Chapter Twenty-six

Sylvia heard his harsh intake of breath. It was all she could do to not to release his arm. Heat suffused her cheeks at her bold words.

But she’d said it. She’d actually said the thought that had been pounding in her heart all night as she lay alone in the large bed. The question that had built inside her all morning as she made breakfast.

She’d realized Xavier would never go back on his word not to kiss her. If she wanted him, she would have to beg.

He turned to her now, cradling her face in his strong hands as he looked down at her with such hot intensity that she felt lost in it.

“If I kiss you,” he ground out, “it won’t stop at a kiss. I will not be able to control myself."

Wouldn’t it? She hadn’t thought that far ahead. All she knew was that if he didn’t kiss her soon, she thought she would die.

This is madness, Sylvia’s mind was frantically trying to tell her. But her body had long stopped listening to her brain.

“It will destroy your relationship with Arnold forever,” he said q