Bride. The word alone sent shivers down her spine... No man had dared ask a woman to be his and his alone for centuries... and he hadn't even asked. He'd just told her she was to be his his bride, watched her blush at the shameful term, then fisted her hair and pulled her in for a brutal, possessive kiss when she opened her mouth to protest. A kiss that made it clear she had no choice and that even if she did they both knew she would choose to kneel at his feet, wear his ring, and bear his children. A kiss that said she was his already, and there was so much more to come as she learned what that really meant. She climaxed then and there as his tongue claimed her mouth. She didn't say yes, because she didn't need to. Her body said it for her.