Tell me you want this

KAMARAH'S POV

The private elevator descended too smoothly, too quietly. I stood rigid beside Zephyr, his hand still wrapped around mine like a handcuff made of warm steel.

Every breath I took carried his scent. Every second that passed felt like another chain tightening around my neck.

I had to text Mrs. Delgado. I had to check on Nevan. The thought pulsed in my head like a warning siren, but I couldn’t reach for my phone. Not with Zephyr watching me like a hawk.

“You’re shaking,” he said quietly. His thumb brushed over my knuckles — almost gentle, but I knew better. There was nothing gentle about this man.

“I’m cold,” I lied.

His lips curved. “Liar.”

The elevator doors opened directly into an underground garage. A sleek black Maybach waited, engine already purring. A driver in a dark suit stood holding the back door open. He didn’t even glance at me. Smart man.

Zephyr guided me inside first, then slid in after me. The moment the door closed, the car moved, gliding out into the night like a shark cutting through water.

The city lights streaked past the tinted windows, but inside this space, the air felt thick. Suffocating. Intimate.

I pressed myself against the far door, putting as much distance between us as possible. Zephyr watched me with those stormy gray eyes, one arm draped casually over the back of the seat. His fingers were inches from my shoulder.

“Tell me where you’ve been hiding for five years,” he ordered softly.

I swallowed. “Different cities. I moved around a lot.”

“Why?”

“Because I didn’t want to be found.” The truth slipped out. “I knew what kind of life you lived. I knew what you were.”

His jaw tightened. “And what am I, Kamarah?”

“Dangerous.” My voice dropped to a whisper. “The kind of man who takes and never gives back.”

He moved then, fast but controlled, closing the distance until I was practically in his lap. One large hand cupped the back of my neck, holding me in place. His face was so close I could see the faint scar along his left eyebrow — new since that night five years ago.

“You ran before you even tried to know me,” he growled. “One night and you decided I was a monster who would throw you away.”

I met his gaze even though my heart was trying to punch through my ribs. “Was I wrong?”

Something dark and painful flashed across his face. For a second — just a second — the ruthless Don looked almost human.

“You were the only woman who ever made me consider a different life,” he said roughly. “And you disappeared before I could prove it.”

My chest ached. I wanted to believe him. God, a stupid, broken part of me wanted to melt into those words. But then Nevan’s face appeared in my mind — his tired eyes, his small hand holding mine in the hospital, the way he looked so much like the man currently holding me captive.

I couldn’t afford to be weak.

“I have to make a call,” I said suddenly. “Please. It’s important.”

Zephyr’s eyes narrowed. “To who?”

“My… neighbor. She’s watching my place while I’m out.” My voice wavered. “I need to let her know I’ll be late.”

He studied me for a long, terrifying moment. Then he reached into his pocket and handed me my own phone — which he must have taken from me backstage without me noticing. Control freak.

“Make it quick.”

My hands trembled as I typed a message to Mrs. Delgado.

‘Staying out longer than expected. How is he? Any fever?’

The reply came almost immediately.

‘Sleeping now. Fever down a little after medicine. Don’t worry, mija. We’re okay.’

Relief flooded me so strongly that tears pricked my eyes. I quickly deleted the messages and handed the phone back to Zephyr.

“Happy?” I asked bitterly.

He slipped the phone into his suit jacket. “Not even close.”

The rest of the ride passed in heavy silence. When the car finally stopped, we were in front of one of the tallest, most exclusive buildings in the city. Of course. He wouldn’t settle for anything less than the penthouse.

He led me through a private entrance, past security who nodded respectfully but never met my eyes. The elevator ride up was even worse than the one at the casino. Just us. Mirrors on every wall reflecting his powerful frame and my nervous expression.

The doors opened straight into his penthouse.

It was breathtaking. And terrifying.

Floor-to-ceiling windows showed the entire glittering city below. Dark modern furniture, expensive art on the walls, low lighting that made everything feel sensual and dangerous. It screamed power.

It screamed money. It screamed that I was completely out of my depth.

Zephyr shrugged off his suit jacket, tossing it over the back of a leather couch. His black shirt stretched across his broad shoulders as he moved.

“Drink?” he asked, heading toward the bar.

“No.” I wrapped my arms around myself. “I want to know the rules. What exactly am I supposed to do here?”

He poured himself a glass of whiskey and turned to face me. The way he looked at me made my skin heat.

“You sleep in my bed. You eat when I tell you to eat. You come when I call you.” He took a slow sip, eyes never leaving mine. “And when I want you, you don’t say no.”

My breath caught. “That’s not what we agreed on.”

“We agreed nights belong to me.” He set the glass down and stalked toward me. “And tonight is just beginning.”

He stopped right in front of me. Close enough that I had to tilt my head back to look at him. His fingers traced the neckline of my dress, slowly, deliberately.

“You’re still wearing this cheap little thing,” he murmured. “Take it off.”

“Zephyr…”

“Take. It. Off.” His voice dropped into that dangerous register that made my thighs press together. “Or I’ll do it for you.”

My hands moved before my brain could catch up. I reached behind me, slowly unzipping the dress. The fabric slid down my body and pooled at my feet, leaving me in just my black bra and panties. I felt exposed. Vulnerable. And shamefully aroused.

Zephyr’s gaze raked over me like he wanted to devour every inch. A low sound rumbled in his chest.

“Fuck, Kamarah.” He pulled me against him, one hand gripping my ass possessively while the other tangled in my hair. “Do you know how many nights I imagined this?”

He kissed me again — harder this time, deeper. I moaned into his mouth as he lifted me, my legs wrapping around his waist instinctively.

He carried me through the penthouse without breaking the kiss, straight into a massive bedroom.

When my back hit the soft mattress, reality slammed into me again.

Nevan was home waiting for me.

I was selling pieces of myself to save him.

Zephyr hovered above me, eyes blazing with hunger and five years of pent-up obsession.

“Tell me you want this,” he rasped, lips trailing down my neck. “Tell me you’ve missed me too.”

I closed my eyes, torn between truth and survival.

But before I could answer, his phone rang sharply on the bedside table.

He cursed, glancing at the screen. His body tensed.

“It’s business,” he muttered. “Don’t move.”

As he stepped away to take the call, I lay there in his bed, heart racing, wondering how long I could keep my secret before this devil destroyed everything I loved.

Because Zephyr didn’t just claim women.

He claimed their entire world.

And I had just walked back into his.