“Did you know when we were here, what would happen when you took me home? What I wanted to do to you?”
“I knew what I wanted to do to you.”
“But did you know it would actually happen?”
He thought about it. “I’d imagined it a lot of times, so a part of me always thought it was an option. But yes, there was something different that night. The energy you were putting off—it felt aimed at me in a way that it never had been. I don’t think I knew that I was going to get you in bed, exactly—”
“Excuse me, I got you in bed.”
He smiled, otherwise ignoring my interruption. “—but I knew we would be different in the morning. I’d felt myself losing the battle of resisting you for so long. Then, when I had you naked—”
“When I had you naked.”
“—I kept you up all night because I was convinced that was all it would ever be. I had to get my fill. But we must have fallen asleep at some point, because when I woke up, you were in my arms, and it felt so good and right. If you had opened your eyes and looked at me right then, I don’t think I would have been able to push you away. I would have had to have you again, and once I had you again, where was the point that I could pull away?”
“So if I’d just woken up earlier, we wouldn’t have had to go through those weeks of torment afterward?”
He shrugged. “Would we still have gotten here?”
I ran my hand along the scruff of his jaw and shook my head. “I think I had to learn how to fight for you.”
“And I had to learn how to trust you.”
“And we both had to figure out we were worth more than we believed.”
He took my hand from his face and brought it to his lips and kissed it. Then he looked down at my ring, and I knew him well enough to know what he was thinking. As much as our self-confidence had grown, we were still part of a social structure that had us constantly comparing ourselves to our peers. To our family. The size of my jewel had been determined as much for them as it had been for me.
“Holt...what he said…” He’d pretended it hadn’t touched him, but of course it had.
“I don’t give a shit about him. Where does he fit in on the family tree?” Obviously he was from the side of the family that had the most money and power, which was not Brett’s side.
“He’s Reynard’s son.”
Yep. One of the branches at the top. “Maybe the Greaters should be called the Douches.”
He laughed. “There’s actually a third category of Sebastians—a sub-genre of the Greaters, if you will. The Brutals. Holt is one of those.”
“Eh. I like Douche better.” I took my hand from his grasp and brushed his hair off his forehead with gentle strokes. So we had to live in this world with these assholes. It was a constant battle, but we were grounded. We hadn’t succumbed to the air of entitlement around us. We knew what was important, and it wasn’t the money or the influence. We knew the most important thing was each other, and we’d fight for that every day of our lives.
“You know,” I said, “with all these titles you Sebastians have, there’s only one that matters, and you’re the only one who holds it.”
“What’s that?” he asked.
“Man for me.”
Then we tuned out the party behind us, and I lost another pair of panties to a Sebastian’s pocket while we celebrated what all our fighting had won.
* * * *
Also from 1001 Dark Nights and Laurelin Paige, discover Slash, The Open Door, Dirty, Filthy Fix, and Falling Under You.
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DRAGON REVEALED by Donna Grant
A Dragon Kings Novella
CAPTURED IN INK by Carrie Ann Ryan
A Montgomery Ink: Boulder Novella
SECURING JANE by Susan Stoker
A SEAL of Protection: Legacy Series Novella
WILD WIND by Kristen Ashley
A Chaos Novella
DARE TO TEASE by Carly Phillips
A Dare Nation Novella
VAMPIRE by Rebecca Zanetti
A Dark Protectors/Rebels Novella
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A Mafia Royals Novella
THE GRAVEDIGGER’S SON by Darynda Jones
A Charley Davidson Novella
FINALE by Skye Warren
A North Security Novella
MEMORIES OF YOU by J. Kenner
A Stark Securities Novella
SLAYED BY DARKNESS by Alexandra Ivy
A Guardians of Eternity Novella
TREASURED by Lexi Blake
A Masters and Mercenaries Novella
THE DAREDEVIL by Dylan Allen
A Rivers Wilde Novella
BOND OF DESTINY by Larissa Ione
A Demonica Novella
THE CLOSE-UP by Kennedy Ryan
A Hollywood Renaissance Novella
MORE THAN POSSESS YOU by Shayla Black
A More Than Words Novella
HAUNTED HOUSE by Heather Graham
A Krewe of Hunters Novella
MAN FOR ME by Laurelin Paige
A Man In Charge Novella
THE RHYTHM METHOD by Kylie Scott
A Stage Dive Novella
JONAH BENNETT by Tijan
A Bennett Mafia Novella
CHANGE WITH ME by Kristen Proby
A With Me In Seattle Novella
THE DARKEST DESTINY by Gena Showalter
A Lords of the Underworld Novella
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THE LAST TIARA by M.J. Rose
THE CROWN OF GILDED BONES by Jennifer L. Armentrout
A Blood and Ash Novel
THE MISSING SISTER by Lucinda Riley
THE END OF FOREVER by Steve Berry and M.J. Rose
A Cassiopeia Vitt Adventure
THE STEAL by C. W. Gortner and M.J. Rose
CHASING SERENITY by Kristen Ashley
A River Rain Novel
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Camilla Fasbender has a secret.
Underneath her posh accent and designer clothes lies the evidence of her pain.
Every heartbreak, every bad day, every setback has left a scar.
From behind her camera, she shows the world what to see. And it isn't her.
Until him.
He sees right through her carefully constructed facade.
And he's going to slash it all to pieces.