Chapter 4: Heat Of The Unknown.

Riley’s POV

The car ride was too quiet and dark.

I clung to the man beside me like he was the only stable thing in a world that had suddenly started spinning.

My fingers tangled in the fabric of his shirt, cheek pressed to his chest.

I breathed in his warmth like it was the antidote to the heat raging through me.

Something was wrong with me, I wasn’t drunk, but my body was on fire.

Every breath felt heavier than the last, each nerve quietly buzzing.

His heartbeat was steady at first, but then it sped up, louder, like maybe he wasn’t so calm after all.

Neither of us said a word.

The silence between us was magnetic.

I was melting into him, and I couldn’t explain why.

It was like my body had decided something without asking me first.

The driver pulled up at a hotel and stopped.

We got out together, him holding my arms to steady me.

Then we walked inside.

The doorman barely glanced our way as the private elevator slid open.

Inside, the walls gleamed, cool metal and soft gold lights casting long shadows.

The ride was too smooth like we were floating.

The doors slid open onto marble floors that stretched beneath our feet, gleaming under the soft light.

Every detail in the lobby screamed wealth.

I should have pulled away and run, but for some unknown reasons, I cling to his body, like my life depended on it.

I stumbled forward, his arm firm around my waist, holding me up.

He opened the suite door.

I stepped inside, and everything snapped the moment the door clicked shut behind us.

My legs gave way and I crashed into him again.

His hands caught me by the waist, the fabric of his suit jacket slipping under my palms as I pushed closer.

I could feel him tremble slightly, like he was holding himself together.

I wasn’t sure what I was pleading for, but I heard myself whispering.

“Please…”

“Please what?” He murmured, his voice dangerously low against my ear.

“I… don’t know,” I whispered, “but please, make it stop.”

"I don't think I can," he said with a strained voice.

"Please…" I moaned, tilting up a bit.

He leaned down as if to say something, but I pressed my lips to his instead.

We hesitated at first, then, like we’d both been starving, we devoured each other, discovering what we’d been missing.

His hands slid through my hair, cupping the back of my head as his mouth claimed mine, with hunger that made my knees shake.

I kissed him back with equal fervor.

His body was solid beneath my palms, radiating heat.

He pulled me closer like he needed to feel every part of me at once.

Soon his jacket hit the floor.

My heels were gone.

Our lips never parted.

My back hit the wall, the bed, and then that hazy place where time slipped and thoughts vanished, lost in the feel of him.

I had felt nothing like this before, this kind of wanting, and being wanted, like we were made for this moment.

His mouth devoured mine, teeth grazing, tongue stealing every sound I didn’t know I was making.

Fingers trailed down bare skin.

A moan slipped out before I could stop it.

He stilled, just for a second.

Our eyes locked.

His were dark, almost confused, like he wasn’t sure if this was real.

I wasn’t sure either.

But then, everything else faded.

There was only the heat between us, his hands moving over me, my body responding without hesitation.

He tasted like something I should have stayed away from.

I felt like I was unraveling, and together, we lost ourselves in the fire.

🌷🌷🌷

The sunlight hit my face, and I had to squint.

I raised my hand to shield my eyes.

My head throbbed, and my body ached in places I couldn’t name.

I opened my eyes slowly, staring up at a ceiling I didn’t recognize. The sheets weren’t mine either.

They carried a masculine scent that felt strangely intoxicating.

The memories came flooding back at once.

The club, the restroom where we collided, and how it all led here, to a hotel room with a man whose name I never even learned, but whose body I knew far too well.

I sat up suddenly, the sheet slipping from my chest, and my heart jumped in alarm.

I quickly pulled it back up, holding it tight as I glanced around the room.

He was gone.

Good, because I could not bear to face him, or look into the eyes of a stranger I had given myself to last night.

Whoever I was last night, it wasn’t me.

I spotted a white piece of paper on the table.

I got up slowly and grabbed the robe lying on the bed, slipping it on as I paced across the chilly floor, a knot of dread twisting in my stomach.

When I reached the table, my eyes landed on a check.

It was blank. No amount was written, only a signature at the bottom and a short note.

“Let’s make this temporary, be my girlfriend for public sake, for a month. Fill in the amount. Michael Gray" boldly written below.

I reread the note to be sure.

My chest twisted with a mix of embarrassment, humiliation, and shock.

So this was what I meant to him?

He must have thought I was easy. That I had shared his bed for comfort or for money.

Worse, he must have believed I could be bought, just another woman lingering around men like him, hoping for attention and expensive gifts.

Rage bloomed in my chest.

I tore the check in half, then again, and again, until it was nothing but scraps of paper crushed in my shaking hands.

I heard the door open behind me.

I already knew who it was.

His familiar scent said it all.

“Not a fan of money?” his voice was calm, edged with amusement.

I spun around, anger flooding my chest. “You think last night means you can put a price on me?”

“But you were the one clinging to me, sweetheart.”

“You touched me first.” I pointed at him.

“You begged for it.”

My cheeks burned with heat and fury. "Because someone drugged me."

That wiped the smugness from his face. Just for a second, a flicker of something unreadable passed through his eyes.

But I wasn’t done.

I strode across the suite, shoving the torn check against his chest.

“You don’t get to define me by one night. And you sure as hell don’t get to buy me like some prop to parade in front of cameras.”

He caught the torn pieces before they hit the floor.

The room was filled with silence.

I headed for the door with my clothes and other items in hand. I could not bear to stay in the same room with him.

I was broken, yes, but I still had my pride.

I looked over my shoulder one last time. “Next time you try to buy someone, make sure she wants to be sold.”

And with that, I walked out of his suite.

Head held high, dignity still intact.

But my heart?

Still beating way too fast for a man I barely knew.