For a moment, Catherine simply stared at him.
She was not offended or shocked by the desire behind the question. She understood there was something deeper hidden beneath it, as this was not the first time he had asked this.
Maximilian was not a reckless man. He was not someone ruled by impulse. Every significant choice he made was weighed, examined, and considered from every possible angle.
Which meant this wasn't really about desire.
Or at least, not only about desire.
She studied his face and she could see the exhaustion, the tension… the lingering anger from earlier, and beneath all of it, something else.
Fear.
The realization struck her all at once. Dorian. She was not the only one affected by him.
Maximilian's jaw tightened slightly as though confirming her thoughts.
Dorian had crossed a line today. He had approached Catherine directly, taken her right outside his doorstep, and separated her from everyone who could protect her.
