The fire in the library burned low, its embers casting a dim glow across the room. Arabelle stood by the tall windows, her arms crossed and her gaze fixed on the storm raging outside. The wind howled, rattling the glass, but the tempest in her mind was louder.
The discoveries she had made - Lucian's family history, the whispered curse, the weight he carried - gnawed at her thoughts. She'd tried to focus on the portrait, but her brush had faltered, her hands unable to capture the man who seemed to be both an enigma and a storm in his own right.
She heard the door open behind her and turned sharply, her breath catching when she saw him. Lucian stepped inside, his dark eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that made her pulse quicken. He wasn't wearing the usual tailored suit she'd grown accustomed to. Instead, he wore a simple black shirt and slacks, the fabric clinging to his broad shoulders and lean frame in a way that felt unexpectedly intimate.
"Miss Leclerc," he said, his voice low and smooth. "You've been avoiding me."
"I've been working," she replied, lifting her chin.
His gaze flicked to the empty canvas she'd left in the corner. "Is that what you call it?"
Her cheeks flushed with heat, but she refused to back down. "I can't work with a subject who refuses to sit still. You disappear for hours, sometimes days. How do you expect me to capture you if you're never around?"
Lucian's jaw tightened, and he stepped closer, the distance between them shrinking. "Perhaps it's not my absence that's the problem," he said, his tone softer now, almost a murmur. "Perhaps it's what you're afraid to see."
Her breath hitched at his words. "I'm not afraid."
"Aren't you?" His voice was like a velvet ribbon, brushing against her resolve. "You spend more time wandering the halls, looking for ghosts, than you do at the easel. Maybe you're afraid of what you'll find if you really look at me."
Arabelle's heart thundered in her chest. His words hit too close to the truth, and the frustration that had been simmering inside her finally boiled over.
"You think you're so mysterious, don't you?" she snapped, stepping closer to him. "Brooding in the shadows, hiding behind your scars and your secrets. You're not the only one with ghosts, Lucian."
The sound of his name on her lips seemed to jolt him. His eyes darkened, and for a moment, the mask he wore slipped. She saw a flicker of something raw and unguarded, something that made her breath catch again.
"You think you know me?" he said, his voice quieter now but no less charged. "You don't. You've only seen the surface."
"Then show me," she challenged, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and something else - something she couldn't name. "Stop hiding and let me see who you really are."
The silence that followed was electric, the air between them charged with unspoken tension. Lucian's gaze dropped to her lips, and for a fleeting moment, she thought he might kiss her.
Instead, he turned away, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "You don't understand, Arabelle. There are things - things you can't - "
"Can't what?" she interrupted, stepping closer again. Her voice softened, though the edge of defiance remained. "Can't handle? Can't see? Don't underestimate me, Lucian."
He turned back to her then, his movements quick and fluid. Before she could react, his hand shot out, gripping her wrist - not harshly, but firmly enough to still her.
Her eyes widened, her pulse jumping at the contact. His touch was warm, grounding, but there was a tension in his grip, as if he was holding himself back.
"You don't know what you're asking for," he said, his voice low and rough. "If I let you in, you won't like what you find."
Her heart raced, but she refused to look away. "Let me decide that."
For a moment, neither of them moved. His thumb brushed against her wrist, sending a shiver through her, and she swore she felt his pulse quicken beneath her skin.
"I should stay away from you," he murmured, his voice so quiet she almost didn't hear it.
"Then why don't you?" she asked, her own voice barely above a whisper.
He didn't answer. Instead, his free hand rose, hovering near her cheek before retreating, as if he couldn't quite bring himself to close the distance.
"Because I can't," he admitted finally, his words weighted with something between resignation and desire.
The confession sent a jolt through her, and before she could second-guess herself, she stepped closer, narrowing the space between them until she could feel the heat radiating from his body.
"Lucian," she said softly, her voice a mixture of defiance and vulnerability.
Whatever restraint he'd been holding onto snapped. His hand slid to her cheek, his touch tentative at first, as if he feared she might break beneath his fingers. When she didn't pull away, he leaned in, his breath warm against her skin.
The kiss, when it came, was slow and deliberate, a careful exploration that quickly deepened. His hand tangled in her hair, pulling her closer, and she pressed against him, her own hands gripping the fabric of his shirt.
It wasn't just a kiss - it was a collision, a clash of anger and longing, of walls breaking and guards falling.
When they finally pulled apart, both of them were breathing heavily, their foreheads resting together.
"This is a mistake," he said, his voice hoarse, though his hands didn't release her.
"Then why does it feel like anything but?" she whispered.
Lucian closed his eyes, his jaw tightening as if he were at war with himself. "Because you don't know what you're stepping into."
"Then tell me," she said, her voice firmer now. "Stop running, Lucian. Let me in."
His eyes opened, and for the first time, she saw a flicker of fear in their depths. He released her, stepping back as if putting distance between them would somehow erase what had just happened.
"I can't," he said simply, his tone laced with finality.
And then he was gone, leaving her standing alone in the library, her lips still tingling from his touch and her heart pounding with unanswered questions.
Back in her room, Arabelle tried to sketch, but her hands trembled too much to hold the pencil steady. The memory of Lucian's touch lingered, as did the words he'd spoken.
She set the sketchbook aside and climbed into bed, though sleep didn't come easily. Her thoughts were a tangled mess, caught between anger, desire, and the growing suspicion that Lucian Devereaux was far more dangerous than she had realized.
But the most unsettling thought of all was this: she didn't care.