“Lie with me.” Her stomach tightened in yearning. “You know I can’t,” she whispered. Undeterred, he gripped her wrist and began to tug her toward him with pained determination. “Wait—you’ll hurt yourself—” Kathleen fumbled to set the candle on the nearby table, while he continued to exert pressure on her arm. “Don’t—your ribs—oh, why must you be so stubborn?”
