Selena shook her head, her eyes now trained on the floor. She could not meet his gaze. "I do not think I can. I do not think I will marry. You don’t know how superficial the ton is—I will never be welcomed in it.”

“Selena.” Lucius held her hands in his firmly, and she was yoked to him, tethered mere inches away. "I am part of the ton. I know how it operates. But it's made up of people, and each person acts according to his own conscience. Mine tells me you will make me happy. Only say that you will be my wife."

Selena bit her lip and refused to answer. Perhaps it was childish of her, or fearful, or foolish. Perhaps she was being unreasonably stubborn. But it did not seem possible that the feelings he professed to have for her would last.

“Selena, look at me,” Lucius commanded.

She raised her eyes slowly to his, and with a gentleness she did not think he could possess, he placed his fingers on both sides of her face, caressing her cheeks with his thumbs. Her breath came unsteadily, and she could not move. She could not think.

"I'm going to kiss you," he whispered.

He waited, his eyes searching hers, and although every objection should spring to her lips, Selena could voice none. None of them fit. The longing to connect to him and to be loved by him was too great.

Lucius leaned down and pressed his lips on hers, his hands sliding back to cradle her head. The sense of excitement, and of coming home, crashed and coursed through her simultaneously. Faint with longing, Selena was ready to agree to anything. Lucius deepened the kiss and slid one hand around her waist to pull her even closer. Time stopped, and Selena could only feel the intimacy of his arms pulling her against him and his lips exploring hers.

"Selena!"

She came to her senses with a jolt, her breath coming in gasps. What had she been doing? Heat infused Selena’s cheeks, and she wanted to pull away—to turn to see who had called her, although in her heart she knew—but Lucius held her fast. He was looking over her shoulder.

"You traitor,” Rebecca shrieked.

Selena heard Rebecca’s voice through the pounding of her pulse in her ears, but she could not see her until she had extricated herself from Lucius's grasp. She turned toward the door, but by then it was too late. She took two steps after Rebecca, but Lucius was too quick for her. He pulled on her hand and held her fast.

“Let her go. It will not do her any harm to realize that not every man on whom she sets her eyes will make her the object of his attention.”

Stricken, Selena still looked toward the door, and he continued, “If she had opened her eyes much earlier, she would have seen that I thought you were worth ten of her from the very beginning. Now that I have come to know you better, there can be no comparison.” He gave a gentle tug on her hand, and she turned back to him. “But you and I have something to finish."