast, hungry, insistent, ...