She tried, carefully, to slip out of his arms but they only tightened around her, unyielding.
"You don't trust my love, do you?"
His deep, rasping voice brushed against her ears, and her entire body locked. The sound alone froze her faster than ice sinking into bone.
Her breath caught. Her chest stilled.
He was awake.
"Where do you think you're going?"
The rough edge of anger in his tone sent a violent shiver down her spine. Her vision blurred, and she blinked rapidly, but she didn't dare lift her gaze beyond his chest. Meeting his eyes felt impossible.
Her lips parted, uselessly, like a fish stranded on land but no words came. They died before they could even form.
Her heart pounded so violently she was certain it might tear through her ribs.
Gérard pushed himself upright, resting back against the headboard with slow, deliberate ease. She quickly dragged the sheets up to her chest, clutching them tightly to cover her bare skin.
