Chapter 18

As Virtue watched Sebastian ease into the evening, she could almost visibly see the tension melt away from his body. He sat more relaxed now, one knee casually bent with his elbow resting upon it as he leaned forward slightly. His breathing had evened out too, the earlier flush of agitation had faded from his cheeks, and most tellingly, his eyes—there was a sparkle there. An unguardedness that she had begun to notice in her husband as this week had unfolded. A side to him she had known to exist but had worked had to coax out.

Her plan, albeit daring, was beginning to bear fruit.

"And she hasn't spoken to you since?" he laughed, shaking his head slightly in disbelief. He lifted his glass of brandy to his lips—his second of the evening.

"Not once!" Virtue explained with a playful pout. "And it is not funny."

"I beg to differ," Sebastian chortled as he took another sip. "I might even go so far as to say it is hilarious."

"Hilarious, you say? Another emotion my husband possesses that I have yet to see."

"And you might have seen it sooner had I been present," he grinned.

Virtue fixed Sebastian with a stern look—though it was all in good fun. "You know, as my husband, you are supposed to be on my side here."

"I am on your side," he protested, trying to appear sincere, though giving it away with a poorly suppressed grin. "And I am utterly sympathetic to your plight. But Virtue..." He rubbed at his chin. "Can you truly fault her? I am sure the poor girl must have been mortified."

"What about me?!" Virtue feigned indignation, hands on her hips.

"What about you?" he replied with a nonchalant shrug as he finished his glass of brandy. "From what I can see, you have recovered rather splendidly. Better than most would, in fact."

She maintained her faux stern expression as she reached for the brandy bottle, refilling his glass. "That is beside the point."

"Would it ease your displeasure to know that, had I been present, I would have gallantly swept you up and away from the ball? Perhaps even menaced anyone daring enough to chuckle—a glance from me, and they'd have been silenced, I assure you. I can be quite formidable when the occasion calls for it."

"Oh, can you now?" she retorted dryly. "And no, it does not help. Because you weren't there."

"Well, the next time you find yourself stumbling into a waiter and inadvertently causing a cascade of wine over yourself and a friend before taking a spectacular tumble, I promise I will be."

"You better be." She widened her eyes at him but then snorted, quickly covering her mouth, which had Sebastian howling.

Virtue knew that if she wanted Sebastian to truly open up to her, she needed to be equally transparent with him. It was all well and good to be polite and kind and force conversation when they were together, but she knew that would only take them so far. Tonight, this moment, was about bridging that final gap.

It was fortunate then, that Virtue had the perfect story with which to use to show her vulnerability and lead Sebastian closer. After all, she had recently had her heart broken and where it was not a story she relished sharing, she knew that Sebastian above all would appreciate learning the truth. So, she told him what had happened between herself and Lord Prescott. The real story. Free of gossip and rumor. Devoid of exaggeration, for there was no need. As they ate and shared in glasses of brandy, she revealed what was possibly the lowest point of her life.

But she did not want him pitying her either. And she needed the mood to remain light. So, once she finished explaining that he had ended their betrothal for no good reason, literally none, she finished the story by telling of her first night back in public, one where she ended up drenched in wine and sprawled on the floor, becoming an unwitting spectacle before the ton.

Needless to say, Sebastian enjoyed himself immensely.

"All right, all right," she waved him down, flashing her eyes at him in warning as she shuffled closer. "Enough laughter at my expense, I think."

"It was you who brought it up."

"And I am ending it." She arched a brow at him, daring him to carry it further. But he held out his free hand in surrender.

"Thank you for sharing," he said with some solemnity. "That cannot have been easy."

"Oh, I am used to humiliation by now," she jibed.

"Well, you married me."

She rolled her eyes. "You are not that bad."

"Now who's making fun?" He looked down his nose at her but couldn't hide his smile. It was subtle, but she could sense that he was flirting with her. But in a way that didn't feel forced or preordained. A natural charm that was beginning to show the closer they became.

"I am not!" she exclaimed. "Truthfully, barring one or two... unfortunate incidents, I must say, you have proven a most pleasant companion indeed."

He scoffed. "One or two?"

She grinned, her fingers fluttering in the air. "Or three... or four... or five."

Sebastian couldn't help but laugh at that. "It is fortunate, then, that you are not so easily frightened. I should be grateful."

"I am still awaiting my prize. The Most Patient Wife award. Has quite the ring to it, don't you think?" Virtue teased.

He chuckled, sipping from his glass, and she mirrored him, her gaze lingering on him fondly. It wasn't enough that she should be open with him. What Virtue truly needed was for Sebastian to open up to her. That was what tonight had been about. With the doors locked, with the spirits flowing, with them growing closer by the second, she knew that now was the time to push.

Not too hard. Not in a way that might trigger his defenses. But a gentle nudge in the right direction. He wanted to lower his guard further. She could sense it. The mask was slipping, and all it needed was a slight, tender tug.

But she could feel it working. How close they had grown these last few days. How comfortable they were around one another. She sat so close to him that she could feel his warm breath on her skin, could almost hear his beating heart. No longer tense. No longer awkward. The way he looked at her… it was with a sense of want that she made to return every time their eyes met.

"I'll make sure it reaches you then," he chuckled lightly.

She waited for his laughter to die down before she looked right at him, humor gone, needing him to see that she was past the point of making fun. She didn't want to hurt him. She didn't want to anger him. She wanted him. The real him. The one he was still trying so desperately to hide. That was all.

"Sebastian," she began, her voice a soft murmur. "I have a confession to make."

"All right..." He frowned slightly, a soft chuckle escaping him as if he half-expected another joke.

"The other evening, when I came into the washroom while you were bathing. I..." Virtue paused, biting into her lip. "I did not mean to see. It was wholly an accident, but..." She trailed off.

"But what?" Sebastian's voice deepened, a shadow crossing his features.

"I saw." She held his gaze. "Your face. I saw your face in the mirror, and—"

"What?!" Sebastian recoiled abruptly, his hand reflexively moving to touch his mask, the other poised as if he might rise. "What do you mean you saw?"

"I saw what you look like without the mask," she quickly continued. "You were not wearing it and I saw the hidden side of your face and—"

"How dare you!" he interrupted sharply, standing now—his voice a low growl, his eyes suddenly alight with that fierce intensity. "How dare you... you deceived me! That is why you were there, weren't you!"

"No!"

"Yes!" he retorted, his anger growing. "I told you, Virtue. I told you it was for your own good, but you would not listen. You never do! You—"

"You don't need to wear it!" she cried over him desperately.

"Wh—what?" he stammered, his face blanking as if he hadn't heard her.

"The mask," she rushed to explain. "You do not need to wear it."

"I do!" he bellowed, trying to frighten her, but she would not be frightened.

"No, you do not!" she shouted back, rearing up and glaring at him—matching his intensity with her own. "Do you know what I saw behind the mask? Do you truly want to know?"

"I know what you saw," he replied, his voice low and harsh. "I live with it every day."

Virtue scoffed. "Clearly not, because if you did, you would have cast aside that mask long ago. This whole time, I thought what you hid… I imagined something monstrous, something truly frightful hidden beneath."

"Don't..." he interrupted, a warning snarl in his tone.

"But that isn't the truth at all." Taking a chance, she boldly reached out for him, gently placing her hand over his. He tried to pull back but she held firm, holding his gaze. "There is nothing to hide from," she reassured him, her voice tender. "A scar or two, perhaps, but they are merely that—nothing more. And they do little to take away from your beauty."

"You don't... you could not possibly understand."

"Sebastian." She let his name hover between them. "The mask is inconsequential. The scars are superficial. What truly matters to me is the man beneath it all. The man whom I have come to know and appreciate more deeply these past weeks than I ever thought possible. The mask does not define you. If anything..." She squeezed his hand gently, her eyes earnest. "It is the mask that frightens me, not the face it conceals."

She could feel Sebastian trying to stoke the flames of his anger. She could see him trying to work himself into a rage. But it was a weak thing, because hope held him at bay. Her words, the sincerity in them, were having the effect she had prayed they would. She had sensed that he wanted to show her his true self but that he had been too afraid. Now, finally, he had his chance.

"Show me," Virtue urged softly. "Take it off."

"I can't..." His voice came out as a hoarse whisper, laden with years of insecurity and fear.

"Yes, you can," she encouraged.

"I... no..." His objection was half-hearted, his resolve wavering.

Virtue knew it was up to her to bridge the final gap. Sebastian's head was bowed, his body tense, not from anger but from the sheer terror of being truly vulnerable. Recognizing the weight of the moment, and the trust Sebastian was placing in her, Virtue knew she must act. It would be on her to take the final step. For him. For her. For their marriage.

With a breath that was as much for her own courage as it was for calm, Virtue reached out slowly toward the mask. Sebastian grimaced and stiffened. Yet, he made no move to stop her. He remained motionless, a statue poised on the edge of transformation, as her fingers reached around to the nape of his neck and gently touched the laces. Another shudder.

Carefully, and with reverence, Virtue loosened the laces. Her touch was light, gentle. She lifted the mask away, setting it aside, revealing Sebastian's face fully to her gaze for the first time.

Sebastian held his breath, his eyes cast away as she took in the sight of him, unmasked and vulnerable. She did not gasp at what she saw. Rather, she smiled, for he was even more handsome, more perfect than what she had ever imagined. Porcelain skin to match the other side of his face. Dark eyes, as she had known. A strong chin with a set jaw and a sharp nose. So perfect to behold that she barely noticed the scar that ran from his forehead down the side of his face, narrowly missing his eye and curving under his chin where it faded. That was all it was. A mere afterthought on the canvas of his visage.

"Just as I thought," she said simply.

Still not looking at her, Sebastian muttered, "I warned you. I warned you."

She laughed gently. "You did indeed, and I hate to say it, Sebastian, but you could not have been more wrong."

"What?" His head snapped up, his eyes meeting hers at last. She could see the years of pain behind them. And the disbelief.

"You once told me that you found me beautiful, but I confess, I am a little disheartened," Virtue began, her voice playful yet sincere. As Sebastian's frown deepened, her smile widened. "It seems to me that you are the truly striking one in this marriage, which leaves me wondering what I bring to it."

"Don't mock me," he muttered, reaching out to swoop his mask in a quick, defensive motion.

She swiftly pulled it out of his reach. "I am not mocking you." Reaching up, she carefully rested a hand under his chin, forcing him to meet her gaze. "You bear a scar, yes. But truthfully, I hardly notice it."

"You... you don't?"

She shook her head. "Of course not! And if this is the oh-so dreadful mark that has compelled you to conceal yourself from the world for all these years, well, to be perfectly honest with you, it may be my turn to laugh at your expense." She raised an eyebrow at him. "You are wonderful, Sebastian. More handsome than I could—"

He was on her.

Virtue was midway through speaking when Sebastian leaned forward abruptly and pressed his lips against her own. A kiss that took her by surprise, such that she nearly pulled back, and might have had his hand not cradled the back of her head, holding her close. It was enough that she came into herself suddenly, understood what was happening, and then gave in to it. She melted into his embrace, her body flush against his hard muscles. Her fingers tangled in his dark locks, hands grasping onto anything they could clutch.

Her lips burned as he kissed her; as if a fire was brewing between them. Those lips then opened and his tongue pushed into her mouth, lapping at her own tongue while his teeth began to nibble and bite. As their kisses grew more passionate, the tension between them reached a fever pitch. Sebastian's scent, a heady mix of sandalwood and spice, filled her senses, inflaming her desire. He glided his hand down her back, drawing her even closer still. They continued to kiss, her breathing catching in her lungs, making her body swell, making her melt, for that was how hot it suddenly seemed.

If it was just a kiss, Virtue might have been satisfied. A huge step forward for them both. But the manner in which he kissed her, the way he held her, she knew right away he would not let it end there.

Suddenly, the beast returned. Sebastian's hands roved from the small of her back to her waist. His kisses trailed down her neck, his tongue teasing her pulse points. Virtue gasped, tilting her head to give him better access as her hands wandered over the broad expanse of his back, surrendering to the sensations he evoked in her. His fingers pressed into her thigh, causing her to shiver with anticipation. Both his hands, claws they were, swept her up and lifted her forward in one smooth motion, and then pushed her onto her back. She gasped as he mounted her, his eyes never leaving her heaving bosom.

"Do… do you still want this?" he rasped heavily, his voice was a dark caress, stroking over her senses.

Virtue shuddered, her only response a wordless nod to her consent, her eyes never leaving his.

A wicked smile curved his lips. That more than sufficed for him. He began to undress her, his nails clawing over her silk-clad skin. He slashed at her gown and shift both. Lips sucking and kissing. Teeth biting and nibbling. With each inch of exposed flesh, Virtue's arousal grew, her nipples pebbling against the sheer fabric before it was torn from her waist above, revealing her creamy skin and full breasts. Breasts exposed, Sebastian took a moment to admire them; her nakedness, he seemed to drink her in, licking his lips hungrily. That look in his eyes, the want in them... for a moment there, she might have felt a spike of fear for the savage brute that leered at her.

Swiftly discarding his shirt, his knees suddenly kicked her legs apart and he fell forward with the force of a gale. He captured one of her nipples between his lips, sucking and biting it with a savage intensity that had Virtue gasping in a mixture of pain and pleasure. Tongue lapping and teasing. Hands latching everywhere they could. One found its way around her throat and tenderly encircled it, while the other grabbed her by the hair and pulled it back. Virtue cried out at the sensation, back arching off the floor. She was on fire for him, consumed by a raging inferno of passion that only he could extinguish. Her hands fisted in his hair, keeping him close as he lavished attention on her breasts, sucking and nibbling until she thought she might find her release then and there.

Somehow, Sebastian's caresses grew bolder, more insistent, as if he could no longer tame his lust. He grasped her breasts roughly, kneading them, leaving the imprints of his calloused fingers on her milk-white skin as he took her lips once more.

She trembled in his arms, and taking the opportunity, he pinned her beneath the weight of his muscular frame, leaving her no room for escape or hesitation. The entrancing feeling of being dominated by him sent shivers up her spine, causing her pulse to race faster than ever before. She felt powerless under his strong grip, yet all the while liberated by the raw passion that consumed them both. Her hands roamed over his broad muscular chest, tracing the contours of his pectorals and the chiseled ridges of his abs, sending tremors of longing through her fingertips.

"Sebastian..." she moaned as he sucked her right nipple until it stiffened. The sound of her moans only served to inflame his passions further, and with a growl of hunger, he moved his attention to her other breast, lavishing it with equal fervor.

He snarled as he started kissing down her waist next. Hands roving to join them, they grabbed her exposed thighs and squeezed. She moaned as he kissed past her belly button, but in his lust-filled passion, he nipped at her thigh.

"Ah!" Virtue moaned suddenly, her body tensing beneath him as pain momentarily replaced pleasure on her face. The sound was like a dagger to Sebastian's heart, cutting through the haze of lust that had enveloped them both. His head shot up suddenly, releasing her, and that visage of savagery momentarily disappeared.

"Why did you stop?" she gasped, her heart still racing to catch her breathing.

"I..." He pulled back slightly. "I am sorry," he exhaled, his voice thick with remorse.

"Whatever for?" she propped herself up on her elbows.

He sucked through his teeth. "I did not mean to... one of the reasons I haven't been with you physically is..." He bit into his lip. "You think I have little control over my temper? That is nothing compared to..."

She smirked. "Is that right?"

He ducked his head as if embarrassed. "I am not myself when I am with a woman. Some of the rumors you hear of me, they have to come from somewhere."

Since their first night in that carriage, when he had mounted her and borne down on her like a wild animal, Virtue had wanted her husband in much the same way that she had him now. She had wondered if the anger he wore like a winter's cloak would translate to the bedchamber, if that savagery would remain. Would he take her like a beast? Or would he be soft and gentle like so many husbands she had heard her friends speaking of?

She did not want the soft and gentle lamb. She wanted the man whom she had married. And right now, on her back, already covered in love marks, as vulnerable as she had ever been, she knew that at a word, that was what she would have. So, she reached up to gently cradle his face, coaxing him to meet her eyes once more. "Sebastian," she murmured softly, her own desire still evident in her flushed cheeks and heaving chest. "Show me," she said to him, a challenge gleaming in her emerald eyes.

His eyes widened. "Are you sure?"

"Show me," she demanded.

To that, he grinned wolfishly, and that hunger reignited in his eyes. "As you wish."

His head dove back between her legs and from that moment on, Virtue was nothing more than a lamb that wandered into a wolf's den, left to the wolf's mercy, a plaything to be treated in any way that the wolf desired. And, oh, how she loved it!

She fell onto her back and stared at the ceiling, squirming under his heated gaze, equal parts embarrassed and aroused. "Sebastian..."

He silenced her with a sharp smack to her rear, eliciting a surprised squeal. "Be still."

The sting radiated warmth through her body, settling low in her belly. She froze in place, pulse racing as Sebastian's large hands gripped her thighs, holding them open.

"That's my good girl," he purred. Dipping his head, he pressed a soft kiss to her inner thigh, then bit down sharply.

Virtue whimpered, quivering with need. He was driving her to madness, each caress winding the coil of tension within her tighter and tighter. She struggled to remain still for him, as he commanded, but it was near impossible with the riot of sensations assaulting her senses.

Sebastian drew his tongue up the crease of her thigh in a long, agonizingly slow lap that ended just shy of where she needed him most. He knew precisely what he was doing, teasing her, for all the times she had done so with him. Well, she was in his domain now.

At last, his mouth descended on her sex, tongue swirling over her sensitive flesh. Virtue cried out sharply, back arching off the floor as she fisted her hands in his hair, holding him in place. His tongue licked at her and sucked such that she writhed as if from agony even though it was pleasure. His fingers next, they slipped inside of her and she gasped as he used his other hand to hold her down while those fingers and his mouth got to work. It was unlike anything she had experienced, a sensation that transcended even her wildest dreams. Pain was pleasure and it built and built and built like a roaring fire until she thought she might explode. All thoughts fled her mind as she gave herself over to pure sensation and bliss.

When Virtue thought she could bear no more, he lifted his head, lips glistening with her essence. His eyes gleamed down at her, pupils blown wide with lust.

"W—why?" she gasped. "You stopped?"

"I'm not done with you yet," he rasped, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. She gasped when she saw the look in his eyes and she nearly asked what he meant, except she was too afraid to voice it. Her mouth opened but he grabbed her by the legs and pulled her into him.

"Oh!" she gasped instead.

He buried his head into her breasts again, biting down on her nipples now as his hands made quick work of his breeches. She grabbed a hold of his hair, pulling at it as if trying to tear him away even if she did not want to. Once his hands were free again, he took her thighs and squeezed until she cried out. He looked up from her breasts and grinned and she dared him to continue with a look of her own.

After that… how to explain it?

He pushed her thighs apart as his waist fell between them. His hands roamed her body, calloused palms skimming over her breasts, her ribs, the curve of her hip. They slid lower still, grasping her thighs and hitching one leg over his hip. Virtue gasped as she felt the hard length of him pressed against her sex, heat pooling low in her belly. He held her there and met her eyes, her stare.

With a low growl, Sebastian grasped her wrists and pinned them above her head, holding them in place with one hand. The other hand snaked around her throat, applying just enough pressure to evoke a delicious sense of danger without ever becoming too threatening. A whimper escaped Virtue's lips, the mingling sensations of pleasure and pain overwhelming her senses.

For a moment, time seemed to stand still, suspended in the air like the particles of dust that floated lazily in the golden glow of the candlelight. Their gazes locked, creating a connection that transcended the physical act they were engaging in. It was as if their souls were reaching out to one another, intertwining in a dance that spoke of the passion and intimacy they both craved.

"Sebastian…" Virtue cried out in surprise, her nails digging into his back as he filled her completely, inch by inch, stretching her in the most exquisite way. Sebastian paused, waiting for her to adjust, before he began to move, slowly at first, then faster and harder, each thrust sending waves of ecstasy through her body.

Her stories never warned her of moments like these. And even those stories her friends told her, gossip that was whispered at tea parties behind hands, wasn't even close to what she went through. She had always pictured lovemaking to be gentle and soft. To be slow and deliberate. Boring, was another word that came to mind, a complete contrast to what she and Sebastian did.

He held her down as he thrust himself inside of her. He bit into her neck, tearing at her flesh and howling as his thrusts grew more and more erratic. Her legs wrapped around his hips and kept him steady. His hand went to her throat as he leaned back and looked into her eyes. She grabbed his arm and held it there, making him choke her harder as he thrust deeper and deeper and with more force.

Soon his hands found their way to her rear. He lifted her up and fell back so that she was on top. Her nails dug into his chest as she steadied herself. For reasons she could not explain, she even slapped him across the face as she moved her hips back and forth! And the noises that they made! She was glad the heavy oak door was closed and locked for it must have sounded like a predator pouncing upon a poor wounded animal it had come across in the wild.

For what felt like hours, Virtue and Sebastian engaged in all manner of debauchery that was the result of a week's long building of tension and once again, she knew that she had misread her husband. Yes, he was kind and caring when he needed to be. And yes, he had a temper when he was pushed to it. But above all else, this was the side of him that she enjoyed most, the one she wanted more and more of. The one she knew she would forever crave.

Unbridled passion and controlled chaos.

He was a beast and she was his to prey on. As she rode him in the library, as he leaned back and howled into the night, she knew that her marriage would never be the same.

They lay together afterward. Sebastian on his back, Virtue wrapped in his arms. It was strange how natural the action felt to Virtue, that as soon as they were finished, he fell back so she could snuggle into him without question or protest. That just spoke to how important what had just happened between them was.

They'd needed tonight the same way they needed oxygen. The survival of their relationship had depended on it. Slowly progressing but nowhere near fast enough, Virtue had taken the lead, and was now glad that she did. But she also knew that it was but one step, and there was still a long way to go. Sebastian had started to open to her, yet he was still guarding his most perilous secret. If they were to truly come together as a couple, he needed to drop his guard fully. And what better time to drop it than when she was lying naked and vulnerable in his arms?

"See," Virtue cooed as she delicately traced her slender fingers along the fine path of his scar. "It was not so bad, was it?"

Sebastian's muscles tensed briefly under her fingertips. "You clearly had too much to drink."

"Oh…" Virtue responded with a playful slap on his chest, eyes sparkling. "You know I did not! And you know I am being sincere. I prefer you without the mask."

"Do you… do you mean that?"

She leaned in and kissed him flush on the scar. "I do. Although…" A slight hesitation, purposeful so he would know that she was not charging into this topic without careful consideration. "There is still one thing I am curious about…"

"Oh?"

"How you got it exactly?"

Again, she felt him tense. "That is… a long story."

"I have time."

"And a painful one," he added, his voice a notch lower, hesitant.

"You don't have to if you don't want to just yet…" She kissed him softly on the chest, her fingers dancing lightly around his nipples. His body shuddered beneath her touch and she could feel him relaxing as she slowly coaxed him over.

He was about to open up to her finally, she realized. And once he did, she knew that their marriage would change forever…