Page 140 of Arianna

Dark and angry.

Dangerous even but not to me.

He proved it when he knelt in front of me and offered my father’s chopped and bloody finger. I should have run the hell out of there because a man capable of such an act is not a man you should give your heart to.

I did.

Or he stole it.

Who the hell knows how it happened, but it did, and there’s no going back.

This feeling in my chest, joyful as if I am walking on clouds, is too addicting to give up. I feel it even now with him, sleeping next to me, shifting, and tucking me closer as if his body gravitates to each movement of mine.

As if even in his sleep, he is aware of me.

Yes, it is terrifying because I can't fathom ever losing this. Losing them. The family I never had. The little family that came to feel like coming home after years of walking this earth alone.

I never believed in naive things such as fate and love at first sight. I refused to fall under, but here I am, falling hard and going under, afraid I will never break the surface again.

Because it is not just my heart on the line.

It is Ella’s as well, and he knows it too, yet here we are.

He trusts her with me, and that's all my heart needs to know.

Because whether Sebastian Kenton realizes it or not, he gave me the heart that runs and laughs and giggles out of his chest the day I stepped foot inside his home.

His daughter.

All that used to matter to him.

What he treasures most.

I peer up at Sebastian’s face– so perfect and serene, a dream.

I had a lot of those once, but they always felt so out of reach from me, but here one is sleeping peacefully next to me.

Who would have thought?

Not me.

As if he felt my mind running with thoughts of him, those captivating blue eyes blink open in the rays of sunlight that streak into his room.

It is the happiness and serenity that shines in them that has me moving on top of him until my naked chest is pressed to his.

In this position I can feel the strong beating of his heart.

“Bonjour, chéri.” Sebastian grins, pressing his hard erection against my navel before grabbing the back of my neck and pulling my face closer to his. “Mmm.” He moans as he shamelessly lets his hand roam down my back onto my ass, then spreads me wide open, pushing me harder into his length. That is all it takes for my breaths to jolt, and my heart to hammer.

Just one touch from this man sets me aflame.

A sexy rasp floods from his mouth when I straddle him. The black satin sheets fall, revealing my naked body to his greedy eyes. “You are so beautiful,” Sebastian says at the same time as both his hands fall on my hips, gripping me possessively. I believe him when he calls me beautiful, and instead of making me feel like ants are crawling on my skin like most men do when they look at me, he makes me feel cherished.

Sebastian is a drop-dead gorgeous man, yes, and it is a great part of his charm and appeal, but to me, he is so much more than what I see on the outside.

It is his love for his daughter that makes my heart skip many beats.

How brilliant his mind is and how determined he is to always win.

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