When Alaric's fingers reached toward her, Rosalind jolted slightly, but the sharpness in his gaze kept her rooted to the spot as her heart leapt wildly in her chest. The back of his fingers brushed against her cheek before slowly sliding downward, tracing the line of her jaw, and the touch made the hairs on her skin rise.
Under the intensity of his eyes, Rosalind wasn't sure she could remain standing much longer.
Then his touch drifted lower, moving down the slender line of her neck to her collarbone, where it finally stopped.
His eyes lifted from her neck back to her face, and then he asked, "Where is your necklace?"
To Rosalind, it felt as though the world was about to end because she knew exactly what would happen if she gave him the wrong answer.
"Your Majesty," she began carefully, "I wanted to take my bath, so I removed it and placed it on the table," she replied honestly.
