A/N: Hello, everyone! Seriously, thank you for following this story closely. The votes have been amazing. This is #85 in Non-Fiction while TMMM is at #52. It's crazy especially since I didn't post this story until recently. Anyway... I decided to post this since people are pulling their hair out from last chapter's cliffhanger. LOL!
Ch. 14 is going to offer a lot of insight into the past four years. As to whether you guys agree with what you find out or not, well, that's just how it rolls. The characters don't always make the best choices, and sometimes they compound their mistakes, but their hearts are usually in the right place.
Hope you enjoy this one! =)
***Dedicating this one to inkzerospace for gifting us with Beloved Beast. I love fairytales and this is one of my favorites ever in WP. The whole book has a dreamlike quality to it and both blind beauty and the beast are so endearing you just root for them from start to finish. =)***
***
I temporarily lost my mind.
I mean, that must be the only explanation to why I found my arms surging up to lock around Sebastian’s neck as he nearly lifted me off my feet, kissing me with torrid intent that I matched without pause.
His mouth was hot, moist and demanding, his tongue coaxing mine into a sensual mating.
My brain short-circuited, my heart sent a rush of fevered blood through every vein in my body.
Oh, God. How I’ve wanted this for so long.
It was true. I’ve learned to admit to a lot less in the last four years but one thing I wouldn’t, couldn’t deny was that Sebastian still stirred me with the same power that enraptured and crushed me that one unforgettable summer.
My heart ached with his nearness, with memories of the days when we held each other this close, kissed with tenderness and passion and promised each other love forever.
And he broke that promise.
The pain, dulled by the years, slashed me anew, and with a low cry, I tore myself away from Sebastian, stumbling back unsteadily.
He caught me by the elbows, allowing some distance between us without completely releasing me.
His hair was a tousled mess, his eyes bright with emotion, his breathing uneven.
“Cassandra,” he rasped. “I... I’m... I’ve missed you so much.”
His raw confession worsened the turmoil inside me and I closed my eyes briefly, waiting for the tears to abate. The last thing I wanted was to break down in front of him after four years of reining in my feelings.
“What do you want, Sebastian?” I asked weakly. “What are we doing here?”
His grip loosened on my arms, his thumbs gently rubbing my skin.
I pressed my lips together to fight the shiver that ran up my spine.
“We have to talk. This isn’t the best place and time to do it. We can go out for dinner tonight and talk then.”
“No.” I took another step back, shaking his hold loose. This time, he let me go.
“We’re not doing anything else other than be civil together at work. I think, despite the past or maybe because of it, we can at least grant each other that.”
His face darkened. “I have something more than civility in mind. I’ll pick you up at seven, Cassandra.”
“I’m not going out to dinner with you, Sebastian!” I insisted, my tone rigid with indignation. “You and I are no longer anything more than just boss and employee.”
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Virtue and Vice
General Fiction"If I'm going down, I might as well pick my poison. I pick you." *** A Cobalt Bay Billionaires story. *** She couldn't be sure whether he was her predator or protector... but she was doomed to love him either way. *** It was a summer they wi...
