Chapter 4

The Rules Change

Nathan was already awake when I slipped back into the apartment at dawn.

He sat on the edge of the bed in his boxers, phone in hand, frowning at the screen. The second the front door clicked shut, his head snapped up.

“Where the hell were you?”

My heart slammed once, hard. I kicked off my shoes and kept my voice steady. “Couldn’t sleep. Went for a walk.”

“At four in the morning?”

“Yes.”

He stood up and crossed the room. His eyes moved over me, lingering on the black skirt, the wrinkled blouse, the faint marks on my neck that I hadn’t bothered to cover. Something dark flickered across his face.

“You look like you got fucked.”

The words hung between us, ugly and true.

I forced a tired laugh. “You’re being ridiculous. I walked around the block a few times and sat by the river. That’s it.”

Nathan stepped closer. He smelled like sleep and the cologne I used to love. Up close I could see the suspicion in his eyes. For a second I thought he might push harder. Instead he exhaled and rubbed a hand over his face.

“Sorry. I’m just… on edge. Work’s been a lot.”

Work. The perfect excuse for eight months of lies.

I nodded and walked past him into the bathroom. The lock clicked behind me. I turned on the shower and stood under the spray until my skin turned pink. When I came out, Nathan was gone from the bedroom. I heard him moving around the kitchen, making coffee like everything was normal.

My phone vibrated on the counter.

Xavier: You made it home.

I typed back with damp fingers.

Aria: Barely. He was awake.

Xavier: Did he touch you?

Aria: No.

Xavier: Good. Come over at noon. Tell him whatever you need to.

I stared at the message until the screen went dark. Then I deleted the entire thread.

Nathan was pouring coffee when I entered the kitchen. He glanced up and offered a small smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

“I have a meeting at eleven,” he said. “Might run late. Don’t wait up for dinner.”

“Okay.”

He kissed my cheek on the way out. The door shut behind him with a soft final click. I waited exactly ten minutes before grabbing my bag and leaving.

Xavier opened the door the second I knocked. He was in black jeans and a dark shirt, sleeves rolled up. His eyes dropped to my neck, where the marks from last night were still visible.

“He saw them,” he said. Not a question.

“Yes.”

“What did he say?”

“He accused me of getting fucked. I told him I went for a walk.”

Xavier’s mouth curved, cold and satisfied. He stepped aside to let me in. The second the door closed he backed me against it and kissed me hard. There was nothing soft about it. His hand fisted in my hair, tilting my head the way he wanted. I opened for him immediately.

When he pulled back, my lips felt swollen.

“New rule,” he said. “From now on, you don’t go home to him after I’ve been inside you. You stay here until the marks fade or until I say otherwise.”

“That’s not realistic.”

“I don’t care about realistic.” His thumb brushed the bruise on my throat. “I care about what’s mine.”

The possessiveness in his voice sent a shiver down my spine. I should have pushed back. Instead I let him pull me deeper into the apartment.

Xavier didn’t take me to the bedroom. He led me to the long black couch facing the windows and sat down. Then he looked up at me expectantly.

“Clothes off.”

I hesitated for half a second. His eyes narrowed.

“Aria.”

I stripped. Blouse first. Then the skirt. Bra. Underwear. I stood naked in the middle of his living room while the city stretched out behind the glass. Xavier’s gaze moved over me slowly, lingering on the faint bruises on my hips from the night before.

“Turn around.”

I did.

“Bend over. Hands on the table.”

My face burned, but I obeyed. The position left me completely exposed. I heard the soft sound of his zipper. Then the blunt head of his cock pressed against me from behind. He didn’t ease in. He pushed deep in one stroke, forcing a broken sound out of my throat.

Xavier gripped my hips and started thrusting. Hard. Steady. The table scraped forward an inch with every impact. I braced my arms and took it, forehead pressed to the cool surface.

“You snuck out of his bed to come here,” he said between thrusts. “Do you know how fucking hot that is?”

I couldn’t answer. Every stroke drove the air from my lungs.

He reached around and found my clit, rubbing tight circles that made my knees weak. “Cum on my cock. Right now.”

The order pushed me over. I came with a choked cry, clenching around him. Xavier cursed and fucked me through it, chasing his own release. He buried himself deep and held still, pulsing inside me with a low groan.

For a moment the only sound was our breathing.

Then he pulled out, turned me around, and sat me on the edge of the table. His fingers slid through the mess between my thighs, pushing his come back inside me.

“You’re going to keep this in you all day,” he said quietly. “When you sit down, when you walk, when you talk to him on the phone. You’re going to feel me.”

I nodded, still shaking.

Xavier kissed me once, slower this time, almost gentle. The contrast made my chest ache.

He left me there and walked to the kitchen. I heard the fridge open. A minute later he came back with a bottle of water and handed it to me.

“Drink.”

I did. My throat felt raw.

He leaned against the counter, arms crossed, watching me. “Nathan’s getting suspicious.”

“I know.”

“How do you want to handle it?”

I set the water down. “I don’t know yet.”

Xavier’s expression didn’t change, but something colder settled in his eyes. “If he pushes, you come to me first. Not the other way around. Clear?”

“Clear.”

He nodded once. Then he pushed off the counter and walked over to me again. His hand cupped the side of my face, thumb brushing my cheekbone.

“I’m not sharing you much longer, Aria. This bargain has an expiration date. When it ends, you’re not going back to him.”

The words should have scared me. Instead they settled low in my stomach, heavy and certain.

I didn’t answer.

Xavier didn’t seem to need one. He kissed my forehead, soft and brief, then stepped back.

“Shower’s that way. Use whatever you need. I’ll make coffee.”

I walked to the bathroom on unsteady legs. The mirror showed a woman I barely recognized. Flushed cheeks. Swollen lips. Bruises blooming on my neck and hips. Eyes that looked too bright.

I turned on the water and stepped under the spray. Heat soaked into my sore muscles. For the first time since the night at Rosewood, my mind went quiet.

When I came out wrapped in a towel, Xavier was on the phone in the living room. His voice was low and sharp. Business. He glanced at me, eyes darkening at the sight of the towel, but he didn’t end the call.

I found my clothes and dressed slowly. My body still hummed. Every step reminded me of what we had done.

Xavier hung up and turned to face me.

“You’re leaving?”

“I should check in. Make sure he hasn’t called.”

He crossed the room and stopped in front of me.

“You’ll be back tonight.”

It wasn’t a question.

“Yes.”

“Bring a bag this time. You’re not sleeping there again until I say so.”

I looked up at him. The intensity in his stare made my pulse skip.

“Okay.”

Xavier leaned down and kissed me one last time. Slow. Deep. Claiming.

“Go,” he murmured against my mouth. “Before I change my mind and keep you here.”

I left before I could do something stupid like stay.

The elevator ride down felt too long. Outside, the afternoon sun was bright and ordinary. People walked past me like the world hadn’t tilted on its axis.

My phone buzzed in my hand.

Nathan: Meeting ended early. Where are you?

I stared at the message for a long second.

Then I typed the lie easily.

Aria: Grabbing coffee with an old coworker. Be home in an hour.

I hit send and kept walking.

Somewhere behind me, in a glass tower high above the city, Xavier Kane was waiting for nightfall.

And for the first time, the thought of going back to Nathan’s apartment felt harder than the thought of never going back at all.