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Carmen strolled inside the Davenport mansion, distracted. She couldn’t help but think about what Remi had said to her. It was a fear that she carried in her heart but somehow spoken into existence gave it an air of finality. Remi was right, of course. She didn’t know the first thing about where she was going to begin her search for her daughter…
She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t realize when somebody grabbed her by her wrist and before she could scream or react otherwise, a hand came down on her mouth. In the very next moment, she found herself in a darkened alcove, with her captor right behind her, his hands resting on her waist. Without even turning around, she knew right away that it was Arthur.
He whirled her around. At the playful smile on his face, she immediately relaxed in his arms. He nudged his nose against hers as he leaned in to kiss her. She pulled him towards her, deepening the kiss. He bent her at the waist and dipped her head behind so that he could have easier access to her. It made kissing infinitely easier in the cramped space.
It was only when he pressed soft kisses down the long column of her neck that she finally found her voice. “What are you—we—doing here?”
Arthur gave her a grin. “I realized that I hadn’t kissed you enough yesterday and I needed to make up for it immediately.” He looked around. “This seemed to be the perfect place to remedy the situation.”
Butterflies took flight in her stomach at his words. He desired her, she knew that, but when he said things like that, it almost made her wonder… It was wrong to expect anything more than promised, so she shook her head to clear her mind of the overwhelming thoughts. She could deal with those pesky thoughts later. She wanted to be in this moment. “You,” she said, trying to be stern. “Almost scared the living daylights out of me, good sir.”
“That wasn’t my intention, madam,” he said with a crooked grin. Carmen’s stomach clenched.
Carmen balled her fist and playfully hit him on his powerful chest. He barely even flinched at the contact but instead caught both of her hands in his and pressed it to himself. Carmen could feel his heart beating erratically under her palm. She stepped closer and put her head on his chest almost instinctively. Arthur froze under her touch and she knew immediately that she had made a mistake touching him.
“I’m sorry,” she said, trying to pull away. But to her surprise, his arms came around her and held her snugly against him. He didn’t want to let go yet. So, they stood like that for a few minutes, or might as well have been a few hours, locked in each other’s embrace. Carmen memorized his scent, and the feel of him under her fingers. When they kissed or touched each other, fire crackled between them but now all Carmen could feel was an infinite ocean of peace and tranquility. She hadn’t known that since she had left her home and was left to fend for herself and quite frankly, she had forgotten what it felt like. She was home in Arthur’s arm.
When he finally let her go, it was to look down into her eyes deeply for a few minutes. “I have a surprise for you,” he said.
“What is it?” she asked, her brows pulled down in a frown.
“The music hall—I want it opened by the end of the week.”
