Chapter 18

LORETTA

I was in a nightmare when a loud sound rippled through the penthouse and woke me up

A loud, piercing alarm

My eyes snapped open instantly, my heart still pounding from the nightmare as the shrill sound echoed through the walls and made my ears hurt

“What's happening?” Panic made my voice tremble

I threw the comforter aside and stumbled out of bed on jelly legs, The digital clock beside me glowed in red: 2:13 a.m.

The alarm kept screaming, My pulse spiked harder when I realized it was the fire alarm

“Oh my God" I gasped loudly. Was the house on fire? Was Elion....

I yanked open the door and dashed out into the hallway where the smell hit me immediately, the smell of something burning. The alarm lights in the hall flashed red like a living nightmare

I was halfway towards the kitchen when I bumped into a wall.

My eyes closed shut at the impact, but the wall felt very solid, tall, and most of all warm

Were walls supposed to feel warm?

Hands caught my arms before I swayed on my balance, large hands steadying me and I blinked the haze in my mind away to find out that it was Elion

My heart skipped a beat and my throat went desperately dry

He was looking down at me with an undone expression on his face, his eyes wild and searching

For a moment, I lost my train of thought at the sight of Elion so...so.. different

He wasn't in one of those pristine suits, I could have even sworn he wore them to sleep, but no.

Elion was clad in grey sweatpants that hung low on his waist, and his grey t-shirt stretched over his bulging muscles. His hair was also tousled in a way that had no business looking that good, what was worse was the way his eyes kept on sliding over me with a blankness I could not quite fathom

My breathing hitched, and my heart suffered many complications in those few seconds. I guess that's what happens when you wake up from a nightmare and stumble into the very reason of your nightmare

I stepped back out of his hands, my fingers rubbed over my parched throat “The fire alarm—”

“Joseph is handling it" Elion answered. His voice was rough enough to make my stomach clench

It's the nightmare.

He let out a long sigh “We think Mrs Parks left the oven running by mistake"

I pressed my other hand over my heaving chest. “Is..everyone okay?" As I asked that question, I took in Elion, this time slowly, checking if he was burnt or injured anywhere

Not that I care

Elion nodded once, “She went home to her family tonight, No one was hurt."

His eyes moved over my face briefly, his sleep-rough voice deepened impossibly further “The alarm is precautionary.”

I let out a shaky breath and leaned against the hallway wall, willing my heartbeat to slow.

The nightmare was still sitting in the back of my mind, and usually I'm always very..drained after a nightmare; now, coupled with this alarm, it was becoming difficult for me to stand on my own

Something else slammed into my mind, I looked back at Elion who was still staring at me with those dark wild eyes,

“You came out here,” I observed

His Adam's apple bobbed, the fine lines in his throat disrupted “Yes.”

A frown pursed my lips. “But the kitchen is that way”

Elion crossed his arms, I tried not to look at his exposed, powerful forearms, I tried and failed

Mmm, his arms looked so good, so strong and perfect against his big body. I felt the fabric of my nightie chaff against my peaked nipple and I had to remind myself that....

Wait! Peaked nipples?

I tore my gaze away from Elion only to see that indeed, my nipples were pebbled and pushing out like loaded bullets into my semi-transparent night dress

Embarrassment washed over me in waves. It was my turn to cross my arms over my chest but God damm, that motion only made my boobs bounce

I stole a peek at Elion, expecting to see a smug smile on his face or worse, a look of disgust, but what I found there was surprising to say the least

I found his jaw locked so tight almost to the point of snapping, and he kept his eyes above my head, if the vein throbbing on his temple was anything to go by, he was trying very hard not to look at me

Elion cleared his throat “I came to check on you”

That simple sentence pierced into me and buried itself deep inside somewhere it had no right to

"How very un-Elion-like of you," I jabbed because I hated that he was making me feel things I didn't want to feel

I was here against my wish

I would not allow him to make me feel all these... these other things too against my wish as well

His eyes narrowed, and he finally looked down at me. “Don't read any meaning into it. It would be bad for my image if something happened to you so soon" Darkness fell over this face

The way he said that “so soon” had cold shivers running down my spine. Elion cocked his head, like he could see the understanding on my face

A dry chuckle found its way out of me. “Of course" I spat out. “ You can't have your contract wife dying of smoke inhalation, that sounds very bad now doesn't it?”

“Extremely bad," he agreed with a wicked glint in his eyes, “At least not before the wedding" Elion finished, his eyes dropping from my face to my lips

His gaze lingered longer than it should have, long enough to feel the heat and hate of equal measure when he looked at me like that

He wants me, almost as much as he hates me

And I...I .was

I needed to get back to my room, away from him now

I pushed on the wall and ran a hand over my hair to smooth it, but then the ground underneath my feet started swaying

And I...

My eyes were heavy from the nightmare, my feet unsteady

I felt big arms wrapped around my body before the ground gave out on me