“You must have gone through so much in captivity. Tell me what happened to you.”

A slow shake of his head was his answer, then he turned his face away. “Please don’t ask.”

Slightly hurt by his rejection, she dropped her hand and made a motion to get up, but he held her back, pulling her against his body and lowering them to the floor again.

“Please understand. For so many reasons, I can’t talk about what happened. I wish I could confide in you.”

“But maybe it would help you get things off your chest,” she suggested, hoping to change his mind.

“It’s better this way.”

“You made me talk about it back then, and it helped me.” Sharing the details of her ordeal with Cain had been a relief.

“Back when?” he asked and slid his hand down her thigh.

Faye was glad that her face was turned away from him, so he couldn’t see the big frown that now built on her forehead. Why would he ask that when he knew exactly what she was talking about? He had to know. Cain was the one who’d freed her. Her and the others.

“After you saved me.”

He stiffened for a moment, making doubts rise in her. Why was Cain behaving so strangely?

He suddenly relaxed again. “Uh, yes, that.” He sighed and caressed her thigh gently. “Faye, it’s just . . . I have to get used to talking to others again. All that time I had nobody to confide in. It’s hard for me. Maybe it would help if . . .” He broke off.

“Help if what?” she encouraged him, putting her hand on his that rested on her thigh and squeezed.

“Maybe if you could talk to me, tell me about us, remind me of the things we shared.”

“But you know all that.”

“In my head, yes, it’s all there. Our past, everything. But I missed your voice. All those sleepless days I was dreaming of listening to your voice telling me about our life together.” He kissed her neck softly. “And perhaps hearing your voice will help me find my own voice again.”

His kisses were pleading, wiping away her momentary doubts. Hadn’t she too needed to find herself again after her imprisonment?

“Just before the old king died, remember when you lifted me up into your arms and carried me out of that hellhole?” she started and snuggled into his embrace.

“Yeah,” he murmured.

“I knew then that there would never be another man for me but you.”

Cain chuckled. “I made quite an impression, huh?”

Faye smiled wistfully. “You were covered in blood, and you looked like the devil himself. But you hadn’t come to hurt me or the others. When I watched you open the cell, I shrank back into my corner, so afraid of you. Afraid that you were just one of the many who’d hurt us before. The smell of death clung to you. It made me shiver. But then you looked directly at me, and I couldn’t escape your gaze. You were a warrior, and everybody yielded to you. So strong, so formidable, so fearless.”

Cain’s breath blew against her nape. “Was I all that?”

“To me you were.” She paused. Retelling the darkest time of her life still hurt. But knowing that she was safe, safe in Cain’s arms, soothed her pain.

“Tell me what happened.” There was a strange tone in his voice, almost as if he was interrogating her and wanting to get to the bottom of an important question. She shook off the thought.

“But you know everything. You were there. You know what he did. I don’t want to talk about the torture and the rapes. It’s all behind me now. I’ve healed.”

She felt a sudden tightening of his hand over her thigh, accompanied by Cain’s breathing and heartbeat accelerating. When he spun her around, making her face him, she was shocked to see a mask of horror in his face, and pain sitting deep in his eyes.

“Faye,” he murmured, moving his head side to side.

It looked as if he wanted to say something, but no words came over his lips for long moments.

“Nobody will ever hurt you again,” Cain finally said, his voice choked up.

Then his lips were on hers and he kissed her more fiercely than before. She slung her arms around him and pulled him onto her, spreading her legs to make space for him. Hard and heavy, his cock rested against her center, but he didn’t enter her. She took his head into both her hands and severed the kiss.

“Make love to me,” she demanded.

Dark eyes looked down at her, the storm in them evident, though she didn’t understand the reason for it. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Then love me.”