The sunlit high windows, a golden radiance that bathed the bedchamber, warmed it. Amelia awoke first, her lashes lifting at the light. She lay motionless for an instant, hearing Alexander's soft, even breathing. His arm still around her waist, heavy and holding, as if in sleep he would not let her go.

She leaned her head, looking into him. His face sank into its angularity, and for a moment she caught the man; he refused to let anyone see a man without arms, bare. Vulnerability invaded the ...