The Rogue's Wager (Sinful Brides, #1)

by Christi Caldwell

Emotion darkened his eyes, and he gently released her hand. “Did someone hurt you?” The lethal edge of steel underscoring that whisper promised death with it. Through all the horror of remembered pain and the nightmares that would always be, tenderness unfurled within. “Helena,” he urged, his harsh, primitive growl rumbling around them. She managed to nod. A sweat-dampened strand fell over her eye and with a tenderness that threatened to shatter her, he brushed it back. Then he cupped her cheek. That flawed, ugly, rippled part of her flesh. And for the first time since Diggory had silenced her tears, she let them fall freely and unchecked. She drew in a gasping breath, and she wept, dimly registering as Robert gathered her against his chest, holding her as though she were a cherished treasure. Her shoulders shook from the force of her sobs and she cried until her body ached with the force of her despair. Robert cradled her close, his arms wrapped around her.