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“Did I hurt you?”

The concern in his voice had her heart stuttering

“No”

He brushed a thuentleness she only cried harder

“Why do you cry?”

“Maxwell” She did not have to say anything else

Eht wince Marcellus tried to restrain, and she also witnessed the flash of guilt The tenderness as he wiped the tears from her eyes stunned her She was not sure what she had expected, but it was not the way he drew her to hi a kiss on her forehead It was not the way he remained silent, his presence a comfort as she wept for all she had lost

Marcellus could feel E in his arms as he held her Her sobs tore at his soul, and at that moment, he hated himself, hated that he could not tell her that Maxwell lived It had been a week since he last saw his brother, but he would be damned if he waited the entire month to ease herthe rieved for lived

Fear tightened his gut He kneould lose her The minute his bother reappeared, Emily would turn to Max It had been like that when they both saw her, felt that instantaneous lust and attraction They had expected it, having been warned by their father But he and Max had always thought their father nified a situation that did not exist They had learned so much differently

Marcellus had been the first to approach E her gaze He was y and dominant, and somehow, she had sensed it He had reluctantly withdrawn his pursuit, and Maxwell had stepped in The first tihter, it had been caused by some anecdote that Max had riveted her with The first ti barefoot with her hair unbound, she had been on a picnic with Max The first tilow of passion on her face as she danced, she had been in Max’s ar whatever pleasure he could get through the bond he and Max shared It had been sweet torture He had focused his energy on running the Blackthorn Estates, biding his ti her

Then war had arrived

The months that his brother had been in the war, Marcellus had tried to get her to know him It had been slow and painful He had yearned for her day and night, but he had trod with such patience even his father had been a Marcellus had for her, and bless hisa companion to have Emmeline under the same roof Marcellus had no doubt she would befor over a year to be in her arms

The first time he had made her smile had been a ray of sunshine in his life

The first tiotten her to unwind and play chess with him in the library had been a triumph

The first tiotten her to accompany him to their estates to meet his tenants and sahat his work entailed had been htful than the pleasures he found in Erunted softly at that