RomanShe was still asleep, lying naked under the covers. The sheet had slipped halfway down her back, and her arm was stretched across the spot where I'd been lying moments ago.I couldn't stop looking at her. Everything about earlier kept replaying in my head. The way she touched me. The way she looked at me when I finally said the damn words I'd been holding back for too long.I love you.I didn't plan to say it. Hell, I'd tried to ignore it, bury it, act like it wasn't there. But it was. It had been there for a while. I'd just been too stubborn to admit it.And now? It was out. No going back.Maya shifted a little, then her eyes fluttered open, her gaze landing on me."Hey," she said, her voice still thick with sleep.I gave a half-smile. "Who sleeps this soundly in broad daylight?"She rolled onto her side, tugging the sheets higher around her chest with a grin. "Someone who got completely wrecked by her incredibly arrogant lover."I chuckled under my breath. "I aim to please.""
MayaFor a second, I didn't breathe. My body had melted against his without permission, heart beating far too loud, too fast. But then clarity cut through the haze like a knife. I pushed myself off him."Don't," I sat up, placing distance between us on the bed, even though every part of me screamed to do the opposite. "Don't say those things if you don't mean them."His brows drew together. "I just told you I missed you—""Missing someone doesn't mean love," I snapped softly, clutching the edge of the bed like it could anchor me. "It doesn't mean anything... not when you won't even admit what this is between us."He exhaled sharply and sat up too, running a hand through his hair. "Maya...""No," I cut in. I promised myself I wouldn't let him pull me into this again—not until I know he actually feels something real. "I've been pulled into your world, Roman," I continued, more quietly now. "And I didn't ask for it. But I'm here. And my life is turning upside down. My family is hiding
Maya"I feel you even when you're not near me. You haunt me, Maya."God.My heels clicked too fast on the hallway tiles as I rushed back to the ballroom, face flushed, heart thudding like I'd run a mile uphill. I needed to get away—from the bathroom, from him, from everything I didn't want to admit out loud.Because if I stood still long enough, I'd feel the weight of his hands again. I'd remember the crack in his armor. And worst of all, I'd remember the way part of me wanted to stay in that damn bathroom forever, locked between his arms and the truth we were both trying to outrun.I adjusted my dress, slapped on a smile, and stepped back into the glamorous chaos of the event like nothing had happened.Eventually, it was over.The car pulled up to the front of my house.Damian insisted on bringing me home since 'I'd already put on the kindness act tonight.' I agreed. What was one more performance?"Thank you, Damian," I said, cool and polite reaching for the door handle. But his hand
MayaIt's been two days. Two whole days since I decided to flip the script and play Roman at his own game. And so far? It's working.I've smiled more. Laughed louder. Worn lipstick shades I know distract him. I've even gone out of my way to ignore him—politely, of course. I never missed a deadline, never delayed a report, and always replied with that same pleasant, irritatingly neutral tone:"Yes, boss.""I'll get right on it, boss.""Anything else, sir?"He didn't say anything, not out loud. But I saw the way his jaw would clench, the subtle way he'd pause mid-sentence during meetings when I didn't look his way once. The way his eyes would burn holes through my head while I typed away, smiling like I didn't feel his presence lingering in the air.I knew it was working. The old documents I'd gathered from the archives were spread across my desk now, hidden beneath an innocent-looking folder labeled Performance Reviews: 2020–2022. Anyone passing by would think I was just doing routine
Maya"Good morning, Henry," I chirped as I passed the front desk. "And tell security to stop glaring like I'm here to rob the place."He chuckled, muttering something under his breath about "feisty little bosses."I feel in control today. Finally.I walked into the office with the kind of energy . Roman glanced up from his desktop the moment the door clicked open. His eyes narrowed the way they always did when he was trying to read me, as if he could figure me out just by the way I walked."Good morning, boss," I said lightly, flashing him a professional smile as I made my way to my desk.His brow rose a fraction, and I didn't miss the way his jaw ticked. Good. Let him wonder.I set my coffee down, pulled out my chair, and got right to work like the night before never happened—like he hadn't had me beneath him, moaning into his mouth, before I snapped myself out of it and walked out with what little pride I had left.Out of the corner of my eye, I felt him watching me.I didn't look
MayaHis lips crashed against mine so fast, I barely had time to breathe.One second I was glaring at him for pushing my buttons, the next, my back hit the couch, his body pressing down over mine like a fire I couldn't smother.Roman pinned both my hands above my head, claiming, and it made me moan—God help me, it made me moan.I knew I was walking into trouble the moment I grabbed my car keys and left the house. My brain had whispered answers, but my body... my body had screamed him.His tongue slid into my mouth, and my body arched up against him, greedy for his touch. I could feel the heat pooling between my legs already, soaking through my panties. It was pathetic how quickly I unraveled under him.Roman kissed like he knew every part of me—like he'd been starved for it.And I had missed it. Missed him.His mouth left mine to trail hot kisses down my neck, and I bit back another moan. The way he touched me... the way he made me wet and drip... I hated how much I wanted it.I was s