nya, her heart pounding like a drum against her ribs, pulled away from Elias, her eyes wide with a mixture of fear a

" Anya whispered, h

and desire, pulled her closer. "I know," he m

touch. "Right?" she echoed, the word tasting like sin on

searching her face. "I know.

husband, truly she did. But there was a void in their marriage, a longi

" she asked, her vo

ks, as if seeking an answer within their pages. "I don't know," he admitted,

of hushed silence, the weight of their transgression hanging heavy in the ai

. She struggled to concentrate on her lectures, her mind drifting to the stolen glances they exchanged

l duties, his sermons lacking the fervor and conviction that had once characterized t

tling with his conflicting emotions, he r

ut you either," the messag

ly, his fingers trembling slightly. "Meet me

s across the lawn. He felt a strange sense of exhilaration mingled with fear. He knew

urge of protectiveness. He pulled her into his arms, burying his

nst his. "I missed you too," she mur

y knew that their forbidden affair had only just begun, and that t

of the characters, and the growing intensity of their forbidden attraction. It