Lahat ng Kabanata ng I Want Her Bare, Always: Kabanata 41 - Kabanata 50

JaxThe stylist kept tugging at my hair, twisting sections into place with careful fingers. Pins clicked softly as she secured them one by one, occasionally stepping back to examine her work in the mirror.I barely noticed… okay, maybe I did notice a bit but I couldn't care less.My reflection stared back at me from the large vanity mirror, but it didn’t feel like I was really seeing it.My mind was somewhere else.Somewhere very specific.Somewhere I couldn’t stop replaying.Last night.The way Charles had grabbed me.The way the air had felt too tight to breathe.The look in his eyes when he said he was going to teach me a lesson.My fingers tightened slightly in my lap.I hadn’t expected that.Not from him.Not like that.Charles Wade had spent months keeping his distance in that strange, calculated way of his. Teasing me. Testing me. Standing just close enough to make me aware of him but never crossing that line.Ever since he took me as his unofficial hostage, he’s been making it

JaxThe moment I stepped out of the car, the noise hit me.Soft music. Low conversations. Laughter wrapped in politeness.Everything about the place screamed money. It wasn't like I'd expected at all.I'd expected loud music, tension, people glancing at each other while their hands were placed in their pockets half expecting the other to be the first to make a move.But that wasn't what I saw.The building stood tall and bright, lights spilling from every window while men in expensive suits and women in elegant dresses moved in and out like this was just another normal night for them.I smoothed my hands over the sides of my dress as I stepped forward.This wasn’t my world.Not even close.But tonight, I was supposed to pretend it was.The guards stayed close behind me as Martha led the way inside. The moment we crossed the entrance, I felt it, the shift.Eyes.People noticing.Not staring outright, but looking just enough.Measuring.Judging.Whispering.I lifted my chin slightly and

Jax“You were gone for so long,” Martha mumbled. I swallowed hard, not wanting to show what was really going on in my head. “Where’s he?”She turned like she was searching for him and then leaned closer. “He’s having a meeting over there.”I followed her line of vision and my eyes landed on Charles— dressed perfectly for the ocassion but nothing prepared me for where my eyes searched...his pant.What am I looking for? I can’t help it; the thoughts that have clouded my head since he fucked me. I know there was nothing to it but i don’t care. He didn’t take his eyes off me so i took it as my cue to walk towards him and be closer to him. “What are you doing?” I know how much he hates questions but I can’t help it. This is a fundraising event like I was told but I need to know more. I need to know why Nora was present too. “Where have you been?” he asked instead.I looked at him. “The restroom.” Without giving him another second to ignore him, I moved closer. “Are you going to tell me

Jaxen I kept running even after the door slammed behind me.My heart was beating so loud I was sure someone inside that cursed building could hear it. I looked over my shoulder again… then again. My lungs burned, my heels nearly betrayed me on the gravel, and for a second I thought I heard someone shout.“Don’t look back, Jaxen,” I muttered to myself. “Just run.”The cold night air slapped my face as I reached the driveway. The black SUV was exactly where it was supposed to be, parked under the shadow of a dying streetlight.For one second, I hesitated.This was insane.Then I yanked the door open and jumped inside.“Drive!”The man behind the wheel blinked at me like I had just appeared out of thin air.Then he slowly leaned back in his seat and gave me a long look from head to toe.“Madonna mia…” he said. “You disappear for months, break my heart, leave me wondering if you joined a cult or died somewhere … and then you return looking like this?”“Damiano!” I snapped. “Drive!”He s

Charles “Nath?”I moved before I even realized I had moved.She hit the floor, and for a second my brain just stopped working. Everything in the room went quiet except the sound of my own breathing.“Nathalie,” I called her name again, sounding really desperate.I was already beside her, lifting her slightly, trying to get her to respond.Her head tilted back weakly.Nothing I did seemed to be working.“Nath, hey … Nath.”Still nothing.My chest tightened in a way I hated. I didn’t panic often. Not anymore. Panic was a luxury people like me couldn’t afford.But in that moment, something very close to it settled in my stomach.I looked up sharply. “Viktor.”He was still sitting, looking calm and watching, like this was entertainment.“She fainted,” I said.“Yes,” he replied simply.“Help me, please.”Viktor leaned back slightly in his chair. “Help you?”“Yes. We need to take her to the hospital.”He smiled faintly. “There it is.”“What?”“That tone you get when a woman is involved.”I