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He gives a heavy nod. “Yes. I just got word this morning. I was going to wait until after the ball to tell you.”
Trevor is gone.
I’m safe.
I should feel relief. But I don’t. I just feel sad.
He puts a hand on my shoulder, looking into my eyes. “I couldn’t give you the choice, Rhett. Because if I gave you the choice, you’d have let him kill you. Rather than letting me get to him first. And I knew he wasn’t going to stop. He progressed from hitting you, to kidnapping you. He wasn’t going to stop until you were dead. It was him or you. And I know you would never choose yourself over someone else. You’re too selfless.” His gaze falls to my lips, caressing them like he wants to kiss me. “So, I chose for you. And I… chose you.”
God. His words hit me. Hard. Right in the center of my being. Hitting me in the core of who I am.
Without Beckett, I was probably going to give up my life for Trevor.
Crazy. Stupid.
Still…
It’s what I would have chosen. I’ll never willingly choose to take a life. That’s what separates me from him.
And why I have to leave.
He brushes the tears from my cheeks. His hands drop from my face. He wraps his arms around me, pulling me in tight to him. His strong arms around me, the heat of his body against mine, are almost enough to make me take back my words.
But they’re not enough. I wrap my arms around his neck. I stare in his eyes. I can see—he knows this is over.
“Let’s enjoy this moment,” he says, his voice hoarse with emotion.
Our bodies move as one as we sway to the music.
Knowing this dance will be our last.
That this night will be our last together.
We leave the party, silently, hand in hand, going back to the bedroom of our private mansion. Staff members prepared the room for our return. It’s beautiful.
A fire crackles in the fireplace, embers popping and lighting up the white walls of the dim room. A crystal chandelier hangs over our heads, glittering and reflecting the firelight against the back wall in a mesmerizing dance of color.
The fire casts a subtle scent of burning wood throughout the room, filling it with warmth from the crackling hearth. The air is heavy with the scents of the rejuvenating herbs filling glass vases that have been placed on the side tables by the ivory bed. The scents mingle with each other rather than overpower one another and the result is relaxing and invigorating at the same time.
In the center of the room, our ivory bed has been piled high with pillows and thick blankets that invite us in.
My heart is beating faster now, my breaths coming in shorter bursts. I feel like I'm being drawn further and further into the room's beauty. I know this night is made of magic, and the sadness of our time together ending.
I choose to focus on the magic.
I turned to Beckett, our eyes locking with a silent understanding. Without a word, we both know what's going to happen next. And that this time together will be our last.
We step closer and closer, until our lips finally meet. Passion and fire as hot as the embers cracking in the hearth spark between us. The kiss is electric and filled with emotion as if it’s sealed with a promise: that we will make the most of this night.
We undress one another, my gold gown shimmering in the firelight as it falls to the floor.
We move to the bed, naked.
The ivory sheets are smooth against my bare skin, like silk. The pillows are soft and warm, and piled high. The blankets are soft, luxurious, thick, yet they let your skin breathe. The smell of the herbs hangs in the air, enveloping us in their sweet aroma.
In this moment nothing else matters, everything around us melts away and all that remains are the feelings we share for one another. He smooths my hair back from my face, taking me in his arms. "God... I'm going to miss this. I'm going to miss you."
"I'll miss you, too," I say. My words choke off. I know I can't speak anymore without losing it, so I blink back the tears and cup his face in my hands, drawing him close for another kiss.
