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Eventually, out of breath and still laughing, they fell down onto the snow beside the lake, hands still clutched together

‘Feel better for that?’ Seb asked, and Maria nodded, unable to find the words ‘Good’ Releasing her fingers, he wrapped his ars so she could rest her back against his chest ‘Me, too Much better than contracts’

Maria laughed ‘I never thought I’d hear you say that’

‘I should have Spending time with youthat’s always been better than any business deal orcould be’

Sohtened in her chest at his words ‘I’m happy to hear that’ Did he really mean it? Because if he didit wasn’t a declaration of love, of course But for Seb, it was pretty close

‘Can I ask you so?’ Seb said, after a moment

Maria turned her face so her cheek lay against his chest, and listened to his heartbeat ‘Of course’

‘Why did you marry me?’

It was the perfect night Hiht and the ice He could feel Maria’s warainst him until it drowned out the chill of the snow beneath them as she relaxed in his arms

Everything was just as it should be Until he ruined it, like always

‘Why did you marry me?’

Maria jerked away, sitting up and turning to face him ‘What do you mean? You knohy’

Oh, well In for a penny and all that

Seb shook his head ‘No I knohy your father ordered you to marry me What I don’t knohy on earth you said yes’

She could have had any ent, and so far out of his league that Seb hadn’t believed his father the first tied

He’d alondered what her father had done to force her into it—especially after she’d left hie to ask

Until now

Maria stared straight into his eyes for a long aze He could wait her out

They’d laid so much about their relationship bare already, but how could they keepthis last, vital layer?

Finally, Maria broke away, her gaze skittering off towards the mountains, and whatever lay beyond them

‘My father I ay at university You knew that, right?’ Her voice was soft, tentative, and she paused for Seb to nod an acknowledgeree, of course, and I had almost finished my second year when, one day, he showed up on the ca locally or soht it was nice of him to surprise me like that

‘He took me out for lunch at the fanciest restaurant in town, just like he alould You know s because they’re expensive, not because they’re good But then, as I was sitting there eatingone-hundred-euros-a-bottle wine, he said, “The co under We either have to declare bankruptcy or you need to marry Sebastian Cattaneo”’

Instinctively, Seb reached out to hold her close again, silently cursing Antonio Rossi as he did so He’d always known the old hter

Apparently not so much

Maria nestled back into his ared there, and Seb allowed himself a moment of satisfaction before she continued her story

‘I argued that there had to be another way I wanted to look at the books, talk to the investors, figure out a way to save the co I’d learned about business But he wouldn’t even let me try’

‘You never toldthat she’d been so desperate not to marry him, and forced into it anyway ‘When I proposedyou smiled You said it hat you wanted’

‘And you gave me an out’ Maria looked up at him, her eyes wide and serious ‘You told me that if I didn’t want to marry you, I just had to say the word and you’d find another way’