Zane's POV
I cursed under my breath as we broke the kiss. I let her take a while to arrange her silk gown. I moved a bit from her as my mind played over what happened the night before.
Belle couldn’t sleep all night; I could tell from the way she kept shifting in bed, her body tense beneath the silk sheets. I lay beside her, watching her.
I thought back to earlier that night when I walked into the Perri mansion, my mind filled with chaos, only to be confronted by an entirely different reality. I remember the way Belle’s mother was yelling, her voice shrill with rage, but none of that mattered the second I saw Belle.
She stood there, so fragile and strong all at once, and without thinking, I crossed the room and pulled her into my arms. Her soft, warm body pressed against mine, groundi
