Page 81 of The Kiss that Captured a Billionaire
He wrapped his arms around her, his hand resting over her thundering heart like a guard. He continued to press tiny kisses to her hair and shoulder as she drifted to sleep against his chest, her breathing even and steady.
When he withdrew, still shuddering, he cleaned them both with quiet tenderness before curling back around her. She didn’t wake.
His hand tenderly cupped her bare breast. Only then, with her soft and warm in his arms, did the restless beast inside him finally go still.
Epilogue
Rose exhaled slowly, watching the sun spill golden light across the sand, the tide’s edge catching it and turning to a shimmering ribbon.
The air was already warm but carried a salt-sweet breeze that curled through her hair, bringing with it the faint perfume of blooming jasmine from the villa gardens above.
Theo’s hand stayed wrapped around hers as they walked, their bare feet sinking into cool, damp sand. The rhythmic hush of waves against the shore filled the spaces between their breaths, a steady heartbeat to the beginning of the day.
Rose took a deep breath, savoring the island's beauty and tranquility. She had been surprised when he had woken her early, pulling her from their bed. She had groaned and teasingly whined that it was too early, but he had tickled, then kissed her until she was breathless with need.
The morning held a quiet—the kind that seeped into your bones and made the world feel far away. But when he slowed, hisgrip tightening, she looked up to see his eyes on hers—intense, unwavering.
Without a word, he released her hand and lowered to one knee.
The sight punched the air from her lungs. This man—strong, infuriating, steady when everything else tilted—kneeling for her under the first rays of sunlight was almost too much for her heart to hold.
“Rose Smythe,” he said, voice low and sure, though a thread of raw emotion ran through it, “I thought I knew what my life was. I thought I knew what I needed. Then you happened. You captivated me with one kiss. You promised me only one, but I knew even then that one would never be enough. Nothing has been the same since the night I saw you sitting there, alone at that table, sending every other man who came up scurrying for cover—thank God.” He paused and drew in a deep, steadying breath. “You’ve scared me, made me laugh when I didn’t think I could, and I fell in love so deeply it feels like my chest might burst trying to hold it in. I don’t want a life that doesn’t have you in it. Rose, will you do me the honor of marrying me?”
The velvet box opened in his palm, and the ring caught the sunlight—a sapphire the deep blue of the Aegean, wrapped in diamonds that caught the light like tiny stars.
Her throat tightened, and a choked laugh slipped through her tears like sunlight through rain. “You are ridiculously dramatic,” she whispered, dropping to her knees in front of him. “Yes. Oh, Theo, yes. I would love to marry you. I love you.”
When he slid the ring onto her finger, his hands lingered, warm and sure.
She was still crying when he leaned forward and drew her into his arms. His kiss filled her heart, chasing away every fear and doubt about whether they would make it. He was her Beast—and she loved him to the depths of her soul.
Laughing, she pulled away and wiped fruitlessly at her tears. The sound of clapping and catcalls from the terrace caused both of them to look up. She blushed, laughing as Alexandros, Dani, Theo’s parents, and her grandparents stood looking down at them with huge smiles on their faces.
Later that evening, dinner was anything but calm.
Sophia, Lucinda, and Theo’s mother had commandeered the far end of the table, their chairs pulled tight together, their voices a musical mix of Greek and Italian. A color swatch book lay open between them, pale silks and deep velvets spilling like treasure onto the tablecloth. Someone had commandeered the bread basket as a pincushion for test arrangements of fabric, lace, and ribbon.
Rose had barely sat when Dani leaned over, eyes bright. “You know what it should be.”
Rose groaned. “Dani…”
“ABeauty and the Beasttheme,” Dani declared, grinning. “You’re Belle. And Theo?—”
Across the table, Theo gave a long-suffering sigh as he envisioned them designing a replica of the stage ballroom. “Don’t.”
The glimmer in Dani’s gaze said she already had the ballroom scene planned in her head.
Three days later, Theo wanted to groan and elope. He’d given his mother, Sophia, and Lucinda two weeks to plan the wedding. Rose had laughed and teased him about being impatient. He pointed out that it was mere minutes after the Beast turned human again that there was a wedding.
“How would you know that?” Alexandros asked with a confused expression. “I didn’t know you were into romantic fairy tales.”
“He came to the play at the theatre where I lived and worked,” Rose said, reaching out to grasp his hand. “It’s always been my favorite.”
“Ah, that explains a lot, I think,” Alexandros muttered.
“Sir, you have visitors,” a servant announced.
“Who—”
