Chapter 4

Aria’s breath came fast as she pushed herself back across the mattress.

“Don’t touch me.”

Her voice shook despite the sharpness of the words, her eyes narrowed.

She kept her eyes leveled with his, while looking around for any weapon.

It just so happened that at a time like this, the only possible weapon against the giant of a man was far away. Times like this made her wish she’d listened to Lena and kept her pepper spray.

Roman froze.

He stood beside the bed, shoulders rigid, one hand braced against the edge of the mattress as if he needed it to remain upright. His breathing was uneven, each inhale slow and deliberate, like he was forcing air into lungs that refused to cooperate.

He barely registered the slap. The slight sting on his face felt more like warmth than pain.

The problem was her. Her scent filled the room now, thicker than before, making it difficult for him to focus.

Roman closed his eyes briefly, willing control back in a way he was grateful for the slap, as it seemed to bring him sanity, however short.

He had endured worse things than a drug.

Across from him, Aria observed him carefully, he wasn’t the confident, untouchable man she expected, but something else. He seemed to be struggling, like he was genuinely surprised by his action.

For a second, guilt filled her mind, and she wondered if she’d taken it too far.

She shook her mind rid of the thoughts, reminding herself that he’d just taken advantage of her, no matter his situation it didn’t change the fact of what he’d just done.

“Why,” he said slowly, voice rougher than before, “are you still here?”

Aria stared at him, incredulously, were all rich people this presumptuous?

“You, you threw me on the bed.”

Roman’s eyes opened again, as he struggled to focus.

“Then leave.”

He stepped back immediately, putting distance between them.

At that moment, every shred of sympathy she had gathered for him was completely gone. She slid off the mattress cautiously, keeping the bed between them.

For a moment neither of them moved. Roman dragged his fingers through his hair in frustration. He had never met a woman so foolishly bold.

“You shouldn’t be in this hallway,” he muttered.

Aria almost laughed.

“Oh really? Because the two men who tried to grab me outside didn’t seem very concerned about that rule.”

Roman’s head turned slowly.

“What men?”

Aria hesitated.

“Two guests,” she said. “From the lounge.”

For some reason, although absurd, she almost hoped that he would seek justice on her behalf.

Roman went very still. Then a quiet breath left him.

“Idiots.”

Before Aria could respond, his body suddenly swayed.

His hand gripped the bedpost hard enough that his knuckles whitened.

Aria frowned, eyeing him warily.

“You’re shaking.”

He ignored her.

The drug was burning through his veins now, stronger than before. Every muscle in his body was rigid with tension.

His gaze drifted toward her again, his intent dark, intentions lucid.

“That scent.” Roman cursed quietly under his breath.

“You need to go,” he said.

Aria began moving towards the door. But the moment she passed him, something snapped. His control splitting like brittle glass

Roman inhaled again, grasping for the now familiar and warming scent, and before he could stop himself, His hand shot out and caught her wrist.

“Wait.”

The word came out rough. He paused grasping for a clear thought, that wouldn’t give him away, exposing his thoughts.

Roman exhaled slowly, forcing his voice steady.

“If you leave… they’ll see you.”

He was right, she’d only heard their footsteps retreating but wasn’t sure if they were still there, besides, she’d probably have to return to work, creating the perfect opportunity for them to get her, and then what, it also didn’t help that if she wasn’t careful she could implicate Lena alongside herself.

Roman released her wrist immediately, sensing her hesitation. He stepped back again reluctantly, forcing some distance between them.

“Stay,” he said quietly. “Until morning.”

“That’s not exactly reassuring.”

Roman looked at her, he understood his actions hadn’t been exactly gentlemanly, he could tell she was wary of him, a mixture of fear, anger, and fatigue.

Decisively, he turned away and sat on the edge of the bed.

“I won’t touch you again.”

The words sounded almost bitter, like he was spitting them out.

“Like you didn’t already.” She snorted

Roman let out a short breath that might have been a laugh. Then he lay back on the mattress and stared at the ceiling.

The room went quiet. A minute passed, then another.

Aria remained standing near the door, unsure what to do.

Roman spoke again, voice low.

“You can sleep.”

She still didn’t move.

Roman turned his head slightly.

“If I wanted to hurt you,” he said flatly, “I already would have.”

She considered it for a moment, her head tilting slightly, her button lip sucked between her teeth.

Reluctantly, she crossed the room and sat on the far edge of the mattress.

Roman didn’t react, or tried not to, his body lying still, for his sake more than hers.

A while later, his breathing had slowed slightly.

Carefully, Aria lay down on the opposite side of the bed, making sure there was more than enough space between them.

For several minutes neither of them moved. The room was in total silence, bodies rigid as though they were stone.

Then Roman’s arm came around her waist.

Her body tensed instantly, her first instinct to fight.

“Relax,” he muttered.

His voice sounded exhausted now. It’s not clear if it was the tone of his voice, or the exhaustion that washed against her, or better yet, the last option her brain refused to acknowledge, the comfort and peace her body and mind subconsciously established. Regardless of the reason, she stayed still.

“I’m not doing it for you.” Aria frowned but didn’t pull away.

Roman pulled her slightly closer, his body rigid beside hers.

His muscles were tense, every inch of him stiff with restraint.

But something strange happened.

The moment she settled against him, his breathing slowed, the heat in his blood dulled slightly, the drug still burned in his veins, but the chaos in his mind quieted.

Her scent surrounded him now, warm and steady like a caress

Roman’s grip loosened slightly.

His body remained tense, but the violent edge of the drug began to fade into a dull ache instead of a raging fire.

Roman Knight fell asleep first.

The darkness surrounded them, his minty scent drifted between her nostrils, his touch overwhelming, like a forced but comfortable hug.

Eventually, exhaustion won, and she also drifted into slumber.

——————————————————-

Morning came,

Aria stirred slowly, pulled from sleep by the quiet weight of morning.

A pale gray light slipped through the heavy curtains, soft and dim, barely strong enough to push the shadows from the room. It spread across the ceiling and crept down the walls, turning the darkness into faint outlines.

For a moment she lay still, breathing slowly.

The air around her carried a scent she didn’t recognize. Something deep, clean linen mixed with a darker note, masculine and…. unfamiliar. It surrounded her in a way that felt strangely intimate.

Her eyes blinked open.

The ceiling above her was high, far higher than the low plaster ceiling of the apartment she shared with her mother. The fabric beneath her fingers was smooth, expensive, nothing like the thin sheets she was used to.

Her gaze drifted across the room, her mind slowly clearing out the haze.

A tall window stood opposite the bed, its curtains drawn but glowing faintly with early light. A leather chair rested beside a small polished table. Beyond it, a dark wooden door stood closed, the brass handle catching a dull glint of morning.

None of it belonged to her, or her home.

Memory returned slowly,

The club, the corridor, the men she tried to escape, entering a room, and “ha” she gasped.

The man

The one she had slept beside for the entire night.

After waking, she tried to move, but couldn’t. Carefully, and slowly she lowered her gaze, realizing now that the warm arm draped firmly across her middle, holding her against a solid chest behind her, belonged to him.

Her body stiffened instinctively, her pulse quickening as the memory of the night before settled fully into place.

The steady rise and fall of someone else’s breathing brushed faintly against the back of her neck.

She tried getting up, by removing the arm holding onto her, but the moment she shifted, his hold tightened around her waist.

“Ariaaaa” she groaned internally

How could you make such a mistake?

She didn’t move again. Instead turning her head slightly to sneak a peek at him, and thankfully he was still asleep.

The room remained quiet, the distant estate silent in the early hour. No music, no voices, none of the low hum of conversation from the night before. The Sapphire Club, which had pulsed with life only hours ago, now felt like an abandoned palace.

Aria swallowed.

If she could just slide out from under his arm…

Very gently, she lifted her hand and touched his wrist, intending to move it just enough to free herself.

The moment her fingers brushed his skin, the arm tightened.

Just enough to pull her slightly closer, now his hand was on her bare stomach, her shirt ridden up, leaving her midsection exposed.

A quiet breath left him, deep and slow, as if the small movement had disturbed his sleep.

Aria stayed perfectly still, listening to the sound of his breathing.

The room returned to silence again, his breathing steady behind her.

Carefully, she tried once more.

This time she shifted her shoulder slightly, testing the space between them.

Aria stared at the pale light spilling across the floor.

Of course.

Last night she had run from one danger straight into another.

And now she was trapped in the bed of an unknown man, for all she knew he could’ve been a serial killer or a rapist, and she’d slept beside him with no care in the world.

Her pulse drummed softly in her ears.

Outside the tall windows, morning continued to brighten slowly, the quiet estate still resting under the calm of early dawn.

As if shocked, she realized something very important, that she’d left her mum in the apartment without telling her where she would be.

In a flash, Aria made a decision, she looked around the room as much as she could with the tree holding on to her, once she’d spotted her belongings, she counted to ten, threw his arm off her with as much strength as she could picked up her belongings, and ran out of the room.

Closing the door with as little sound as she could.

Left behind, Roman Knight slept like a man who feared nothing in the world.

Roman woke ten minutes later.

His eyes snapped open, cold, gray, and instantly alert.