Page 38 of Original Sins (Dark Odyssey 6)

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Evie

Both men walk toward me in slow, measured steps.

Henry smiles while Georgiou looks me over like he’s assessing every inch of my body inside and out.

This is it.

Essentially the moment I’ve been waiting for all my life. It just came to me in the most unexpected way. In fact, I thinkunexpectedmight be too tame a word to describe this, but it’s the best word I can think of right now.

I take in a slow breath and try not to look like the terrified virgin. Although that’s exactly what I am.

I just can’t afford to fuck this up. I have to be a woman now. I became a woman the moment I decided I needed to escape my father. Now it’s time to be precisely that. Strong-willed and daring, that’s who I am. I’m not the weakling my father thinks me to be, and he’s not going to dictate how I live my life or who I marry.

So this is it. Time to up my game and do what I have to do to ensure my freedom and make sure this doesn’t blow up in my face.

“Hello,” Georgiou speaks first.

“Hi,” I reply.

“I’m Georgiou Giordano.”

I can’t believe this is the first time we’ve spoken or that he’s this ridiculously gorgeous.

With those thick dark brows and his chiseled, angular chin, he looks like a storybook prince. One step closer, and I’m enveloped in the musky woodland scent of his cologne.

“Hi, Georgiou, my name is Evangeline Ri—” God, I almost slipped up. “Montrose. People call me Evie for short.”

There’s no way he didn’t notice my mistake in my name, and I don’t think he thought I slipped up because I was so taken with him.

He doesn’t seem to care, though.

Good. But I need to be more careful.

He puts out his hand to shake mine, and I give my hand to him. He takes it, but instead of shaking my hand, he lifts it and brushes his lips over my knuckles while holding my gaze with those dark, mysterious eyes of his.

“A pleasure to meet you, Evangeline Montrose.”

The alluring, seductive scent of him works its way into me, as does the low timbre of his voice. Just as I’m about to get lost in him, he releases my hand, and Henry takes it giving me a smile that defines charm in every sense of the word.

My nipples pebble just from the sight of that smile on his handsome face, and I stare into his deep blue eyes that remind me of the Mediterranean Sea.

They’re so deep I could fall into his endless gaze.

“I’m Henry Dubois,Duchess.”

Duchess?

Did he just call me Duchess?

Wow.

“Hi.”

He kisses my hand too, and as his lips graze over my skin, I feel the kiss

everywhere.

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