Page 23 of Santiago's Conquest (Four Dark Horsemen 1)

Santiago has always been out of my reach, and so what if I’ve dreamed about him a bit too much recently?

He isn’t responsible for the crush I’ve harbored for him over the last few years, waiting for rare news about him as if I were an addict searching for her next fix.

All the rational thinking doesn’t stop the irrational anger boiling my blood and disappointment sliding through me at the thought of Santiago wanting one of my half-siblings.

Somehow in my dreams, he has never been this vain and… well, hurtful to me. Which just proves I had no business crushing on him in the first place, as he is the same kind of asshole as everyone else.

Not to mention ten years older than me.

Congratulations! You’ve officially lost your mind, Briseis.

“Oh my God. Santiago is coming toward us.” Addison shakes Ava’s arm.

“Thank God,” my other sibling replies, and I roll my eyes, chuckling under my breath for this “amazing” surprise fate has decided to grant me. I put the bottle back on the table and pick one of the strawberries from the bowl, biting into it and not caring if it drips all over my dress.

That’s what I’m here for, right? Act polite, keep my mouth shut, and give the grandmother what she so wants. A picture of the perfect family, even though it’s rotten and disgusting from the inside out.

The band chooses this time to resume their music, the soft melody ideal if one wants to engage in a slow dance. I pick another strawberry, ignoring the rapid beating of my heart when footsteps echo from behind me and heat surrounds me all at once.

Such madness, a person shouldn’t react this much to someone without even knowing them. Maybe I’m a bit vain too, since I have such strong emotions for him based on his handsomeness alone.

“Would you like to dance?” His deep and husky voice touches me like the finest of silks, and my betraying pulse speeds up.

How could a freaking voice be so tempting that images of me lying beneath him in bed come to mind, filling it with my dark, seductive desires and things that have no place in my life?

I stuff my mouth with the strawberry, needing to sink my teeth into something or I might scream, wondering which of the sisters he offered this dance to. With my back to him, I hear nothing except the silence following his request.

“Would you like to dance?” He repeats his question, and my brows furrow at my sisters’ weird behavior.

Did they swallow their tongues from happiness? Why aren’t they jumping on this opportunity, fighting for a chance to snag the most eligible bachelor in their little world?

“Briseis.”

I freeze when my name slips past his lips, sounding sinful somehow coming from his mouth, holding promises for my name I’m not aware of.

I slowly turn around, our gazes clashing, and the air hitches in my throat when his male beauty is so close to me, along with his masculine presence that envelops me in a seductive haze.

And his sapphire pools.

Completely focused on me, their stare so hard. It leaves me in no doubt I’m the center of his attention, as his gaze fills with appreciation followed by coldness flaring, which is in such contrast to the fire blazing from his orbs, almost burning me from head to toe with its intensity.

His eyes promise me passion and retribution at the same time, only adding to my overall confusion.

How can such a combination even be possible?

Shaking my head from the fog he has imprisoned me in, I groan inwardly at my stupid silence. I forget about everything and everyone in his presence, which only proves my obsession with him borders on insanity.

He extends his open palm toward me, holding it in the air between us when he repeats, once again to my astonishment, “Would you like to dance with me?”

Stunned by his request, I stand gaping at him as my heart does thousands of somersaults inside my chest, and for a second, happiness rushes through me, awakening every hair on my body at the prospect of dancing with him.

To feel his perfectly carved muscles I’ve seen in the photos beneath my hands, his arms wrapping around me while I get to know what it’s like to be one of the women Santiago Cortez takes interest in.

For once, I won’t be the plain Briseis in the ugly dress who no one picks in this rich society.

To be the one he chooses among everyone else at this party while the whole elite watches us and….

The furious eyes meeting mine over his shoulder instantly snap me out of my dreams, pulling me back to the present, where there is no fairy tale for me.

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