Chapter 78

• Author’s POV
• After settling Rose beneath the covers, Tristan lingered by her bedside longer than he should have. The soft glow of the lantern painted her face in warm gold, and in that moment she seemed almost untouchable, too pure for the world outside her dreams. Her lashes rested against her cheeks, her lips parted slightly in sleep, and the steady rhythm of her breathing filled the room with a strange serenity that tugged at him.
• He had to fight himself not to remain there, not to climb into the bed and curl around her as though the world belonged only to the two of them. Every fiber of him yearned to protect her, to claim her, but his mind whispered restraint. Still, his hand betrayed him, lifting halfway as though drawn by a gravity stronger than sense. His fingers hovered inches from her skin, aching to trace the delicate curve of her cheek… her smooth arms, the tempting line of her thighs, the faint hint of cleavage her nightgown revealed. He wanted to touch, to feel, to surrender.