You want to devour me whole.

Elena's POV

That night unfolded like a secret we were both afraid to name, a fragile bloom in the aftermath of our storm. Alexander led me to the bedroom with a hand at the small of my back, his touch light but insistent, guiding without pulling, as if he knew one wrong move might shatter the quiet we'd stumbled into. The door clicked shut behind us, sealing out the world's relentless hum, and in the hush that followed, I felt the weight of what this could be—what it already was—pressing against my ribs like a held breath.

The candles from last night were relit, their flames flickering to life one by one under his careful hands. He moved with a deliberate grace, the soft amber glow catching the sharp edges of his profile, turning the hard lines of his jaw and the hollows of his cheeks into something almost ethereal. Shadows danced across the walls, softening the stark modernity of his penthouse bedroom—the sleek black headboard, the expanse of glass overlooking the glittering city sky