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Gasps echoed around him—some with admiration, others with the same puzzlement that sometimes made him wonder just what it was about her that fascinated him so much.
She reached the end of the runway and stared down at him. For a full minute neither of them moved. Her gaze held a hint of fear, a healthy amount of defiance and a whole lot of attitude. But it was the bravery that fired from the core of her being that struck into his heart. Despite the brash exterior, Reiko Kagawa had taken a battering and had come out literally fighting.
He adored her. It was really that simple. He let the feeling infuse his every fibre until he was sure she could see it.
He knew the exact moment she recognised it. Her beautiful eyes widened, her lips parting on a shallow breath that ripped another thunderclap of desire through him.
You’re mine, he mouthed.
She saw that, too. Her contact-seeking fingers fluttered against her thighs, brushing the chiffon.
He nodded in silent promise. She inhaled, physically and emotionally gathering herself. Then she turned.
The spotlight fell on her bare back, exposing the myriad scars lining her skin. Another gasp raced through the crowd. Beside him, Isadora’s shocked breath barely touched him. He couldn’t tear his gaze from Reiko, the feelings rampaging through him threatening to pull him under with their sheer, deva
stating force.
‘If you know what’s good for you, boy, pull your head out of your behind and act quickly,’ his grandfather grunted.
Damion turned to him and outlined exactly what he intended to do. His grandfather’s nod of approval made his heart lift.
He turned and watched Reiko. By the time she disappeared behind the curtain to the sound of thundering applause, Damion knew without a shadow of a doubt that he wouldn’t be kissing any more girl-frogs.
Reiko emerged from the cloakroom as the first of the fireworks lit the sky. Despite being shaky from the crowd’s reaction, she couldn’t stop herself from smiling, or calm her racing, giddy heart.
No one was horrified at my scars. The thought was so freeing she let out an ecstatic laugh. As for the look in Damion’s eyes … Heat swirled through her, pinching her nipples and cramping her belly with need.
She would have this one last night. Something to remember him by once she’d left here. It was thoroughly selfish, of course, but right at that moment desire trumped denial.
Sylvain, on his way outside, stopped his electric wheelchair in the vast hallway when he saw her.
‘It pleases me to finally see the curse lifted from the Fortier choker.’
Reiko stopped. ‘The curse?’
‘Oui. That necklace was commissioned by my grandfather for his teenage wife. He won her in a duelling match with her intended suitor. And because he didn’t want the man to forget, he made her wear it every time they went out in public.’
‘Okay, that was … different. But where does the curse come in?’
‘She made the Baron’s life a misery—just like every Fortier wife who’s ever worn it since,’ Sylvain explained. ‘I can personally testify to that.’
Recalling what she knew about Gabrielle Fortier, Reiko felt her heart go out to him. ‘I’m sorry,’ she murmured.
Sylvain shook his head. ‘Don’t pity me. Fortier men might be prone to loving too deeply, even compulsively, but we love only one for as long as we live.’ He looked towards the stairs to where the Femme sur Plage had taken pride of place. ‘Thank you for returning her to me. Damion tells me you bought the Femme en Mer. I think you’re not so immune to my grandson as you like me to think?’
Reiko had no words to answer, but as she followed Sylvain, her skin tingled with a different emotion.
The moment she stepped onto the terrace, she felt Damion’s forceful gaze.
You’re mine.
She didn’t resist as he came and pulled her close. They stayed locked together through the fireworks, but with each passing minute her heart sank lower, the euphoric high she’d experienced on the runway giving way to despair.
Damion hadn’t been declaring anything special. He’d been putting his stamp on her, proclaiming her as his to the world as if she was some sort of … meat.
She managed to hold it together … just.
The door had barely shut after the last guest before she whirled on him. ‘Take this necklace off me, Damion.’
