W-WHAT?!
Lucrezia couldn't prevent the gasp that tore her throat at his words, instantly reacting to the heat that burned her cheeks and straight to her core.
The words replicated into her brain, transmitting waves of apprehension and… strange sensations through her. She didn't know what she feared her the most; his audacity or his determination.
For a long, breathless moment, she did not understand his words but the low rumble of them, the weight, and the proximity of his voice that vibrated through her bones. There was something about the manner in which he spoke, as though making an oath only to shatter it, leading to an unforgiving consequence. But when their meaning finally unfurled in her mind, her entire body went rigid.
Realizing how desperately she clung to him, her face ignited in embarrassment yet terror, and she jerked away so quickly she nearly tripped over her own skirts, pressing herself against the opposite wall of the carriage.
