Page 56
All were taking their toll.
Exhaustion settled into my bones, the kind of fatigue that came after intense emotional upheaval.
"I'm so tired," I murmured, barely able to form the words.
My mind, which had been racing with thoughts of escape and consequences, now struggled to form coherent thoughts.
The adrenaline crash left me hollow, a vessel emptied of everything but weariness and an unexpected longing for the devil at my side.
My barely eaten cone started to slip through my fingers.
Sebastian pulled it from my hand and tossed them both away before sweeping me into his arms.
His movement was fluid and effortless, my weight nothing to him.
My head spun from the sudden change in position, or perhaps it was the press of his solid chest against my side, the scent of him enveloping me more completely than even his jacket had.
With a sigh, I rested my head against his shoulder and relaxed into his arms, which held me tight.
I was only slightly aware of the ever-present security.
I should have known we weren't truly alone.
How silly of me to think even for a moment that we were just two lovers enjoying an anonymous evening stroll eating gelato in the center of Rome.
His men kept a respectful distance, black-suited shadows that moved with military precision at the edges of my vision.
Sebastian commanded softly to his head of security that it was time to go home. The man nodded sharply and spoke into his wrist mic. Moments later, a black SUV pulled up alongside us.
Their presence was a stark reminder of who Sebastian was—not just a man, but a force, a king with subjects and enemies and the power to crush both beneath his heel without remorse.
The palazzo was eerily silent on our return.
Sebastian carried me up the marble stairs and down the silent halls.
He didn't even pause when we passed my bedroom door.
I started to object.
He pressed his lips to my temple. "Hush, babygirl."
His whisper was hot against my skin, the endearment both comfort and claim.
My body recognized its master even though my mind still fought the inevitable surrender.
I rolled my head against his shoulder, almost too tired to speak. "Please, we can't."
He chuckled softly. "All I want to do is hold you in my arms tonight. You have my word."
He placed me gently on my feet and turned me around to remove his suit jacket and unzip my gown. With its exposed shoulder, I hadn't worn a bra with the Dolce & Gabbana dress, so I was left only in a pair of simple pink cotton panties.
He whispered that I was beautiful as the dress fell away, the word somehow both reverent and possessive.
My body was caught between the chill of the room and the heat emanating from Sebastian standing so close behind me.
The whisper of expensive fabric sliding down my body sounded impossibly loud in the silence of the room.
He placed me on the edge of the bed and slipped off my ballet slipper shoes before allowing me to fall back among the pillows.
