Burton returned to Tansy’s room with a plastic bag of ice wrapped in a towel. If Earth movies had taught him anything, it was that this was the proper remedy for hurt ankles.

He hesitated before knocking on the door.

On the one hand, it was very bad manners to enter a closed door without a knock. On the other, it was late at night and he did not wish to wake the rest of the house.

He settled for a light tap.

“Come in,” Tansy called out softly.

He opened the door as quietly as he could then closed it behind him.

Tansy perched on the edge of the bed where he had left her. The black tank top she was wearing was wet enough to cling to her magnificent curves and her damp hair looked darker and shinier than ever. Maybe it was the exercise of dashing through the field, but her cheeks were flushed pink.

She smiled at him and he felt his heart might stop beating altogether.

He went to her and knelt at her feet.

“You brought ice,” she whispered.

“I did,” he told her.

He lifted the ice to her ankle and held it gently in place.

“Oh, that feels good,” she purred.

He nearly groaned with need for her. He was dying to make her feel good, so good.

A tendril of corn silk clung to her wet hair.

He reached for it without thinking and plucked it out.

Tansy caught her breath.

“Sorry, I was just…” he couldn’t finish the sentence.

She leaned toward him, her eyes luminous.

He longed to give in to his temptation, but there was something important he had to ask her.

Using self-restraint he didn’t know he had, he managed to lean back.

“Tansy Martin, you are an incredible woman,” he told her carefully.

“Thank you,” she said, looking a little taken aback.

“You are brave and kind,” he continued. “There is no woman on this world or any other that I would choose for my mate but you. Will you accept me as your mate?”

She blinked at him.

“I know this custom may seem strange to you, but it is the highest honor one being may bestow upon another in my culture,” he explained gently. “I offer you my unconditional partnership and adoration. If you agree to accept, it will be my privilege to protect and pleasure you for the rest of your life.”

“You want me to be your mate?” Her voice wavered.

“I want that very much,” he assured her.

He knew she had feelings for him as well, but she looked uncertain.

“Were you not aware of my intention?” he asked, troubled that he had not done a good job of showing her how he felt.

“I like you, Burton,” she said. “I like you a lot.”

“That is a good beginning,” he told her.

“But I’m worried about my family right now,” she went on. “I need to concentrate on saving the farm.”

““You are bound by your duty to protect this place,” he said. Duty was a concept he was very familiar with.

“Exactly.” She sounded relieved.

“I understand, Tansy,” he told her solemnly. “Your loyalty to your ancestral home is one of your qualities I admire most. I will wait for my answer until your duty to your family has been satisfied. I will be patient for as long as it takes for you to resolve the trouble here at the farm and decide if you want me for your mate.”

“Th-thank you,” she said.

And he could see by the look in her eyes that she was maybe just a little disappointed.

“Do you not wish for me to wait?” he asked, hoping he had managed to keep the pain from his voice.

“No, I-it’s nothing…” she said.

Her pink tongue darted out to moisten her lips and the truth hit him like a fire-tailed comet.

She desired him as he did her.

Satisfaction surged in his chest.

“Tansy, I cannot mate with you until you accept me,” he told her, his voice rough with need. “But I would like to hold you and kiss you if you would allow it.”

She looked down and her lashes brushed her cheeks.

Tansy was always so fierce. Her sudden shyness made him feel tender.

“Tansy,” he whispered.

She looked up at him and tilted her chin up in invitation.

Burton cupped her cheek in his hand and leaned in slowly.

He was afraid that she would stop him and also afraid that she would allow him to continue.

He would die if he didn’t kiss her.

He would die if did.

But Tansy held her ground and waited for him.

Her mouth was so soft and sweet.

Tansy made a tiny sound of contentment as he pressed his lips to hers.

The responding surge in his body had him groaning against her mouth.

Being this close to her was incredible. He could smell the light fragrance that was her shampoo and the more exciting scent that he thought of as Tansy herself.

He thumbed her jaw open like the men in the movies did and was rewarded with the taste of her velvety tongue.

Tansy twined her arms around his neck and pressed her breasts to his chest.

Pleasure coursed through his veins and he nearly forgot how to breathe as he took in the sensation of her against him.

Tansy slid her hands down his shoulders to stroke his biceps.

He flexed his arms instinctively and she gasped.

When he pulled away from the kiss she was giggling.

“Why are you laughing?” he whispered.

“Your muscles are huge,” she whispered back, her eyes sparkling with mirth.

“Are they funny?” he asked.

“No, not at all,” she said. “I’m laughing because… well, it’s kind of like making out with a movie star or something.”

“You like my muscles?” he asked, feeling pleased with himself.

She nodded.

He stood, placed the ice he had been holding against her ankle on the bedside table.

Then he slowly peeled his t-shirt over his head. He wondered if his body would have its intended effect on his mate.

When he looked down at her she was gazing at him open-mouthed.

“Wow,” she said. “You’re… amazing.”

“I have done nothing to earn your admiration,” he reminded her. “My form was designed by a biological architect to please you.”

“My compliments to the chef,” Tansy breathed.

Burton smiled down at her.

“What are you thinking?” she asked.

“I’m happy that you are pleased,” he said.

“Well, don’t go hoping that my form was designed by an architect,” she said. “My body is the product of farm work, the freshman fifteen, and my sister’s excellent cooking. I hope you won’t be disappointed.”

“Nothing about you could ever disappoint me,” he murmured.

She rolled her eyes.

“Why did you roll your eyes?” he asked.

She laughed, and a thought occurred to him.

“If you don’t believe me, please show me your body, so that I may demonstrate my lack of disappointment,” he offered.

Tansy’s eyes flashed and he waited to see if she was offended or if she would rise to the challenge.

She stood suddenly, bearing most of her weight on her uninjured foot.

He thought to comment on the fact that her foot seemed to be feeling better, but the notion was forgotten as she peeled her wet shirt over her head and then her shorts down to her ankles.

Burton clenched his fists to stop himself from going over the edge.

Tansy straightened and stood in front of him wearing nothing but a lacy black bra and panties. The ebony frills made a delicious contrast against her milky skin.

She was strong and proud, not a waif with frizzy clouds of hair covering the oversized parts of her naked form like the women in the movies he had been asked to watch at the lab.

Tansy’s sleek tresses barely kissed her shoulders, leaving the rest of her exposed for him to admire.

There was something majestic about the way she stood before him. -Burton tried to memorize every curve and every muscle that wasn’t covered by those two scraps of fabric.

And there was something else adorning her skin, a beautiful pattern in inky black that began on her ribcage and extended around her waist.

“Lie down,” he told her roughly.

She gave him a cocky half smile, turned her back to him and crawled into her bed, giving him a heart stopping view of her round bottom.

He closed his eyes and prayed for the strength to give her what she needed without taking his own pleasure. He had certainly watched enough videos at the lab to understand the mechanics of what might please her.

But somehow having the piquant form of the very real woman he loved laid out on the bed before him was completely different.

He crawled in after her, covering her body with his own, caging her head between his arms.