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EMMA

" W hat do you mean we can't go trick or treating?" Rosalie asks. "You promised us that we could."

"I have something else planned instead, sweetie," I say. "It's going to be equally fun."

James is looking at me with big, sad eyes. I really don't know how I'm going to get through this.

"We decorated the whole lawn," he says. "Nobody will come to see it now?"

"This is the worst," Rosalie exclaims.

Both of them are upset, but it's over different things. James is more concerned that otherkids won't be coming to admire the decorations we worked so hard on. Rosalie is disappointed we won't be going trick or treating.

I really wanted to give these kids a little bit of normalcy, but I had to improvise.

"But I have a secret surprise for you two," I say. "Don't you want to know what it is?"

"What's the secret surprise?" James asks, blinkingup at me.

"Put your costumes on first," I say. "I'll show you."

"I don't want to get dressed," Rosalie says. "What's the point if we're not going anywhere?"

"The point is that we're still going to have fun," I say. "And we don't need to go trick or treating for that."

"But everything's more fun with candy," Rosalie says, still pouting.

"I never said there's no candy involved," I say. "In fact, we're all having chocolate for dinner tonight."

"Really?" James's eyes light up with pure joy.

Rosalie is harder to convince, but I know just what to say to reel her in.

"Don't you want to see my costume?" I ask her.

That piques her interest.

"You have a costume too?" she asks.

"Yes, and I'll show it to you if you wear yours as well," I say.

She takes a second to consider the offer. But eventually, she caves.

Thirty minutes later, we're all suited up in our costumes. Rosalie is Hermione Granger, wand and all, and little James is the fluffiest, most adorable T-Rex I've ever seen. When I walk into the kids' room, Rosalie's eyes widen with surprise.

"You look so pretty, Miss Turner," she says.

"Thank you," I say, doing a little bow for her.

I'm dressed as Princess Fiona from Shrek.I hesitated getting the outfit at the store, but I felt like it would be a nice surprise for the kids. I'm not usually one to spend money on frivolous things, but I made an exception for this dress.

"You look like a princess," James says, his eyes twinkling as he takes in my full-sleeved dark green dress and golden crown.

"I am a princess," I say.

There's a lightness in my heart as I say that out loud.

For most of my life, all I've known was the heaviness inside me. Even though I was loved by my grandmother, losing my mother meant that my childhood ended before it barely began.

"Look at my wand, Miss Turner." Rosalie runs toward me to show me the shiny wand she's holding. "Isn't it pretty?"

"It's marvelous," I say.

"If it worked, I would turn James into a real dinosaur," she says, giggling as she circles the wand in front of her little brother.

With each day that passes, I see the light coming back into little Rosalie's eyes. I'm glad that she finally learned to trust me.

"Come on, we're going to be late," I say.

"Late for what?" James asks.

"You'll see," I say.

I take the kid's hands in mine and walk out of the bedroom.

I stop in my tracks. Klaus Sinclair stands before me, looking more handsome than ever in a white button-down. His sleeves are rolled up to his muscular forearms.

Just the act of seeing him feels like a physical caress. His eyes light a trail of fire over my skin as he takes me in.

When his jaw clenches, some feminine part of me purrs with satisfaction.

In true princess fashion, I wore a corset underneath the dress that plumps up my breasts in the scoop neckline. It's a little vain, but I wanted him to look at me in this dress. And now that he is, the heat in his eyes is enough to keep me warm for the rest of my life.

It's enough to set my heart on fire.

"What's going on?" he says, clearing his throat.

"Do you like our costumes, Uncle?" Rosalie asks.

He takes her in. "Wizard?"

She wrinkles her nose.

"I'm a witch ," she says. "Hermione from Harry Potter. Don't you remember?"

"How can I forget? It was twenty hours of my life," he mutters.

" You were the one who kept watching even after we went to sleep," she accuses.

"Yes, well, I wanted to see how it all ended," he says. "I don't like cliffhangers."

I bite the inside of my cheek to hide my amusement.

There's more to Klaus Sinclair than what meets the eye.

When I first saw him, all I saw was the frozen ice exterior. But I'm learning that there are turbulent waters and life underneath it all.

I shouldn't have been so quick to judge him.

Rosalieshows off her black Hogwarts cape and brown magic wand to her uncle. James performs the most adorable roar, making Klaus crack a smile.

When his gaze lands back on me, the sweetness melts. His dark eyes turn into burning embers.

This hunger is something that I yearn for. It's something that's consuming me from the inside out. I have a feeling that it's only a matter of time before we feed it.

"Where are you taking the kids?" he asks.

"It's a surprise ," Rosalie says.

"I planned something within the premises," I tell him.

He continues staring at me with those pissed-off eyes like my very existence rubs him the wrong way.

"Would you like to join us?" I ask.

His jaw tightens. The kids get visibly more excited at the prospect of having their uncle join us. Can't he tell how much he means to them?

"No, I still have work to do," he answers.

It's not just the kids who feel deflated. I was hoping he would join us as well.

"Well, if you change your mind, you're welcome to crash the party," I say.

His eyes flick down my dress once again, making my breasts feel too heavy in the corset.My core clenches with hot need.

"Wear a coat, Miss Turner," he says. "It's chilly outside."

With that, he leaves us. I clasp the kid's hands tighter in mine, reminding myself that the world isn't going to end just because Mr. Sinclair is choosing to be distant.

"Are you guys ready?" I ask, pumping enthusiasm into my voice that I don't feel.

They forget about their uncle almost immediately, skipping down the hallway without a care in the world.

Unfortunately for me, I can't seem to get that man out of my head.