Chapter 13

Siena's breath caught in her throat, her heart breaking at the pain that dripped from Levi's words. His shoulders tensed as he stepped back from her and pushed her away.

She had known his story would be difficult, but she had never expected just how raw and emotional it would be. Anguish washed over his face as the guilt practically seeped out of him. Siena reached out a trembling hand, cupping his cheek gently, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Levi, you can"t blame yourself for what happened. It was a tragedy, an accident... you did everything you could to save him. More than most people ever would," she implored, her eyes pleading with him to see the truth in her words.

Levi closed his eye, his jaw clenched tight, and Siena could only imagine the flood of memories that sharing had brought up. He had carried this burden for so long that the weight must have been crushing him.

Siena took a chance and stepped in toward him, staring up at him earnestly, needing him to know that all hope was not lost.

"You don"t understand, Siena," he murmured hoarsely, his hands trembling at his sides. "I failed him in the worst way. He was a good man. Such a better man than I. What was the point of it all?"

"I wish I knew," she said, reaching up and lifting her hands to his face, feeling the puckered scars beneath her fingers, knowing how much the burns still pained him. What must it be like to walk around with a constant reminder of the worst moment of your life? "What I do know is that if he was as good of a man as you say he was, then he wouldn't want you to live like this. Alone. Shut off from the world on this estate, pushing everyone away from you. What would he want you to be doing?"

"Being a good duke, I suppose," he muttered, his good eye catching hers.

"But in your own way," she said earnestly. "You cannot be him. You are not the same person. But you can be the best version of yourself."

"I am not sure there is a best version."

Siena lifted her chin, unwavering in her conviction as she stared into his stormy face. "I beg to differ. I have seen glimpses of the man you truly are, Levi. Beneath the walls you have built around yourself using your scars and your burdens lies a kind-hearted, honorable man. You may not see it now, but I do."

Levi"s gaze softened at her words, a flicker of something akin to hope dancing in his eyes. Siena took a step closer, her hand reaching out to grasp his tightly.

"Let me show you the man I see," she whispered, her voice unwavering with determination. "You don"t have to face this alone anymore."

For a moment, silence hung heavy between them, the weight of their shared emotions palpable in the air. Then, Levi let out a shaky breath, and Siena nearly cried as she could see him beginning to peek out around the corner of his walls.

"I never expected to find someone like you," he admitted quietly. "Someone who sees beyond the darkness that haunts me. Who isn't afraid to look at me."

Siena's heart swelled with newfound courage as she stepped closer to him, their faces only inches apart. The warmth of his breath mingled with hers, the electric tension crackling between them as they stood on the precipice of something unknown yet all too tantalizing.

Levi"s hand trembled slightly as he reached up to brush a stray strand of hair away from Siena"s face, his touch gentle yet charged with an unspoken desire. His eye searched hers, a silent question hanging in the air - was she sure about this?

Without uttering a word, Siena closed the remaining distance between them, her lips meeting his in a tentative yet achingly sweet kiss. It was as if time stood still in that moment, the weight of their shared burdens lifting ever so slightly as their hearts found solace in each other"s embrace.

Levi responded fervently, his arms encircling her waist as he deepened the kiss, and Siena could practically taste all of his pent-up longing pouring through his touch.

As they kissed, a flood of emotions rushed through Siena - relief, desire, and a newfound sense of connection that she had never expected to find with anyone, least of all this reclusive duke. Siena could feel Levi"s hesitations melt away as he kissed her with a hunger that spoke volumes about the depth of his feelings.

When they finally broke apart, both were breathless, their gazes locked in a silent exchange of unspoken promises. Siena could see a mix of emotions swirling in Levi"s face - gratitude, longing, and a hint of fear.

Levi"s thumb gently traced her cheekbone as he whispered hoarsely, "I do not deserve you, Siena. I am broken and scarred, inside and out."

Siena placed a finger over his lips, silencing his doubts. "You are worthy of love, Levi. Your scars do not define you; they are a testament to the battles you"ve fought and survived. You deserve happiness as much as anyone."

And she was about to show him exactly what she meant.

Levi"s heartthundered in his chest as Siena's words echoed in his mind, her touch a balm to his wounded soul. He closed his eyes, drowning in the scent of her hair, the warmth of her body so close to his. When she traced her fingers over the rough texture of his scars on his cheek and neck, a shiver ran down his spine.

He should stop her — to continue would be more than he should allow, for more reasons than one. She was a proper young lady, too beautiful, too tender, too innocent for a man like him.

But it was the first time in the longest time that he could remember feeling at peace, loved, as more than the scarred duke about whom rumors abounded. He would do anything to take care of her, to protect her.

And right now, maybe he would do so by just being in the moment.

With her.

With utmost tenderness, Siena began to undress him, each piece of fabric falling away like barriers between them.

Levi"s breath caught in his throat as Siena's hands moved with purpose, undoing the buttons of his shirt one by one. His heart raced with a heady mix of desire and vulnerability as she bared his chest, revealing the network of scars that crisscrossed his skin.

Siena's touch was gentle yet sure as she traced each scar with her fingertips, her lips following in their wake to leave soft, reassuring kisses in their path. Levi closed his eyes, overwhelmed by the rush of emotions coursing through him - disbelief that someone could look at him with such tenderness, longing for the connection he had denied himself for fear of rejection, and a flicker of hope that maybe, just maybe, he could let himself be loved.

When she finally met his gaze, Levi saw nothing but acceptance, and, he realized, hunger, which only made his own need for her all the more encompassing.

As her hands moved lower, undoing his trousers with a confidence that both thrilled and terrified him, Levi"s resolve wavered. He wanted her with a desperation that bordered on madness, but he also feared the depth of emotion she stirred within him. She was a beacon of light in his darkened world, a reminder of everything he had denied himself for far too long.

Yet Levi could no longer ignore the primal urge that pulsed through him and with a low growl, he pulled Siena close, their bodies melding together asif they were made to fit perfectly against one another.

Levi barely even registered the fire crackling in the hearth, which would normally have his every nerve on edge with fear.

Instead, he noticed how the flickering light cast a warm glow, accentuating the curves of Siena's body above him.

Her hands roamed over Levi's skin, and he captured her lips in a searing kiss, pouring all his longing and desire into it. Their breath mingled, hearts pounding in unison as they gave in to the pull between them.

"Time to be rid of this," he said, reaching up and grasping the material of her ruined dress on either side of the buttons that ran up the back of it. Seeing no reason to take care of a garment that would have to be disposed of anyway, he ripped it down the back, the small buttons jumping away from their seams to dance over the bed and along the floor. Siena's eyes glazed over at his show of force, and a surge of strength rushed through him that he could still cause such a reaction in a woman.

Siena slid the rest of her dress off her body, followed by her chemise and stays until she was as bare as he was, and he stilled for a moment as he ran his gaze over her, struck by her beauty and the fact that she was here with him, had chosen him, wanted him.

Levi's large, possessive hands moved with a reverent urgency, exploring every inch of Siena"s body as if committing each moment to memory. Her skin was soft against his rough palms, her gasps of pleasure urging him on.

"Levi," Siena whispered his name like a prayer, her voice husky with need.

He groaned in response, his own desire reaching a fever pitch as he felt her heat against him. He needed to be inside her, to feel her surround him, to make her his — even if it was just for tonight.

He pushed himself off the bed, no longer content to be beneath her as a part of his former self returned, the raw, masculine piece that could no longer lie passively but needed to take action and show this woman his strength.

Siena's eyes widened in surprise and desire as she arched beneath him in a silent plea for more.

When he met her gaze, he saw the naked emotion swirling within her eyes. The desire and trust mirrored back at him was more intoxicating than any whiskey he'd ever tasted, more addictive than any card game he'd ever partaken in.

"I want you, Siena," he growled, his voice low and gravelly with need. She nodded, her gaze never leaving his, and whispered, "Take me."

With fierce intensity that belied their tender connection, Levi positioned himself at her entrance, his eyes locked on hers as he entered her slowly, savoring the feel of her warm, wet core surrounding him.

Siena moaned softly, her legs wrapping around his waist as she pulled him closer, her nails digging into his shoulders as their bodies moved in perfect harmony. Their kiss deepened, their tongues entwined as they sought comfort and strength in each other's embrace. Levi thrust deeper, his rhythm matching the erratic pounding of his heart. Siena met each thrust, her hips rocking in response, driving them both higher and higher.

Their cries echoed around the room, as Levi couldn"t help but be lost in the feeling of Siena, her velvety skin squeezing him as he moved within her. Her breathing was ragged, her pleas for mercy and desire intertwined.

In that moment, he knew he was lost. Lost in Siena, lost in this unholy pleasure, lost in the raw and primitive need to claim her. He had fought to deny her but forces greater than him had quelled any chance of that.

For she was stronger than she seemed, stronger than she likely even knew herself.

And if she didn't know it yet, then he would make sure that she understood, from this moment on.

"Levi!" she cried as she began to pulse around him, and he lost himself in her, pumping hard until the very last moment when he forced himself to pull out of her and spend on the sheets beside her.

He returned to her, holding himself up on his elbows above her, their noses touching as they breathed deeply, lost in one another and the moment that had overtaken them.

He should not have taken her innocence.

But he would worry about that later.

For now, he would clean her up and treat her like the priceless woman she was.

She had forever buried herself inside his heart.

The only problem was that he had no idea how he would ever let her go.