“It’s too late,” I say, although I don’t pull my hand away this time. And I easily could—he’s not holding me hard. But it’s like he’s leaving the decision up to me.
“Nothing is ever too late.”
I look at him levelly. “What will you do to even the scales for me, then?”
“Anything,” he says, holding my eyes.
His response is too easy. I’ve heard so many men glibly say whatever they need to say to get what they want.
I pull my hand out of his and take five long steps back. He watches, his eyes dark. “If I tell you to crawl on your knees for me, will you?”
“For you?” A corner of his mouth lifts, as though he’s saying,That’s all?“Over the proverbial mile of broken glass.”
Skepticism lingers.Words. Such easy words.
He drops to his knees. My lips part as a stunned breath leaves me.
He crawls toward me. He should look small—servile, even. But instead, he seems oddly powerful and resolute—like a man who knows what he wants and is going to do anything to get it. His eyes ensnare mine, and I can’t move as he closes the distance between us.
He stops when he’s only an inch away from the tip of my shoes. He looks up with a smile. “How did I do?”
I remain speechless. I’m not worth him throwing away his pride and doing this… I don’t have anything left for him to take.
His face grows taut, like he can read what’s flashing through my head. He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me flush against him. “Youare worth it, Lucienne Peery.Youare the prize. I can do this over and over again until you believe that.”
Tears prickle my eyes. I lay my left hand on his hair. “This is unfair. You weren’t supposed to fight this dirty. You were just supposed to ply me with pretty words over dinner.”
He takes my hand from his head and threads his fingers through mine, his wedding band warm against my skin. He presses his cheek to the back of my hand and looks up at me like a man who has his prize in sight. “All’s fair in love and war. Andthisis love.”
Chapter 44
Lucienne
Sebastian buys me dinner afterward and drops me off. He doesn’t try to pressure me to have sex with him, and I certainly don’t offer.
Would an overt refusal to sleep together deter him? Pretty much any woman has had the experience of men getting annoyed—and losing interest—if she didn’t want to sleep with them.
But a man who dropped to his knees and crawled to prove himself to you doesn’t sound like the type to give up over sex—or a lack thereof,my female vanity says gleefully.
I toss and turn all night. I can’t deny I felt excitement—and was overwhelmed by his gesture when he tossed away his pride. But is that enough? Am I just going to forgive him after that one gesture, when I’ve lost so much?
What about his saying it was love? Do I really buy that? He said he’d sign the divorce papers, so he doesn’t want me as his wife anymore. Maybe he just wants a girlfriend? No, that doesn’t make sense. He could have any woman he wanted.
Then… Maybe he just feels guilty?
Of course. This has to be him overreacting to that sense of guilt. It can’t be about love. He’s going to think he’s done enough by the third “date.”
I get up around nine and exercise. Unlike my old place, this one doesn’t have a fully equipped gym. A treadmill and a very basic bench and some dumbbells. No barre. Still, I get a decent run and stretch.
Matthias hands me some coffee when I exit the gym. I drink it gratefully. I’ll do some yoga in the afternoon because… Well, I need something to do. It’s just so weird not to have my day scheduled down to the second—no pressing meetings, no urgent emails or texts that require my immediate attention. My life has been one crisis after another—most of them due to Bianca.
It’s nice just to be able to breathe and focus on myself.
I hold the mug and look out at the tranquil ocean. Is this what Sebastian meant when he said the sculpture was about the calm to come after the storm? I’m still unhappy about losing my position as CEO, but now that I’ve had some time to sort out my thoughts, I think I’m more upset over never getting a fair chance to prove myself than the actual ouster. I’m not egotistical enough to believe that I should be CEO regardless of leadership ability. Peery Diamonds isn’t my personal toy. It’s a company responsible for thousands of employees and countless customers and partners.
At least Karen is the interim CEO. I hope the board makes her permanent—she deserves it—rather than bringing in an outsider. She’s one of the most capable executives I’ve ever worked with. I know she’ll maintain good stewardship of the company.
I swallow the last bit of coffee and then shower. When I come down for breakfast, Matthias shows me an enormous bouquet of gorgeous purple hydrangeas.
