Sinful Surrender

He knew Arabella’s mother had died when she’d been a child, and from there she’

d been raised by nannies until she’d been old enough to attend a private, all-girls boarding school in Connecticut, which had given Theo the freedom to conduct his business dealings without his daughter underfoot. The same living arrangements had applied to college, where she’d earned her degree in English literature and then gone on to attain her master’s in library science.

For the past few years, she’d been living with her father in the city while working at a private university library as a digital data analyst and curator—a fancy description for someone who collected, preserved, and archived digital assets and resources. Clearly, she was intelligent and probably a little nerdy considering her profession.

Maddux even had a file on the men she’d dated, which was woefully slim. She didn’t have any history of a long-term relationship with any man, and Maddux was certain that had everything to do with Gavin, Theodore’s right-hand man, who wanted Arabella for himself. It was also documented in a few of the reports Maddux had received from his PI that, whenever she went out on a date with someone new, things between her and the guy always abruptly ended. Unbeknownst to Arabella, Gavin had warned those suitors to back off, and there must have been an implied threat in his request, because every single one immediately complied.

Maddux shook his head in disgust. God, it truly amazed him that a man so evil and corrupt as Theodore Cole could have produced a daughter so lovely and sweet and guileless . . . and completely naive to her father’s, and Gavin’s, dirty dealings.

Gavin, now seemingly impatient with Arabella’s excitement and fascination with the ball’s decor, grabbed her arm, rough enough to make her wince in discomfort as he jerked her in the direction her father had walked off toward and said something to her that was accompanied with a harsh narrowing of his gaze.

Fucking asshole, Maddux thought irritably . . . then felt the corner of his mouth twitch with rare amusement when he caught Arabella rolling her eyes behind Gavin’s back before she wrenched her arm from his grasp in an act of defiance. An argument of some sort ensued between them, and it was obvious to Maddux even from this distance that Arabella wasn’t taking whatever shit Gavin was dishing out.

Despite her petite size, she clearly had a backbone and wasn’t a shrinking violet. She did follow him to a group of guests where her father was conversing with a few of the men, but it didn’t take her long to slip away and blatantly defy Gavin a second time once he no longer paid attention to her.

Knowing his security detail was focused on Theodore until Maddux summoned for him later this evening, Maddux switched his attention to Arabella as she explored the connecting areas downstairs, her delight and exhilaration restored now that she was alone again. Her gown billowed around her as she walked, giving the impression she was floating across the imported marble floor. She took in everything around her while enjoying first one, then a second glass of champagne.

While he didn’t usually give women more than a passing glance unless he was looking for an easy lay, this one—his sworn enemy’s daughter—inexplicably intrigued him . . . more than he cared to admit, considering who her father was and what Theodore had done to Maddux’s parents.

As he watched her stop at the stage where Raevynn Walsh, the evening’s entertainment, was singing, Maddux decided that he was going to do something that was completely unscripted. He was going to make a bold and very unforgettable statement to Theodore and Gavin that nothing was off-limits when it came to this new and menacing game they were about to play, where Maddux was now the one in control.

He was going to put his hands on the sweet, beautiful, unassuming Arabella and leave his mark, even if only subtly, he decided as he headed down the private stairway to the lower level. He was going to prove to Theodore that he now had the ability to hurt the other man where he’d feel it the most—his daughter. It was only a matter of time before Gavin went searching for Arabella, and when he found her, Maddux had no doubt that the man would not be pleased with what he discovered.

Maddux was fucking counting on it.

Raevynn switched to a softer, slower melody as he came to a stop a few deliberate inches behind Arabella, who had her hands clasped beneath her chin and was swaying gently back and forth, oblivious to everything but the woman performing on the stage.

He could hear Arabella softly singing the lyrics, her own voice surprisingly melodious. Boldly, he settled his hand on the curve of her waist, gleaning her attention, just as he’d intended. She gasped at the too intimate touch and spun around, eyes initially narrowed because she’d clearly expected to see someone else. With her petite height, her gaze was level with his broad chest, and she slowly, gradually, tipped her head back to look up at his face.

The initial tension in her body eased, and she blinked at him in surprise, her features softening with unmistakable awareness. Shockingly, he felt the unwanted attraction, too.

“I’m sorry to startle you,” he said with a deliberately charming grin meant to persuade her that he was a decent guy, even though his motives were less than pure. “But I thought maybe you’d like to dance?” He indicated the other couples gathering out on the nearby dance floor.

Her wide blue eyes filled with delight at the request, and the guileless smile that curved her perfect lips made his mind travel down a very sinful path filled with an inappropriate amount of lust.

She nodded, much more demurely than any woman he’d ever dealt with. “Yes, I’d love to dance with you,” she said, her voice sounding breathless, and even that eager response made his traitorous dick twitch.

He held out his hand, and she immediately placed her soft, slender fingers against his palm, automatically trusting him when he was the last person she ought to put her faith in. He led her out to the designated area in front of the stage and pulled her into his arms. Tentatively, she placed one of her hands lightly on his shoulder, but he wasn’t so timid. Instead, he splayed a hand against her lower back and drew her flush against his body, much too aware of how small and delicate she was in comparison to his much larger, more muscular frame.

He wasn’t much of a dancer, but he managed to sway in time to the slow song Raevynn Walsh was crooning.

“What is your name?” he asked, absently skimming his thumb along the back of the hand he was holding in his free one. It was an unnecessary question since he knew everything about her, but she didn’t know that.

“Arabella.”

He raised a brow. “Bella for short?”

“No.” She licked her bottom lip a bit shyly and shook her head. “Actually, some call me Ari for short.”

He produced another lighthearted smile, which felt much too foreign on his lips. “Bella is much more befitting considering how beautiful you are.” It wasn’t a lie. Arabella’s features were stunning, her complexion like fine porcelain he wanted to touch and caress.

He caught the faint blush coloring her cheeks right before she ducked her head. “Thank you.”

Clearly, she wasn’t used to compliments from men and he found her modest reaction refreshing compared to the cunning women he normally dated. “Are you enjoying the ball?” he asked conversationally.

Her head popped back up, her features lighting up with excitement. “I just arrived a little bit ago, but yes, I’m enjoying it very much. It’s my first time attending and it’s everything I thought it would be and more. I’m a bit of a romantic, so the whole fairy-tale theme is so much fun.”

As he listened to her ramble on and watched her animated expression, he forgot for a moment that he was dancing with his enemy’s daughter. This was a woman he ought to feel nothing but disdain for, just due to her direct bloodline, but the shocking truth hit him hard.