"Hmm..." Clara didn't know where her sudden boldness came from.
Maybe it had been building inside her for days, or maybe it was simply the pull of fate—but right now, with Riley so close, she couldn't restrain herself any longer.
Her heart was racing, and desire pulsed hot beneath her skin. She wanted him—badly. More than any man she'd ever met in her life.
She reached up and kissed him and she had no regrets whatsoever.
It was impulsive, reckless even, but she didn't care. Her body moved before her mind could catch up. She poured everything into that kiss—her yearning, her hopes, the ache she'd been carrying. She gambled everything on this one chance.
And she didn't feel guilty. Not one bit.
Powerful men like Riley were never bound by the same rules as ordinary folk. They were allowed to take many wives. It was tradition—almost an expectation.
