บททั้งหมดของ CRAVING THE WRONG MAN: DANGEROUS DESIRES BOOK 1: บทที่ 41 - บทที่ 50

Rhaena's POV"No, no, that's okay," I said quickly, shaking my head. "You don't have to do that. You've already done enough for me. I can just order a cab or an Uber or something. It's really not a big deal."The last thing I needed was to be trapped in a car with him for however long it took to drive to my apartment. More time alone together. More opportunities for weird tension and confusing feelings."Rhaena, I'm driving you home," he said firmly, his voice leaving no room for argument. "You're wearing a club dress at ten in the morning and you don't even have a jacket. I'm not letting you take a cab. I'm taking you home myself. End of discussion.""Alessio, really, I can—""I insist," he interrupted, already walking toward the bedroom door. "Come on. My car's in the garage downstairs. It should take twenty minutes tops to get you home."I stood there for a moment, holding his folded shirt in my hands, knowing that arguing with him was pointless. When Alessio made up his mind about

Rhaena's POVIt was Monday morning and I was already in my office, trying to focus on work and not think about what had happened over the weekend. Trying not to think about waking up in Alessio's bed, or the tension-filled car ride, or the way he had looked at me with those intense green eyes that made my whole body feel like it was on fire.I had gotten to the office early, before most people arrived, hoping to bury myself in spreadsheets and reports and emails. Anything to keep my mind occupied and away from dangerous thoughts about my future stepbrother.Alessio hadn't arrived in the office yet. His office was just down the hall from mine. We worked in the same building, on the same floor, just a few doors apart from each other. I would be seeing him constantly. There was no escape.I tried not to think about that. Tried not to think about having to see him every day and pretend everything was normal between us.My thoughts were

Rhaena's POV"No," I said quickly. "No, he didn't touch me. He was just... he was saying horrible things, but he didn't hurt me physically."Alessio nodded, but I could see he was still tense, still angry. His hands were clenched into fists at his sides.He moved even closer to me, until he was standing right in front of me. Close enough that I could smell his cologne. Close enough that I could see the flecks of gold in his green eyes.Then he reached up slowly and touched my cheek softly with his fingers. The touch was so gentle, so tender, such a complete contrast to the violence he'd just displayed."You're shaking," he said quietly, his thumb brushing across my cheekbone.I hadn't even realized I was. But now that he mentioned it, I could feel my whole body trembling slightly with the aftermath of adrenaline and shock."I'm okay," I said again, but my voice was shaky too.His hand was still on my cheek, warm and solid and comforting. I found myself leaning into his touch without m

Rhaena's POVThe week had gone by slowly, each day feeling longer than the last. Every time I saw Alessio at the office, there was this tension between us that neither of us acknowledged out loud. We kept things professional, polite, distant. But I could feel his eyes on me sometimes when I walked past his office. Could feel the weight of everything unspoken hanging in the air between us whenever we ended up in the same meeting room or the same hallway.I had tried to distract myself. I had gone out for dinner with Micah on Wednesday night - a nice, safe, boring dinner where he talked about his work and asked polite questions about mine. He had been a perfect gentleman, walking me to my door and giving me a chaste kiss on the cheek before saying goodnight. And I had felt absolutely nothing. No butterflies, no racing heart, no desire for more. Just... nothing.Which made me feel guilty because Micah was nice. He deserved someone who could appreciate how nice he was. Someone whose thoug

Rhaena's POV I felt sick. My stomach was churning. Part of me wanted to open my eyes and tell her to back off, to stop propositioning him right in front of me even if she thought I was asleep. But another part of me - a part I didn't want to examine too closely - needed to hear what Alessio would say. Needed to know if he would accept her offer.The silence stretched out for what felt like forever.Then I heard Alessio's voice, cold and firm. "That won't be necessary, Elena.""Are you sure?" Elena pressed. "I'm very good at—""I'm sure," Alessio interrupted, his voice harder now. "I'm not interested. Please leave.""But—""Now," he said, and there was no room for argument in his tone.I heard footsteps - Elena walking away, probably embarrassed and rejected. I heard her mumble something that sounded like an apology before I heard the sound of a door closing quietly somewhere in the bac