The sweet meeting of lips was tinged with the bitterness of knowing that this was only a moment in time. That she would likely pull back from him again, erect a wall between them without so much as a thought. Still, he didn't break the kiss. He couldn't. Not when his entire being wanted to feel her pressed against him; wanted to feel her heart pounding in time with his own.

His arms circled around her, ensconcing her in his heat and pulse and smell as he gently ran his tongue along her lower lip, teasing, tasting. Softly, with tenderness evident in his moves, he encouraged her to part her lips, deepening the kiss with each pump of blood through his heart. He allowed himself to be lost in the feel of her; in the sweet seduction she offered him.

And then, with every bit of costly effort he could pull, he broke the kiss, stepping back from her and taking a deep breath. "No, Charlotte. You can't just have me here to make things feel better for you. It's not fair to me. Bloody hell, it's not fair for you! I'd take any torture if it were, believe me, I would."