Jesse awoke in the embrace of pain to an unfamiliar sight. Her gaze desperately sought Levi, a small sigh escaping through her parched lips as he raised his head from beside her. She placed her hand to his fur, seeking comfort in a softness only she could feel as she examined her surroundings. The canopy of the wooden four-poster bed was draped with heavy, embroidered curtains. Pulled closed, they obscured her view of anything beyond, dulling the light and making it impossible to discern if it was night or day.
As she pushed herself up, the soft caress of silk against her legs caused an indignant heat to warm her cheeks. Someone had stripped her to the slinky, full-slip petticoat her father’s maid had forced her into at his bequest.
It was no secret she was opposed to this marriage, but
