Page 46 of Shattered Crown
I turned. Sebastian was on his feet, a napkin thrown on the table, moving toward me with a controlled fury that made the air feel thin.
I kept going, ignoring him. I heard him murmur to the hostess, something about settling the bill with his assistant. I didn’t care. I speed-walked in my damned high heels until I was out the door and on the sidewalk. The cool night air felt like a balm on my overheated skin.
I tried to hail a cab, but Sebastian finally caught up with me, taking my elbow and pulling me toward his car. I tried to wriggle out of his grip, but he was too strong. “Let go of me, now!”
"That's it?" he repeated. "Two hours of monosyllables and you're just going to walk out?"
"The dinner is over. I held up my end."
"Your end." He laughed, but there was no humor in it. "You sat there like a hostage. You barely spoke. You wouldn't even look at me."
"I looked at you plenty."
"You looked at the door." He stopped in front of me, close enough that I had to tilt my head back. "Constantly. Like you were planning your escape."
"Maybe I was."
"Why are you so stubborn?" The words came out sharp, frustrated. "I tried tonight, Aria. I put my reservations aside. I was decent to you. I held the door, I pulled out your chair, I attempted actual conversation—and you couldn't return the favor for even five minutes?"
"I didn't ask you to do any of that."
He stared at me. "What is wrong with you?"
"You." The word exploded out of me. "You are what's wrong with me. Why can't you just leave me alone? Why do you have to be everywhere?"
"Because you forced my daughter to work for you!"
"I didn't force her to do anything!" I stepped closer, jabbing my finger toward his face. "She wanted to work for me. She came to me. She chose to."
He grabbed my wrist.
The movement was fast, sudden, and then I was being pulled forward, my body colliding with his chest, his grip firm around my arm. His eyes blazed down at me, gray gone dark like storm clouds.
"And what did you want, Aria?" His voice was low, rough. "To drive me crazy? To make sure I lose my mind? Is that why you're doing all this?"
"Let go of me."
His fingers didn't loosen. His chest rose and fell against mine, his breath coming fast.
"Let go," I said again, but my voice had lost its edge. Something else was creeping in. Something that had to do with how close he was, how warm, the way his hand felt wrapped around my wrist—firm but not painful, his thumb pressed against my pulse point that was hammering too fast.
Sebastian's gaze dropped to my mouth.
I stopped breathing.
And then his lips crashed against mine.
10SEBASTIAN
I was goingto show her.
I was going to show her exactly how insane she made me, how completely she'd gotten under my skin, how every sharp word and cold glance had burrowed into my chest and refused to leave.
My hand moved from her wrist to her waist, fingers digging into the soft fabric of her dress, and I pulled her closer. I expected resistance. I expected her to shove me away, to slap me, to tell me exactly where I could shove my hundred-thousand-dollar dinner.
Instead, she kissed me back.
Not tentatively. Not with hesitation. She kissed me with the same ferocity I was giving her, her fingers curling into the lapels of my jacket, her body pressing against mine like she was trying to climb inside my skin.
