Chapter 004

Aneeka’s pov

The hard, defined body I'm plastered against stiffens. His muscles tense beneath my arms, and I instinctively tighten my grip around his neck. My eyes squeezed shut, caught in the heat of the moment.

We stay like that, frozen for what feels like minutes. I count the seconds, trying to make sense of what's happening.

I feel his lips - flat and firm move against mine, slow at first. Then, with a hint of something more intense, he nibbles on my bottom lip. Before I can fully register it, his tongue pushes past my lips, and the kiss deepens. It's fierce, almost primal, like he's taking something… everything from me that I didn't know I wanted to give.

Time passes, and the kiss only grows hotter. The conference room around us fades away.

I'm still counting, but the numbers blur in my mind.

My body melts against him, the heat rising between us like a wildfire. To my shock, he pulls me closer, his hands circling my waist, tugging me tight against his chest. His kiss tastes like expensive whiskey and mint - delicious, bold and very manly. Something wild ignites inside me, fiery and reckless, urging me to lean into him more. I can feel his erection - hard and unrelentingly pressed against me.

I've never felt this desired, this wanted. Not by Damon in our four years of marriage. Not by anyone, ever.

But then reality crashes in. What if he's married? What if he has a girlfriend waiting for him at home or worse, outside?

The thought hits me like ice water, snapping me back to the present moment.

Reluctantly, I start to pull away. Damon throws his keys at me from across the room, the metal clattering on the polished table. 

"We're leaving. Now". His voice cuts through the air like a blade, breaking the spell that held me captive.

The stranger's low growl rumbles deep in his chest, sending shivers down my spine. The sound is possessive, territorial.

It's intoxicating. The mix of tension and heat in the room is unbearable, yet I wanted more of whatever had just happened.

I pull my hands from his neck and try to step back, but his grip tightens around me, holding me prisoner against his warmth. I glance up at him, and his expression is dark, possessive, like he's already claimed me as his own.

"Are you insane?" he growls, and I feel my head spin from the intensity in his voice.

His voice hits me in places I didn't know could ache. It's like he owns me with just those three words. It's sexy in a way that's completely foreign to me, dangerous and magnetic. For the first time in forever, I feel truly alive instead of just existing.

The conference room falls deadly silent, all eyes fixed on us like we are performers in some twisted theater. Damon's face shifts from shock to pure anger, then jealousy. His brown eyes narrow as he takes in the scene, and I feel a wicked thrill course through me. Oh, yeah!

I look at the sweet, sexy thing still holding me captive. He's absolutely stunning. His jawline is sharp enough to cut grass, his steel-blue eyes bore into me with an intensity that makes my knees weak. His lips, full and impossibly kissable, are set in a determined line that promises sweet trouble.

I turned to face my audience, a satisfied smile tugging at my lips. "I'm sorry, we tend to forget ourselves sometimes," I say, my voice dripping with satisfaction as I watched Damon turn red with fury.

Damon's eyes widen with sudden recognition. "You're Derek Simon," he says, his voice laced with certainty and something that sounds like fear. "CEO of Simon's Airlines".

I froze.

The weight of his words crashes down on me like a building collapsing.

My mind goes completely blank.

Derek Simon?

The billionaire whose face is on every magazine cover? Whose company owns half the sky?

That Derek Simon?

Great, Aneeka. You’ve really done it now.

"Yes," Sexy replies coolly, confirming my worst fear. 

The air in the room feels thick and suffocating as the reality of what I've just done sinks in. I just kissed one of the most powerful men in the country and absolutely loved every bit of it in front of my husband... or soon-to-be ex-husband.

I curb a smile as Sexy's large hands move down to grab my ass, his touch bold and possessive.

Lily clears her throat nervously. Her voice breaks through the suffocating silence. "You can't be with her, Mr. Simon".

Sexy's grip on me tightens, pulling me closer until I can feel his heartbeat against my chest. His gaze never leaves mine, his eyes dark and full of dangerous intent. "Why not?" he asks, his voice low and full of desire that makes my stomach flip.

"She's married," Lily says, her tone sulking.

"Not for long," Sexy says smoothly, his gaze flicking to the divorce papers scattered across the mahogany table.

Damon stands suddenly, his chair scraping against the floor. His face twists with rage and desperation. 

"Let's go home now, Anne," he says. I've changed my mind. I don't want a divorce anymore. You're still my wife".

Anne? 

My eyes widened in disbelief. 

Since when did I become Anne? 

He's called me that name maybe twice in our entire marriage, and it was only because he needed dearest mother to grant him a favor. I feel anger rising inside me like lava.

"It's Aneeka to you!" I snap, my voice sharp as broken glass.

Damon's face darkens with familiar control. "I'll call you whatever I like. You belong to me. You're mine".

I met his gaze head-on, feeling stronger than I have in years, especially with Derek still grabbing my ass. "You don't own me, Damon. You never have. You never will".

The anger on Damon's face is satisfying to watch. Four years of his control, his abuse, all crumbling at this moment.

Derek leans in close, his voice a whisper that sends electricity through my body. His lips brushed against my ear. "Kiss me again. Don't stop until I say you can."

His command is simple, but it burns through me, leaving me breathless and wanting. Without thinking, I reached up to meet his lips again, my body responding instinctively to his magnetic pull.

His hands are gentle at first, holding me close as I kiss him back with growing urgency. But then, as if something snaps inside him, he deepens the kiss with desperate hunger. His hands slip lower, pressing me firmly against him. I gasp as his hands move down my back, gripping me like he's afraid I'll disappear.

He groans against my mouth, his lips capturing mine again, devouring me with a hunger I've never experienced before. This is what passion feels like. This is what I've been missing.

His words come out in a ragged whisper against my lips: "Layla, marry me."

Layla.

The name hits me like lightning. It's a name only one person has ever called me, a nickname from another lifetime. Hearing it now fills me with a mix of shock, recognition, and pure terror.

No. This can't happen. Not here. Not now.

I pull away from him, my breath coming in quick, panicked gasps. My head spins with memories I've tried to bury. My heart races as pieces of a puzzle I thought I'd lost forever start clicking into place.

Before I can process my thoughts or what's happening, the conference room door swings open with a bang.

Charlton stands in the doorway, his familiar smile freezing when he sees the scene before him.