ANMELDENAlexander’s POV“I was kidding,” she breaks into my head, hitting my arm softly.Hands already shaking, I force a smile and drop my eyes to her coat. Even when all the droplets of water are gone, I still keep brushing my trembling palm over the woolen fabric.Sophia goes quiet.I slowly lift my eyes to hers. Her gaze is warm, bright, hazel, and welcoming, as always. It’s one of the many things about her that broke through my walls to reach my heart. “Whatever it is,” she whispers, lifting herself and stretching toward me. “Tell me when you’re ready.” And with that, she presses a kiss on my cheek.My heart misses a beat.She’s about to withdraw, but I wrap my arms around her and hold on tight. I shut my eyes and drop my chin on her shoulder. Her arms go around me without question.“I promise,” I utter, brushing my stubble against her cheek and exhaling a shaky breath. “I promise, I’ll tell you everything…”Everything, except one. Except her—that woman. Sophia can never find out about
Sophia’s POVHead spinning, heart palpitating, I gasp for air as my entire body crashes down from its peak—a high peak Alexander sent it to.I see endless stars, and I float on cotton candy. My fingers grip the sheet so hard; my legs have turned to jelly; comprehension of what I just experienced is impossible. He raises his head, lowers my skirt, and glides up to meet me. My eyes stay closed, but I feel the heat of his breath, and I know he’s looking right at me. I lift my eyelids, meeting a gaze so dark, tantalizing, and naughty. Sparks fly through me.“Now, that’s an afterglow,” he murmurs, a corner of his lips lifting into a satisfied smirk before he licks his lips.Still aching, and with a deep breath, I grab his face, kissing him full on the mouth. The taste is foreign, but I don’t care. He falls on his side, pulling me against his chest as we kiss endlessly.“What’s my grade for that?” He asks in between kisses.“A- A plus, plus,” I answer, finding his lips in the same breath a
Sophia’s POVHis dark gaze grips me with an intensity that makes it hard to breathe. My head is spinning from this strange information.How in the world?He blinks slowly, stretching his hand to my skirt. He pinches the ends of it, drops his eyes, and swallows hard. “I wanna kiss you till I drown, but I can’t… Every time I try to– every time I want to get lost in kissing you, my head ends up getting lost instead…”I release a shaky breath. My fingers twitch.“I count seconds in my head… twelve to fifteen is as far as I can go. That’s why I…” he meets my eyes.That’s why he keeps breaking our kiss.“That’s why we mostly do the tongue thing… I’m alert when we do that. When we kiss, I always have to stop for a moment… And that’s why—”“No kissing until we get married,” I choke up, staring as he nods slowly.My heart races; panic slowly seeps into my body.All this time. Every time I asked him to kiss me, and he refused, it was because of… All this time.The realization boggles my mind.
Sophia’s POV“What’s that?” Jordyn asks.“Er… nothing. Nothing.” I answer, shaking my head slowly, eyes glued to the message until it disappears in the notification panel.How does she know I’m in Paris? I didn’t even know until we arrived… “Are you sure it’s nothing?” Layla utters. “You look distracted.”“Yeah. Yeah. It’s nothing. Just a message,” I say and swipe down to tap on her message.Maybe Alexander told my parents. My mom will definitely tell Aunt Mel.“So, where’s your husband?”“Out… he’ll be back soon.”I type a response to Aunt Mel.Me: {Yep. Got to our honeymoon suite some minutes ago. How did you know I’m in Paris?}Sweet Aunt Mel: {Oh, nice. Your mom told me.}“Thought as much,” I mutter to myself.“Who’s that?” Jordyn asks.“My aunt.”“Oh, sweet, sweet aunt Mel…” Layla expresses. “It was so great to see her.”“I know, right?” Jordyn agrees.A message is added to our chat.Sweet Aunt Mel: {I miss you and I love you. Have a good time in Paris with your husband.}I smil
Sophia’s POV“Would you come shower with me?” He whispers seductively against my ear for the third time, his arms banded around my stomach as my back stays glued to his chest. We’re under the sheet. And all of him is right behind me. Yet with a conviction so strong, and with my eyes closed, I shake my head. No one’s convincing me to have sex again.“Please,” he whines, licking my ear.I shiver; still, I shake my head. What I feel behind me is enough to know what his plans are—to tear me completely to pieces, until I can’t walk. I might as well become celibate from today.“My little monkey…” he murmurs, sliding his arm to the soft swell of my chest and sucking on my lobe. “Please…”“No,” I sigh in exhaustion, shifting away. But he simply moves with me, becoming so sticky. I’m forced to smile at this new version of Alexander.“I don’t want to have sex again,” I confess, slowly putting my hand around his.He shifts my hair and kisses my neck, then my shoulder, then my back, messing with
Sophia’s POVHis hands fall, and so do mine. I bite my lip, eyes still glued to him, even when he puts his face in mine.“Are you for real?”I nod slowly, shifting closer to him. I still want to be touched, but I need to be able to see his body clearly.“So you can’t see… my face?”“Not really…”“I made myself presentable for you… And you can’t see any of my efforts?”My lips spread into a smile as I touch his chest and whisper, “You’re always presentable.”He reciprocates my touch, using both of his hands to ‘lift’ and squeeze. My hands fall. With a soft moan, my fingers clench around the sheet, and I move even closer.“Where are your contacts?”“I don’t know… I wore my glasses, and…”He chuckles. “You want me to make love to you with your glasses on?”“I just wanna see… your tattoos… and piercings…” I slide my hands to his chest again despite my cheeks flaming.“Where is it?”“In there.” I point toward a bag across the bed.He turns and flies off so fast as if he has no second to wa
Sophia Rose’s POV“Sophia, you’re getting married,” my dad’s resolute voice replays in my head, like a gnawing, splitting headache. It’s been over twenty-four hours since I found out; over twenty-four hours since I last slept. My breath deep and shaky, I sit in my bright closet, quickly rolling a s
“Let me touch you the way you touched me…” He began after a pause. “Take off your bra, Sophia.”Were these the words that changed everything for Sophia? I think not. This twisted, yet beautiful chase started way before this day. Way before she ever found out that she was arranged to marry him in sev
Sophia’s POVAlexander’s calmness fills the elevator like gravity. I stare at my reflection against the panel—blonde hair secured in a neat bun, my teal silk skater dress falling perfectly—a 360-degree improvement from the last time I was here.He slowly holds my hand and locks our fingers with gen
Sophia’s POV⁓August 25, 2025: Dimitri & Lena’s Wedding Day⁓It’s exactly one week since my failed attempt at running away. One week since my second and best kiss ever. One week since I got reintroduced to Alexander Thorne as his fiancée. And one week of receiving large rose bouquets from him daily.







