"I can feel the excitement inside you," Masha said quietly. His eyes dropped for a moment, as if he were steadying himself, before lifting again to meet Jethro's. "You don't have to suppress it and pretend you don't feel it. Any man who is like us would be beyond excited if something like this happened to him." His voice was barely above a whisper.
Lord Jethro's breath caught in his throat. Even through Masha's controlled tone, he could still sense the hurt lingering there.
"Do you like him?" Jethro asked suddenly. The question came out before he could measure it. "What were you two doing when I came in?"
He wasn't sure whether asking that would help anything or make everything worse, but he needed to know.
"I love him," Masha answered without hesitation, the words were direct.
The confession struck Jethro harder than he expected. He stared at Masha, unable to respond.
