Adrian moved through Thornhaven Manor's corridors with purpose, his earlier despair completely transformed into something that felt dangerously close to euphoria.
His mind had already moved past the proposal itself... past the careful words he'd rehearsed, past Catherine's inevitable acceptance... and settled into the territory beyond.
'After she says yes...'
The thought sent heat through his body that had nothing to do with cultivation and everything to do with primitive male satisfaction.
His imagination snapped into focus with vivid, possessive clarity.
Catherine Blackwood... untouchable, unreachable, the woman who could silence entire rooms with a look.
The future head of House Blackwood beneath him... screaming, begging for more, every shred of authority ripped away, leaving only the woman no one else had ever touched.
