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Chapter 24
She had scars on her body.
All over her body. He had felt them last night on her arms and her belly, and now he could clearly see them on her back. From whips, burns, cuts, and something else he wasn’t certain of.
It made his blood boil.
He was ready to break something. As it was, the pencil under his fingers almost snapped from pressure.
But Lavinia clearly wasn’t ready to talk to him about it. She didn’t want to be judged. And he was not going to pry.
From her brief recitation of her father, it was clear that he had been abusing her for years. He was the reason she was so certain of her unworthiness. He was the reason she viewed herself as a burden. He was the reason she hid in the shadows and had never pursued her happiness.
Her father had tried very hard to break her spirit, but he had not succeeded. It was a wonder she had trusted anyone at all.
It was a gift that she’d opened herself to him.
And Sebastian would spend the rest of his life cherishing that gift.
She was obviously still in love with her childhood friend, the Duke of Kensington. The love she harbored for him was doubtful to go away so easily, but Sebastian was not the kind to give up. Kiss after kiss, he was certain to break down her defenses and prominently lodge himself into her heart.
Because the moment she’d disrobed for him the night before, she’d become his, and he had no intention of ever letting her go.
Sebastian finished his sketch and looked it over. It wasn’t perfect, but then he quickly realized that putting Lavinia down on canvas was not an easy feat. To relay her beauty, he would have to put down her soul. Perhaps in time, he would polish that skill, and he’d gladly spend the rest of his life doing just that.
“Do you want to see it?” he asked.
Lavinia’s eyes lit up. “Please.”
Sebastian moved to the bed and sat next to her. He showed her the sketch, and a look of wonder appeared on her face. Her mouth slightly opened, an adorable pucker between her eyes; she was completely flabbergasted by what she saw.
“I know it isn’t perfect,” Sebastian said sheepishly.
“Not perfect?” Lavinia sniffed. Her eyes glinted with tears. “How did you manage to do this? How did you manage to make me look so—” She swallowed, unable to finish the sentence. Tears slowly rolled down her eyes.
Sebastian tipped her chin and forced her to meet his eyes. “Is it so terrible?” he asked with a smile.
Lavinia looked into his eyes and he could see his reflection in her clear, brown eyes. “Is that how you truly see me?”
Sebastian shook his head. “I can’t put to canvas what I see when I look at you. I do not have enough skill to portray that kind of beauty.”
Lavinia closed her eyes, tears rolling down her cheeks.
“Don’t cry,ma petite.” Sebastian kissed her on her forehead.
Lavinia let go of the bedsheet and wrapped her arms around him. Sebastian held her close, rubbing soothing circles on her back.
Lavinia kissed his ear, his chin. Sebastian gently nudged her with his nose and caught her mouth in a kiss. Her warm body pressed against his, made his body react instantly. His cock rose proudly in his breeches, demanding to be released from the confines of his clothes. His entire body tensed and heated.
His hands traveled down her body. He stroked her inner thigh, and Lavinia instinctively spread her legs wider.
The clatter of horse hooves and the loud conversation of young boys below the window quickly brought Sebastian back to reality.
Right. There was no time for one more tryst. They needed to go back to the Roth estate.
It didn’t matter, though.
He’d have her for the rest of his life.
