His eyes were fathomless pools of black, and she felt almost as if she were drowning in them, though she could glean no indication of his reaction from their inky depths. Her heartbeat battered against her rib cage as she wondered if she had made a terrible mistake... if by voicing her deepest desire, she’d ruined everything. She closed her eyes in agony, berating herself for being so selfish, for being so stupid. And then his voice broke through her panic, soft, almost a whisper. "Is that so?" Her eyes snapped back to his. Still dark, still unreadable, but not unkind. He regarded her with something between concern and intrigue. "And what are you prepared to offer in exchange?"