Draft excerpt from Trial of the Guardian...
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“Will you trust me?”

Rachel swallowed hard. Long before he asked, she had trusted him implicitly. The fact that he wanted her to verbally say so now should have been a warning. It was certainly sending off alarms in her mind. He was watching her with concern on his face but also there was something that told her he would never hurt her physically or emotionally. She could trust him. So slowly, reluctantly she nodded.

“Yes,” she whispered.

Hero let her see him reaching for the candle at the bedside. The wax was beginning to pool at the center and as he jostled its length, some of the wax ran down the sides. He brought the candle closer to Rachel now and her breath quickened in anticipation.

“Close your eyes, Rachel and don’t open them for any reason. Trust in me.”

Fighting back tears that were threatening to form under her closed lids, Rachel turned her head to the side and let out a long, shaky breath. This blind surrender to him was the hardest thing she had ever done in her life.

“Trust me,” he repeated.

Her breath was caught in her throat. All she could manage was another nod. Survival instinct was fighting for control, wanting her to pry open her eyes and demand to know what he had in mind. Her pleasure instinct was calmly curious. And that was enough for now.