19
Hugh put her hands on her thigh carefully as if they were breakable and then settled his own hand over them.
Anneliese thought her heart would explode. He kept his head down, staring at the place where his big hand covered hers, high on her thigh.
From where she looked down, his eyes seemed closed. His lashes were thick and crescent shaped, tipped with reddish-gold. She wondered if in the summertime the lashes would also lighten, like his naturally streaked hair.
“Anneliese.”
There was a slight creak in his voice as he said her name, as if his own body was under a war of the raw emotions.
She didn’t move, but her heart was beating so fast and wildly that the silk wrap seemed to flutter with it.
He removed his hand from hers and placed each of his on either side of the chair seat,
