Elena’s Point Of ViewThe following week came with a weight I could feel deep in my bones. Every sunrise felt like a warning, that something was shifting, tightening around me, slowly.The Elites’ Gala.A night of glittering masks and sharper tongues. Power dressed in satin, lies wrapped in smiles. Everyone who mattered in this godforsaken town would be there, and I had to be too. My lawyer had chosen it for a reason. Too many eyes, too many people… the perfect place for a discreet exchange. And with Graham’s men shadowing me everywhere, it was the only way.Still, I hated it.Standing before the mirror, I barely recognized the woman staring back. My reflection was all sleek confidence and cold allure, not the trembling exhaustion I felt inside.The midnight-blue gown Lexy had given me glided over my skin like liquid sin. The slit climbed high up my thigh, bold and deliberate. The fabric shimmered under soft light, whispering secrets between heartbreak and defiance. My hair fell in lo
Elena’s Point Of ViewThe drive felt like a runaway heartbeat. My hands clenched the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles went white, Lexy’s question hammering at the back of my skull like a drum I couldn’t silence.‘What do you want, Elena?’It should’ve been an easy question. Everyone should know what they want. Freedom. Safety. Love. Revenge. But my thoughts twisted in circles, a knot that wouldn’t untangle.The city blurred past me… shops, traffic lights, strangers walking dogs. None of it mattered. I didn’t even know where I was heading. All I knew was that every mile between me and that house made it easier to breathe.The ring on my finger glinted in the weak afternoon light. Graham’s ring. A band of gold that felt heavier than a shackle. I twisted it, pulled at it, even thought about flinging it out the window at one point. But my fingers wouldn’t let go. It was like my body and my mind were at war.“God…” I muttered under my breath, my eyes stinging. “I just want to be free.
Elena’s Point Of ViewThe room was quiet except for the low hum of the AC and the faint thump of music from somewhere downstairs. My hands were twisted in my lap, nails digging into my palms so hard that little crescents marked my skin. I didn’t even realize I was holding my breath until Lexy’s fingers closed gently over mine.“Elena,” she said softly, like she was afraid I’d bolt. “Sit. Please.”I sank into the sofa, the cushions swallowing me whole. The fabric smelled faintly of vanilla and something floral, but all I could smell was him… Jaxx, like he’d branded the very air.Lexy sat down next to me, her knee brushing mine. She tilted her head, eyes warm but searching. “It’s really complicated, huh?”A bitter laugh slipped from me before I could stop it. “Complicated isn’t even the word.”Lexy squeezed my hand. “I’m here with you. No matter how complicated it is, I’ll be here to listen. You know that, right?”I nodded, but my throat was tight.Her gaze flicked over my face like she
Elena’s Point Of ViewHis hand slid up, fingers threading into my hair at the base of my skull. His mouth hovered at my ear again, voice low, rougher than it had ever been. I could feel the hunger in it, the restraint snapping strand by strand.“Bambina,” he rasped, his breath hot against my skin, “how on earth am I supposed to be strict with you when every little thing you do right now gives me a hard-on, huh?!”And then he didn’t wait for me to answer.His lips crashed onto mine, hard, demanding, stealing the air straight from my lungs. The kiss was wild, all teeth and tongue and pent-up need, and before I could even gasp, his mouth was parting mine, claiming, tasting, devouring like he’d been starving and I was the only thing that could satisfy him.My knees nearly buckled. My hands, traitorous as ever, fisted into his shirt, yanking him closer even as my mind screamed no, no, no. But my body… oh God, my body had already betrayed me. My lips opened under his, matching his heat with
Elena’s Point Of ViewHis words hit me like a slap.“I won’t fuck you,” he said finally, his voice low but hard as steel, “while you’re still wearing another man’s ring.”For a second, everything inside me went completely silent. The air between us felt heavy, almost visible, pressing down on my chest until I thought I’d choke on it. My fingers curled into fists on the edge of the vanity, my knuckles pale. He didn’t move away. He didn’t soften. He just stood there, heat radiating off him like a second heartbeat, his breath brushing against my cheek, teasing my skin with every exhale.The humiliation hit first… hot, quick, shameful. Not because of what he’d said, but because part of me wanted him anyway. Part of me wanted to reach up, grab him by the shirt, and pull him into me until there was no space left to breathe. My body was betraying me in real time, every nerve wired toward him, every muscle trembling with need I didn’t want to name.Then came the anger, slow and searing. How d
Elena’s Point Of ViewThe sound of my name on his tongue made something inside me jolt. I stared at him, unable to move, my breath lodged in my throat. His eyes stayed on mine, dark and relentless, and for a moment the boutique… the mirrored walls, the racks of shimmering dresses, the faint music floating from the front room, blurred into nothing. It was just him, too close, too still, too much.My gaze flicked downward, a nervous reflex, and landed on his mouth. My heart skipped once, hard, as if it knew a secret my mind refused to face. ‘No. No, Elena, get a grip on yourself.’ My fingers dug into the edge of the dressing table behind me. My knuckles went white.But he stepped closer anyway.The air between us thinned to a thread. His scent… clean leather, spice, something darker underneath, wrapped around me, hot and dizzying. He didn’t touch me yet, but it felt as if he had. My knees weakened, thighs pressing together unconsciously, my body betraying me even as my mind screamed sto