Page 85

A small window, its shutters thrown open, revealed a slice of star-scattered sky.

Sebastian released my hand only to crouch beside the tub, turning the ornate brass taps. Steam rose immediately.

"Let me help you," he said, standing and turning to me, his fingers already reaching for the zipper at the back of my dress.

I should have refused.

Should have demanded he leave.

Instead, I turned, presenting my back to him like an offering.

His fingers were cool against my skin as he lowered the zipper with agonizing slowness.

"You were so beautiful tonight," he murmured, nuzzling my neck as he slid the straps from my shoulders. "Watching you lose yourself in the music. Watching you lose yourself in me."

I didn't step away. That was answer enough for both of us.

"The bath will get cold.”

Sebastian shifted back, his eyes cataloging every inch of my naked body with a possessiveness that made me shiver. "I'll be waiting with dinner when you're ready."

The door closed behind him with a soft click.

Only then did I allow myself to exhale.

The mirror caught my reflection—smudged lipstick, hair completely tousled, the red marks his fingers had left on my hips already darkening. I looked like someone who'd been devoured.

I looked away.

I kicked off my shoes, finished undressing, and sank into the tub.

Heat seeped into muscles I hadn't realized were tense, the water hot enough to sting my skin. Good. I slid farther down until the water lapped at my chin. Tears pricked my eyes as scenes from the opera flashed through my mind.

Sebastian had chosen that opera deliberately, forcing me to watch my own fate played out on stage while he claimed my body.

And yet…

I closed my eyes, remembering how he'd looked at me when I'd first smiled at the opera house.

That fleeting moment of genuine surprise, as if my happiness had been unexpected. Unwanted, even. As if it had thrown him off-balance.

My hand drifted to my throat, pressing where his mouth had been. I jerked it away.

Sebastian Diamanti was a man who orchestrated every moment, who left nothing to chance.

This bath, this villa, the wine waiting by the fire, all pieces on his chessboard.

The water was beginning to cool. How long had I been lying here, dissecting his motives like they would yield some answer that would save me?

Water sloshed over the rim of the tub as I sat up suddenly, hugging my knees. How could I see the cage he was building around me and still consider stepping into it willingly?

My reflection rippled on the water's surface—fractured, unrecognizable.

Part of me thrilled at the possession in his eyes, at the way he claimed me so completely.

Part of me loved the monster as much as the man.

I slid beneath the water's surface, letting it close over my head, muffling the world outside.