*Matilda*
I have never simply lain there afterward, snuggled against a man's side, with his arm around me, his fingers lazily stroking and circling over my upper arm. It's a devastating moment to realize what I have never truly possessed, what I might never possess for longer than a few nights, for however long this affair lasts. I rather regret now that I insisted we would be done by the end of the mating Season.
"I was never intimate with Griggs," I feel compelled to confess. I need him to know how truly unique, how special it is that I am in this bed with him. I'm keenly aware of his stilling.
"Griggs?" He mumbles.
I swallow, "The servant who is now my butler."
He shifts slightly, his arm coming away from me, as he rises up on his elbow and looks down on me. Even though his hip res
