In the torchlit halls of the royal court, Jessamine MacLeod stands before Prince Lachlan Sutherland as he claims her clan's future with a contract that requires her total surrender. His muscular presence and the small scar at his mouth remind her of the authority she has tried to resist, yet her bitten lip betrays the pull toward his control.
The worn ledger lies open on the assembly table while his fingers brush its edge, then guide her forward into the position that will seal their arrangement. She dreads the loss of her independence even as the thought of his palm striking her bare skin tightens every muscle with shameful want.
Bent over the wood with her skirts raised high, she feels his hand settle on her skin in the instant before the first measured spank lands to mark her as his bride.
