Page 98 of Sardonic Burn

My eyes flutter open and I’m not sure what to do.

Hudson is expecting an answer. No doubt, he has something prepared in case I entirely reject this. He’s patient, for the first time in his life, and he’s waiting for a response from me.

“Hudson,” I whisper.

He closes the gap between us, his hands firmly holding my waist and his forehead touching mine. His eyes are closed, and I don’t miss the slight trembling of his body.

“Yes, Noelle?”

That husky tone filled with anticipation makes me sigh. This is something I never would have imagined, not even in my wildest dreams. But here we are, so close to one another, yet too far.

“I won’t marry him.”

That’s all I can muster. However, there are plenty of things that I want to tell him. I want to say just how weird this is for me. He is the first person to have my heart race, to consume my mind until he’s the only thing I keep thinking about, to be able to own my body without ever saying it.

I want to tell him how much it scares me. Ray and Henrick’s reactions terrify me. It makes my blood freeze that I am considering leaving this world and running away with him. It makes my heart sink to my feet knowing I’d do anything for him in a heartbeat, no questions asked.

And it makes me sick that it took me this long to realize it.

From the moment he saw me kill his brother, he already owned me.

I was just too naive to realize it.

Hudson’s grip on my waist tightens. It’s possessive, rough, yet still gentle enough not to harm me. His chest is rising and falling rapidly as he distances his head from mine, staring at me.

“You’re not marrying him?”

I shake my head.

“You’re really not marrying him?”

I shake my head again.

“Good. Because you’re mine, baby. You’ve been mine for a long time now. You just didn’t realize it yet.”

Butterflies erupt in my stomach and the longer I stare into his eyes, the longer I feel ecstasy filling my veins. It’s liberating, exhilarating, and exciting. I want to melt into him, to have his body close to mine.

“Hudson.”

“Yes, Noelle?”

“This is a bad idea,” I whisper, not believing my words. “Once this is all over, we’ll go back to being strangers.”

“As if I’d ever allow that to happen. I don’t care what anyone says, they can try to take you away from me, but that would be a bad idea. You’ve never seen me go on a rampage, and I’d like to spare your pretty eyes from such an ugly sight.”

“You would do that?”

“I don’t know why,” he admits. “But I always protect what’s mine. That includes you, too.”

“And what if our families retaliate?”

“I’ll retaliate back. You worry too much.”

“How could I not worry? It’s our future at stake.”

“You seem to have misunderstood something, Noelle.” His deep voice is serious, low, and it makes me stare into his eyes, listening eagerly. “I’m not asking you to be mine, I’m telling you:you are mine.You can’t do anything about it.”

“What if I say no?”

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