THE START OF A SECRET RELATIONSHIP

ZAYDEN 

I shouldn’t be looking at her. I shouldn’t be feeling this way. But damn it, Scarlett had me wrapped around her little finger, and she knew it.

She swam through the water like a siren, her body glistening under the pool lights, her curves barely concealed by that sinful excuse of a bikini. My fists clenched at my sides, nails digging into my palms as I tried to keep my composure. She was tormenting me—intentionally. She knew exactly what she was doing.

I took a sip of my whiskey, trying to act unaffected, but my throat tightened when she surfaced right in front of me. Droplets of water clung to her skin, rolling down the slope of her breasts, disappearing between them. My gaze followed their path, heat pooling in my stomach.

She smirked. “Are you just going to stand there, Father-in-law?” Her voice was a teasing whisper, laced with something dangerous. “Or are you going to join us?”

My grip tightened around my glass, nearly shattering it. She was pushing me, testing my control. And fuck, I was losing.

She reached out, her fingers grazing my chest, sending a wildfire through my veins. Her touch was light, teasing, but it seared into me like a brand. I should walk away. I should remind her that she was off-limits. That she was my best friend’s daughter. My son’s fiancée.

But then she did something that made my whole body lock up.

Her fingers dipped lower, tracing the ridges of my abs before slipping under the water. Her palm flattened over the front of my swim trunks, pressing against me. Hard. My jaw clenched so tight it ached. My control was hanging by a fucking thread.

“Scarlett,” I warned, my voice dark, guttural.

She leaned in, her lips brushing my ear. “What’s wrong, Zayden? You look tense.”

I grabbed her wrist, pulling her hand away. But she didn’t look the least bit deterred. In fact, she looked amused. Pleased.

“You like it,” she whispered, eyes flickering with challenge.

I exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through my wet hair. “You’re playing with fire.”

She smirked. “Maybe I like the heat.”

Vincent’s voice suddenly echoed from the other side of the pool. “Scarlett, come here.”

Her eyes held mine for a second longer before she turned and swam toward him. My jaw locked as I watched her wrap her arms around his neck, laughing at something he said. My hands curled into fists.

This was a game to her.

And I was about to change the rules.

---

Later that night, I sat in my room, trying to drown the memory of her with whiskey. But it was useless. She was in my head, under my skin, inside my blood. I needed to end this madness before it consumed me.

A soft knock sounded at my door.

I ignored it.

Then it came again, more insistent.

I sighed, running a hand down my face before standing. When I yanked open the door, my breath caught in my throat.

Scarlett.

She was standing there in nothing but a silk robe, loosely tied at the waist, the fabric barely covering her curves. Her damp hair cascaded over her shoulders, her lips slightly parted.

“Zayden,” she whispered, stepping closer. “Don’t send me away.”

Fuck.

I should slam the door in her face. I should remind her of all the reasons why this was wrong.

But when she placed her hands on my chest, I was lost.

I grabbed her, pulling her into the room, slamming the door shut behind her. Her back hit the wood as I caged her in, my hands pressing against the door on either side of her head.

“This is a mistake,” I muttered, but even as I said it, I tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet my eyes.

“Then why do you want me so bad?” she challenged, her fingers slipping into my hair, tugging.

I groaned, crushing my lips against hers.

The kiss was fire and desperation, teeth and tongues clashing. I lifted her, wrapping her legs around my waist, carrying her to the bed. Her robe slipped open, revealing bare skin, smooth and warm beneath my palms.

“Tell me to stop,” I rasped, my lips trailing down her throat, my hands roaming.

She arched beneath me. “Don’t stop.”

Her words were my undoing.

I ripped the robe away, my mouth claiming every inch of her. She moaned my name, nails dragging down my back. I was lost in her, in the heat, in the madness. Every touch, every kiss, was a battle between pleasure and restraint.

Then—a knock on the door.

We froze.

“Darling, are you in there?” Vincent’s voice filtered through.

Scarlett’s eyes went wide, her breath coming in quick, shallow pants.

My body was still pressed against hers, still buried in her warmth. I could feel the rapid beat of her heart against my chest. Her lips, swollen from my kisses, parted as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words.

Vincent knocked again. “Scarlett?”

The tension in the room was suffocating.

She looked at me, panic and something else—something darker—flickering in her gaze. A challenge. A thrill. She wasn’t scared. She was excited.

The corner of her mouth lifted in a sinful smirk. “What now, Zayden?” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

I swallowed hard, my pulse hammering in my ears.

Fuck.

This wasn’t just dangerous anymore.

This was deadly.

And I was completely addicted.

“Are you in here, babe?”

Vincent’s voice rang out again, closer this time, a thread of suspicion woven into the words.

Scarlett’s breath hitched. Her fingers scrambled over the fabric of her dress, shaking as she fumbled to cover herself. I watched her, the panic in her wide eyes, the frantic way she tried to gather herself. She was about to run.

No.

Before she could take a step, I caught her wrist, my grip firm, urgent. Her pulse thudded beneath my fingers.

“I should go,” she whispered, her voice barely there, but I heard it—I heard the hesitation underneath.

I didn’t let her finish.

My lips crashed against hers, swallowing her words, stealing her breath. A sharp gasp died in her throat as her body went rigid for a second, caught between flight and surrender. And then—she caved. A desperate sound slipped past her lips as she gripped my shirt, pulling me in like she’d been starving for this.

“Don’t leave me,” I murmured against her mouth, my voice raw, stripped bare. “I think…I think I’m falling in love with you.” The confession came unbidden, unplanned, ripped straight from my chest before I could stop it.

Scarlett froze.

She pulled back just enough to look at me, her eyes searching, her lips parted like she wanted to say something—but couldn’t.

Then, like a switch flipping, something cracked in her. She threw herself at me, her lips crushing mine, her fingers tangling in my hair, holding on like I was the only thing keeping her upright.

“I won’t leave,” she breathed between kisses, her body molding against mine like she belonged there. “Because I’m in love with you too.”

The sound of Vincent’s phone call buzzed from the dresser.

She ignored it.

“What does this make us?” she whispered, her breath warm against my lips, her voice laced with something dangerous, something intoxicating.

A slow, knowing smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. “Secret lovers?”

Scarlett let out a breathy laugh, her fingers tracing my jaw before she pulled me back into another kiss, slow this time—deliberate.

Then—

The doorknob twisted.

Our bodies stiffened.

The air between us went razor-sharp, electric with panic.

The door creaked open.

And there he stood.