The Billionaire's Step - Complete Series (Forbidden Billionaire Stepbrother Romance) by Michaela Adams Page B

but instead he wrapped his arm even tighter around her waist, pulling her close. Cora’s smile broadened as she looked towards the blinding camera flashes.
     
     
                  Inside the richly decorated gallery, chandeliers glittered across the room, casting a beautifully fantasy-like ambiance. Suited waiters flitted across the floor with trays of champagne.
                  As they entered the dimly lit hall, Julian snatched up two flutes of champagne, handing one to Cora. Each with a conspiratorial smile, they clinked glasses as they drank.
                  Cora felt like she was dreaming. The tin shack. Her mother. The empty bottles of alcohol. The stale and scavenged food. They all seemed like a nightmare that had happened eons ago.
                  Tonight, with endless glasses of champagne and Julian’s strong arm around her, seemed like a wonderful dream that she hoped never to wake up from.
                  It seemed like all the heartbreak and broken promises she had left behind in Mexico could never touch her in such a magical place. She was wearing a beautiful gown in Paris with the Model Millionaire. But he was more than just a handsome face.
                  She could sense a warmth within him. There was sincerity and truth in him as well. She remembered how simply he had apologized to her at the Musée d’Orsay. No excuses, no blaming. He had just apologized and had even explicitly asked for her forgiveness.
                  This kind of caring in a man was something she had not felt in such a long time. It made her feel safe and warm.
                  Cora sipped another glass of champagne as she watched Julian speak with a business colleague. She had come to New York with the intent of making an independent life for herself, free of any emotional ties or baggage. That included men. Too many disappointments and heartbreaks had taught Cora early on that she would be better off on her own.
                  But as she watched couples dance and laugh together, Cora wanted the exact opposite. She wanted someone to hold her. She wanted someone to keep her close. She wanted someone to kiss her.
                  It was well past midnight when Cora found herself in a private alcove with Julian. A tiny bit drunk on champagne, she leaned against his solid chest as the soft music played around them. Julian had his arm comfortably around her.
                  Feeling his body, his heat, Cora lifted her head. Resting her chin playfully on his chest, she said, “You did not invite me here tonight as your assistant, oui ?”
                  Julian grinned, taking Cora’s breath away. “ Oui. I did not.”
                  Cora rested a hand on his chest, right above his heart. “And right now, I am not your assistant, sí?”
                  “Feeling quite linguistically international tonight? Sí, no eres mi asistente ahora .”
                  Cora smiled faintly at his Spanish but she lowered her head, brushing her forehead against his chest. “But later tonight? Will I go back to the hotel as your assistant?” Cora watched her breath flutter Julian’s shirt front.
                  There was a beat of silence. Cora could feel the steady thump of Julian’s heart under her hand.
                  Then a large hand lifted her chin. With a steady gaze, he answered, “No, not if you will stay with me.” And with that, he swooped down, capturing her lips in a rough and brutal kiss that left Cora’s lips feeling battered and bruised.
                  His tongue plunged into her mouth, capturing and owning all of it. Her pulse quickened and she could feel her body tightening in arousal underneath the gown. Although hidden by the alcove, Julian switched their places so his back was towards the open space, further