MasukFor a moment, I couldn’t move. Her breath still brushed my lips, her pulse still raced under my fingers, and yet she was already retreating, curling into herself like I’d burned her.A second ago, she’d leaned into my touch like she needed my warmth, let me hold her. Now, she couldn’t even look at me.Well, she wasn’t supposed to want this, not after what I was and what I almost made her do.Hell, neither was I.But when she looked away, it hit deeper than I expected.I leaned back, jaw tight, forcing distance between us. If she wanted to pretend this never happened, fine. So could I.After all, It was just a test gone far. An impulse I'd control next time. I can't afford to forget what matters most; protecting Kassim from entering Hayes Corp, and figuring out Camila's employer, now that I've confirmed it isn't Kassim. I looked at her again—half asleep, cheek flushed, lips parted. The same lips that had pulled away from mine. She looked harmless, and that's what made her more dangero
The rain woke me.Cold drops hit my chest and face, pulling me from a half-drunk stupor. Whiskey burned at the back of my throat. The bottle lay on its side beside the lounger, empty. The storm was fitting. The night had earned it.How long had I been out?I pushed off the chair, water dripping from my hair as I stepped inside. The villa was too quiet.“Mama Cortez? Camila?”Nothing.I moved through the villa, checking every room. Kitchen, Living room, Garden, all empty. The silence felt all too wrong.Then I saw the shoe rack. The flats she’d worn two days ago were gone.“Shit.” My chest tightened. I didn’t even know why yet.I crossed to the living room and pulled up the security feed. Rewound to sunset.6:47 PM — Rafael drove off in my spider-webbed Mercedes.7:00 — Javier left in his convertible with Mama Cortez.8:15 — Camila walked out the front gate wearing the tee I’d given her earlier, and my shorts.Two hours ago."Fuck!" I grabbed a blanket, found an umbrella in the hall cl
I heard her approach. The soft pad of bare feet on tile. The hesitation before she rounded the corner. The way she stopped feet away instead of coming closer.I kept my eyes closed, whiskey glass balanced on my stomach, listening to her breathe.She was looking at me — I could feel it. That sharp gaze tracing the bruises across my chest, down my arms, probably wondering if they hurt as much as they looked.They did, and it was worth it.The silence stretched until she finally spoke.“When are we leaving?”I opened my eyes, turning my head just enough to see her. Arms crossed, staring at my forehead, not my eyes.“Soon,” I said.“That’s not an answer.”"It's the only one you're getting right now."Her lips pressed together. “I’m tired of being stuck here. Tired of wearing oversized t-shirts while you get to raid Rafael’s wardrobe.”“You could always wear nothing.”Her face flushed. “You’re disgusting.”“You keep saying that.” I sat up slowly, letting her see the way my ribs protested.
"Who?"He went silent, eyes steady on mine.“My business partner,” he said at last. “Let’s just say we had a disagreement that turned physical.”“And who is this business partner? The one that tried to kill us?”“Maybe.” He tried to sit up, but I pushed him back down. A groan escaped his throat.“That’s all you’re gonna say?”“For now.”“No,” I folded my arms. “You said everything about me is your business, right? Well, your business is mine too. So talk.”A flicker of amusement crossed his face despite the pain. “Using my own words against me?”“Tell me the truth or don’t talk to me at all.”He watched me with those assessing eyes. When he finally spoke, his voice was quieter. “It’s nothing you need to worry about.” That was the last straw. “Fine. Then don’t talk to me until you decide I’m worth the truth.” I pushed away from the bed, but he caught my wrist before I could move further.“You’re not going anywhere. Wounds don’t clean themselves.”I pressed my fingers against a dark
My breath hitched. Heat spread down my neck, settling low in my belly."That's not—" The words tangled in my throat when his thumb brushed the side of my neck, a slow circle. His touch stayed light, but it was enough to feel my pulse hammering beneath his skin."Your heart's racing," he said quietly. "Why is that?""It's not.""Camila." He said my name like a warning, soft but edged. Like he could see through the tiny tremors running down my body, the shallow breaths I couldn’t hide, the way my thighs pressed together as if that would calm anything."Let me go, Lucien.""Not until you tell me why you wore this dress.""It's none of your business."He leaned closer. “Everything about you is my business. Or are you scared, Fiera?” His breath skimmed across my lips.Every nerve screamed to close the distance, to just lean forward and—No.Ronan's voice echoed in my head. 'Men like Lucien use pretty things like you to get their dick wet, make you think you matter in his world for a minut
Water closed over my head. My arms swung wild, trying to find the surface. My lungs screamed. I reached out and grabbed at nothing, kicked but my feet found nothing solid. Broken words reached me through the water. "...stand...your feet..."It was just panic and the burn in my chest.Then hands gripped me, wrapping around my waist. My body shot upward, air slamming back into my chest in broken, greedy gulps.“I've got you. Breathe,” he said, voice low against my ear.I did—coughing, gasping, my head dropping to his shoulder. His shirt clung to both of us as he half-dragged, half-carried me out of the water.“Lucien—” I wheezed, still coughing. “You—idiot!”He only laughed, a lazy, maddening laugh that didn’t match the way my heart was racing. It just made me want to slap him and... kiss him at the same time. He grabbed a towel from the chair and wrapped it around my shaking shoulders. His touch was infuriatingly gentle, one that didn’t belong to a man who’d almost drowned me. “You







