Semua Bab Seducing my Ex-husband back: Bab 11 - Bab 17

WELCOME HOME ~CLAIRE'S POV~ The Blackwood Industries logo stared back at me like a malevolent eye. I pressed my palms against the floor-to-ceiling windows of Alexander's penthouse, my breath fogging the glass as I watched the building that had once housed my dreams. The irony was delicious…. From my new sanctuary, I had a perfect view of my former prison. Twenty-six floors up, in the corner office with the mahogany desk and leather chairs, Richard Blackwood was probably drowning in whiskey and financial reports. The thought should have thrilled me. Instead, it made my chest tight with something I refused to name. "Miss Winfred?" I turned to find Kimberly hovering with her tablet, giving off the kind of nervous energy that came from wanting to please. Alexander's temporary assistant was everything Monica's chosen staff had never been—warm, genuine, eager to serve without hidden agendas. "The flight was fine," I said, though she hadn't asked yet. "And this place..." I gav

UNRAVELING~CLAIRE'S POV~I can't breathe.Richard Blackwood is standing there, water droplets still clinging to his hands like tiny diamonds, and I can't breathe.It's been two years since I've seen him this close, and my body remembers everything. The way he fills a room. The way his presence makes my chest tight. The way he looks at him feels like drowning and coming up for air at the same time."Claire."Just my name. That's all he says, but it hits me like a physical blow because his voice is exactly the same. Rich and deep and full of promises I know he'll never keep again.I press my back harder against the door, wishing I could disappear into the wood grain."You look..." He steps closer, and I catch that familiar scent—cedar and something distinctly his. "God, Claire. You look incredible."I want to laugh, but I'm afraid that if I open my mouth, I'll either sob or scream. Maybe both."Don't." The word comes out barely above a whisper. "Please don't.""Don't what?""Don't l

THE CHESSBOARD~ALEXANDER'S POV~The sapphire engagement ring catches the light as I slide it from her finger.Claire stands motionless in our penthouse bedroom, city lights painting her skin in shades of silver and shadow. She’s breathtaking….always is….but tonight there’s something different. Something distant.Something that doesn’t belong to me.I have undressed countless women. Made them arch and beg and forget their own names. But with Claire, it’s never been about conquest. It’s been about worship. About earning the right to touch something so perfect it makes my chest ache.Tonight feels different.I trace the zipper of her white dress, the one that made every man at the party stare like wolves in tuxedos. I remove the material from her shoulders with slow, respectful fingertips.She should melt into my touch. Should turn in my arms and let me chase away whatever shadows are haunting her.Instead, she flinches.Not from fear—I had recognized that instantly and stopped. This

FRACTURED TRUTH ~CLAIRE POV~He didn't need more. In one movement, he carried me down the hall, my legs wrapped around his waist, my arms clinging to his shoulders. The bedroom door was open, the bed unmade, the sheets tangled from the last time we had been here. He didn't bother with finesse. He dropped me onto the mattress, and I bounced once before he was on me again, his weight pressing me into the softness beneath us.I spread my legs, my body moving on instinct, and his eyes darkened further as he took in the sight of me beneath him. He reached for his shirt, fingers working the buttons with quick, furious movements. The fabric fell away, revealing the hard planes of his chest, the ridges of muscle that flexed as he moved.I reached for him, my hands sliding up his arms, feeling the tension in him, the barely leashed control. He caught my wrists, pinning them above my head with one hand, his grip unyielding. I gasped, my back arching, my body straining against his hold.