Page 52 of Innocent Salvation

Snow didn’t know how to respond to that. Why was he apologising? Was it for his reaction or for his anger? Snow wasn’t sure but she knew this wasn’t his fault. He was a pawn, the same as she was for the most part. Both at the mercy of her parents and brother, who it seemed would stop at nothing to hurt each other and damn anyone who got in the way.

Not wanting to go to sleep with this between them, Snow kissed his neck, his beard tickling her skin. Sebastian rolled so he was above her in the shadows, his hard body pressed along her softer one.

His hand stroked her hair away from her face, and although she couldn’t see his face, she felt the tenderness in his touch. It was almost reverent, spiritual, the way he touched her, and a sad melancholy seeped through her as his lips brushed hers in a kiss that was meant to be light but as with everything between them, it became an inferno as the spark ignited.

For the first time in her life, Snow knew what it felt like to have a man make love to her. Seb worshipped her body in an unhurried show of connection that ended with them both finding their climax together. As they reached that pinnacle, a tear slipped from her eye because this felt far too much like a goodbye to be anything good.

Chapter 21

Being with Snow the last few days had been a torture and a blessing. Since the moment he’d seen the image of the man Snow called father, his world had been spinning out of control as the lies and secrets he’d found himself caught up in finally found him.

Henri Bourdain was alive. Sebastian could definitely attest to that fact. He’d been the man who’d approached Seb not long after Fleur was born with a deal to help him bring down Patrick if he helped him fake his own death. At the time he’d been desperate enough to agree so Sebastian, knowing the seedier people of the world, had set things up. Henri had only wanted his help to disappear and start a new life. Seb hadn’t even had to get involved with the details of his death.

Now he was in a hole he couldn’t dig his way out of and the worst of it was when she found out, he knew he was going to lose the woman he loved.

As she stepped from the bedroom they’d shared the last two nights, his breath left his body. Her hair was up in some fancy updo with tendrils hanging down her neck, exposing her long, elegant neck and the graceful curve of her shoulders. The dress she wore was the palest gold with tiny straps that led to a deep V that almost went to her midriff. Tiny sequins covered the dress making it seem like it was moving. It moulded her body so not an inch was left to the imagination as it flowed into a long skirt which hit the floor, a side split exposing the creamy skin of her thigh.

He was speechless!

He’d always thought Snow was the most alluring woman he’d ever met but tonight she shone like a star among the clouds.

Moving across the room he took her hands in his and made her twirl slowly, a smile creasing her cheeks at his actions. “You look good enough to eat.”

Snow chuckled, her voice warming the places inside him that he’d thought would always be cold and barren. “Why thank you, Judge Alexander.”

She didn’t wear any adornments and was perfect as she was, having no need for jewels and gems to make her shine more brightly.

Bein stepped into the room, dressed in a tuxedo matching the one Sebastian wore. “Ready to go?”

Snow nodded and bent to adjust the weapon he knew she carried in a thigh holster. The event would be heavily guarded due to the guest list and a security scanner was in use but the weapons they carried could go undetected against any scanner. Just one more thing he’d learned since this adventure into the unknown world of secret assassins and espionage began.

The ride to the hotel was made in silence, with just Snow and Seb in the limo they’d hired. Bein was driving and would make his way inside once he’d dropped Snow and Seb off at the front.

The name of the game was for them to be seen and for the others to go unnoticed. As Bein stopped, Seb could hear the clicks in his ear mic, which was so small he was unsure how he’d ever retrieve the damn thing from his ear. It had taken some getting used to and Reaper, of all people, had been the one to help him get ready for the op tonight.

“You ready?”

He glanced at Snow who he knew was feeling way more anxious than she’d let on and guilt weighed heavy on his heart knowing he’d been involved in part of it, and she still had no idea. “Yep, let’s get this done so we can go home.”

The way she said home filled him with longing for just that. To have a home with her and Fleur that didn’t involve secrets and lies. The truth was, when she found out just how far his betrayal went, she’d never forgive him, and he didn’t blame her.

Pushing that thought to the back of his mind, he exited the limo, reaching in to take Snow’s hand and help her from the vehicle. The cameras behind them began to flash as he led her up the red-carpet lined drive and past the photographers who were calling his name. As the youngest Judge in history and a wealthy man in his own right, Seb had been around the circuit for a while before Fleur had settled his life into something he hadn’t known he’d needed.

Yet it was Snow’s attention they wanted. She calmly, and with the grace of a seasoned actress, smiled and ignored them. While they were making waves at the front, the rest of the team were getting into position. Little did these photogs know that the images they were snapping away were already being corrupted as they were taken by the genius that was Watchdog.

Sebastian fully believed that if he chose to, he could very well take over the world during his lunch break. The thought left his mouth dry when he realised that he’d soon find himself on the wrong end of these men who were so dangerous and so protective of Snow.

Inside, the hotel was magnificent in its splendour. He could certainly see why it had been chosen. Making their way through the crowds they headed deeper into the room. He snagged two champagne glasses from a passing waiter. Not that he had any intention of drinking any, he needed his wits about him tonight.

Sebastian had a bad feeling about this entire approach, only fortified by the fact that he couldn’t get hold of Henri. He’d tried as soon as he realised who he was and that he was close but got no answer and when he’d tried again later, the number had been disconnected.

“We should mingle.”

Sebastian offered his arm as they made their way around the room. He recognised all the people Snow said they knew. James Colchester, who was here with a stunning brunette. James Fitzgerald, who was talking to the minister for education, and then there was Liam Hayes and Princess Taamira.

A more unlikely pair you wouldn’t see, but the way they looked at each other was unmistakable and so full of love and desire it was as if no other people were in the room. Seb glanced at Snow, and she was watching them, the same soft look on her face when she looked at him and his heart almost cracked in two to know he’d hurt her.

All of the people who knew Snow ignored her, as there was an unwritten rule not to acknowledge each other in public. Perhaps that was the case or maybe they’d been spoken to beforehand and been told not to react to her.