Page 114 of Arianna

Yes, he painted my world lavender.

I feel myself being caged between Sebastian’s front and the balloon’s basket. Whispering in my ear, he points at everything down below. “The world is yours for the taking, darling.” His breath makes shivers spread down my back. Pulse beating rapidly, I listen closely. “You just have to want it enough to make it your own.” With a gentle kiss to the back of my head, he seals my fate. The heart-stopping realization that what I wanted most in life does not have the same appeal as it did back then.

Freedom.

I no longer want to be free.

How do I tell this man that, slowly but surely, he has become my world along with his daughter? That all I want is to be his?

His world.

ARIANNA

Bliss

“His is the love that comes

once in a lifetime.” – A

Oh, dear God.

It smells like the bathroom after Benjamin is done using it.

Horrid.

Turning towards Sebastian, who is walking side by side with me, I ignore how handsome he looks out of his suit yet again today. Instead, I narrow my eyes at him and tell him. “When I asked what I should wear, you said to dress comfortably. What you didn’t say is that I would be ruining my boots by stepping on nasty-smelling shit.” I grumble, halfway joking. I don’t mind nature at all, although I would consider myself a city girl and proud of it, I would like to be prepared not to ruin expensive clothes. He did buy it, so…

Sebastian murmurs before taking longer steps. “Watch your mouth.”

Making me roll my eyes before replying.

“You do know you’re not my parent. What's with you telling me to watch my mouth?” Honestly, I never spoke so crassly before meeting the man. My mother used to tell me that respectable women didn’t raise their voices, nor did they use bad language. Said the neglectful mother and the addict.

Ironic, is it not?

“Trust me. I am well aware I am not your parent, nor do I want to be.” The heat that is coming off him could melt an iceberg, hell, it is making me feel hot when it is seriously cold this late in the afternoon.

Then his words hit me.

Trust me, I am aware I am not your parent, nor do I want to be.

Then I wonder what he wishes to be. His comment is not mean or vindictive, but almost… flirtatious?

Am I thinking this is more than it is?

Ugh, why are emotions so complicated?

Not really knowing what to say to that, I ask while looking around. There is only us here. Us and snow and high trees decorated in blinking white lights. “Where are you taking me anyway, and why did we leave Ella and Benjamin at the hotel?” We spent the entire morning watching French movies, and Benjamin blackmails Sebastian into paying for a late breakfast. I don’t know what the lovable Viking has on his boss. All I know is that it resulted in all of us enjoying a nice brunch in a stunning and very rustic spot. Speaking of Benjamin, I cut Sebastian off before he speaks. “And is it safe for you to be out in a strange country without security?”

That makes the egotistical beautiful man laugh under his breath. “I can handle myself, darling.” I trail behind him. He looks at me with a playful grin on his face before looking up. “Now, fasten your pace before snow starts to fall again.”

Snow did stop falling this morning, allowing the sun to come out, yet not even the sun could warm up this lovely winter day. Walking behind Sebastian for a couple of minutes longer, he stops when he reaches his destination, making me stumble and hitting his back.

“Ooomph.” Before I am falling back to the hard ground, Sebastian’s arm instantly grabs my waist, preventing me from falling and keeping me steady.

“Watch your step.”

“I wouldn’t have stumbled into you if you hadn’t pause so abruptly, Sebastian.” There is that heat again. In his eyes, in his touch, on my skin. The ass dismisses me and keeps walking ahead, that is when I see it.

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