"I know what I want."
His voice was low. Direct.
"What?"
"You."
My heart stuttered. "What?"
"You," he repeated. His eyes dropped to my lips, then back up. His pupils had gone dark in the candlelight. "I want you, Aria."
I knew what he was thinking. God help me, I was thinking the exact same thing. I had been thinking it for days. For longer than that, if I was honest. Since New York. Since the first kiss. Maybe since before that, buried under all the anger and resentment, waiting for me to stop being too stubborn to see it.
The candles flickered between us. The ocean murmured its endless rhythm. The stars were coming out overhead, scattered like jewels across the darkening sky.
"Aria."
"Yes?"
He held my gaze. "I want you."
Simple. Direct. No games, no pretense, no hiding behind clever words.
I set my wine glass down. My hand was trembling slightly. My heart was pounding so hard I was sure he could hear it.
"Show me."
The words barely left my mouth before he was moving.
He threw bills on the table without counting them, took my hand, and pulled me to my feet. We left the candles still burning, the wine half-finished, the romantic setup abandoned as he led me away from the beach and toward the hotel.
We didn't speak. We didn't need to. His hand gripped mine, warm and certain, and I followed him through the gardens, past the pool, into the main building. The lobby was quiet, a few guests scattered on sofas, the staff moving with their usual unhurried grace. I caught an amused look from the woman at the front desk as we passed.
I didn't care.
The elevator doors slid shut. Sebastian's fingers laced through mine, and his thumb started doing this thing—this slow circle against my palm that made my stomach flip.
I stared at the numbers above the door. Three. Four. Five.
He was standing so close I could feel the heat coming off his body. Every time I breathed, my shoulder grazed his chest.
Six. Seven.
God, this elevator was slow.
Eight.
The doors opened.
My room was down at the end of the hall. I dug the key card out of my purse and tried to slide it through the reader, but my hands were shaking just enough that the light blinked red.
Sebastian stepped up behind me. I felt his breath on the back of my neck.
I tried again. The light turned green.
I pushed the door open and turned around, and that's when he kissed me.
His hands cupped my face and his mouth was on mine and I forgot about the door, forgot about everything except the taste of him and the way his fingers slid into my hair.
