Page 79 of The King’s Commander

I press my finger into his chest. “If you tell me I don’t know what I’m asking, then I will remind you of who I am. I’m a Garra, Vanni. Like my grandmother before me. I’ve lost her, but I will not lose the chance to be with you before you leave. Maybe we did not plan for this, but you will give me all of you this day.”

I can tell he wasn’t expecting those words.

Well, I was not really expecting them either. But I will not take them back. If I cannot give my virginity to the man I love, for there is no longer any doubt about my feelings for him, then who should I give it to?

“I did not intend this. I just . . .” Vanni runs a hand through his hair. “I saw you and needed to be with you.”

I raise my chin. “And you will be. Do not make the same mistake as you did the day we met.”

He might have southern sensibilities still, but he should know I am no gentlewoman of his courts. In Murwood End, we can be captains. We can be blacksmiths. We can wield our sexuality as well as any man. We can make decisions for ourselves.

Though he might be relenting, I can see he’s still worried.

“I will not grow with child.”

I was correct. From the look on his face, that was precisely the source of his concern.

“I know the mysteries of a woman’s body. ’Tis not my time to beget a child.”

Vanni just looks at me for a moment, regarding me with a look that sends my heart racing. Does he respect me enough to take what I offer?