Dark Seduction (Vampire Royals of New York #2) - Sarah Piper Page 0,69

her voice thick with emotion, and he knew at once she’d meant her father. “Sometimes I still wake up thinking he’ll be in the kitchen—like, I swear I can hear him in there, flipping pancakes, humming some old Italian song his nona used to sing, waiting to tell me about his latest scheme.” She pulled back to face Dorian, her eyes full of so much pain and vulnerability, it nearly gutted him. “How can I still love someone who was so… so bad?”

“Unfortunately for us, love doesn’t discriminate.” He shook his head, offering a gentle smile. “Or… I don’t know. Perhaps it’s a fortunate thing after all.”

“It hurts,” she whispered, pressing a fist to her heart, her tears spilling.

“I know, love. I know.”

Charlotte rested her head on his chest again, and Dorian buried his face in her warm, silky hair. They sat like that for a long time, looking for all the world like a pair of lovers comforting each other, but the truth was so much more complicated than that.

With neither warning nor precedent, Charlotte D’Amico had broken upon the shores of Dorian’s heart like a tidal wave, unleashing feelings he’d never experienced—never even thought possible—overshadowing all else.

Then, just as quickly as she’d arrived, she was gone—a traitor, a liar, a thief from whom he should’ve hid every last one of his valuables.

Especially his heart.

But there, sitting on a bench in Central Park, his arm wrapped tight around her, her body leaning into him with an aching need he was certain they shared, Dorian was done pretending.

He missed her.

He wanted her, more than he’d ever wanted anything in his life.

And despite everything—everything—he still loved her.

Love.

Devil’s balls. All this time, he thought he’d understood the meaning of the word.

But he hadn’t understood a damn thing.

With a deep sigh, Charlotte sat up again, slipping out from his protective embrace. “I didn’t mean to cry on your shoulder. Um, literally.” She smiled and wiped away her tears. “Thanks for… listening.”

She held his gaze for an eternity, the darkness in her eyes rising to the surface, swirling together with pain and regret and fear and loss and things Dorian could only guess at. More than anything, he wanted to take it away from her. To bear it, so she wouldn’t have to.

“Dorian,” she whispered, “I need to say something.”

“You can talk to me about anything, love.” He took her face between his hands, brushing her satin-smooth cheeks with his thumbs. “I’m not going anywhere.”

And he wasn’t. Not again. Whatever confessions fell from her lips, whatever treacheries new or old, whatever spells or curses, he would not turn his back on her. Not again.

“What I did was… It was unforgivable,” she said softly. “And it wasn’t just what I did to you, but to every family and person and museum I’ve ever… You’re just… You’re the one that kills me the most, because what we had?” She reached up and wrapped her hands around his wrists, her touch warm and electric. “Maybe it started as a ruse, but for me the ruse ended the minute you kissed me in that study. I can’t go back and change the past, but I guess I just… I wanted you to know how sorry I am. Truly. I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but… Maybe I’m asking for it anyway.”

Forgiveness. Now that was a word whose meaning he’d never pretended to know.

When he’d found those floor plans under her bed, Dorian swore she was dead to him. Swore he never wanted to see her again. If vampires could’ve compelled one another, he would’ve grabbed the first one he’d stumbled across and ordered him to erase the damnable woman from his mind.

And every day since, he’d tried to remind himself of that. To convince himself that’s how things had to be. That he could never trust a woman who’d lied to him, who’d misled him, who’d conspired against him.

But all of it had been in vain.

And now, staring into her infinite eyes, Dorian realized it was already done.

He’d forgiven her the moment she’d uttered that first tearful apology in the dining room, bent over the sideboard as he fucked her slow and deep, swearing it would be the very last time.

Dorian supposed that made him a liar too.

Without another thought, he lowered his mouth to hers, claiming her in a possessive kiss that left no doubts about where he stood on the matter.

She melted into the kiss at once, sliding her hands into his hair, parting her