《Fifty Shades of Desire: A Collection of Lust and Love》全部章節：第 21 章 - 第 30 章

“Enough of all this Caspian talk,” David finally said, taking his seat beside me. “Kai. Kai.”I flinched when his fingers tapped the back of my hand. “Is something wrong? What the hell is going on?”“Nothing,” I managed to say with a forced smile.“Don’t give me that.” His voice was sharp, but his eyes were soft. That was the thing about David; he could scold you and care about you in the same breath. “That smile doesn’t reach your eyes. Something is wrong.”He leaned forward, studying me the way a doctor studies a patient he already knows is sick. “You’re sweating, and we’re sitting directly under an air conditioner. I called your name four times. Four times, Kai.”He moved closer until there was no comfortable distance left between us. “Talk to me. I’m your friend. Whatever it is, you can tell me.”I opened my mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.“David.” My voice came out as a whisper. “I’m dead.”“You’re not dead,” he said firmly. “You’re sitting right here.”“It’s only a matter of

I didn’t turn around. I couldn’t. My body had stopped taking orders from my brain. My feet were rooted to the marble floor, my spine locked rigid, and my lungs working in short, useless pulls of air. Beside me, Diana’s hand slipped out of mine. She looked confused, then terrified, as she followed my gaze, not at the man speaking but at the sheer power radiating from the figure standing by the glass doors. “Kai.” Her whisper barely made a sound. “Who is that?” I didn’t answer because I couldn’t. Caspian was leaning against a marble pillar near the glass doors, arms loosely folded, watching me the way a cat watches a mouse that doesn’t yet know it’s been caught. He wasn’t in a suit tonight. He wore a black silk shirt, unbuttoned halfway, and dark trousers that fit as if they had been made specifically for his body. He looked relaxed, unhurried, like a man who had all the time in the world because the world already belonged to him. Behind him, two men in gray suits stood like

“I don’t get what you mean!” I whispered, trying to hide my burning red face. But he had already wormed his way into my thoughts, twisting them into impossible fantasies. Dark, sinful images I shouldn’t even think about.“You will understand what I mean soon, but first you need to go in there and wash that bitch scent off you.”“No.”“I guess you prefer me doing it myself,” he groaned, staring at me heatedly. “Strip.”I bit my lip, heart hammering, and forced my legs to move. “I’ll go take my bath myself,” I muttered, already heading to the bathroom.Marble and chrome usually felt cold and pristine, but with him watching, it was an oven. Every step I took, I could feel his gaze burning across my back, tracing the curve of my spine and the sway of my hips.“Can you at least stop staring?” I asked.He paused, a smirk curling over his lips, and finally turned away. I exhaled shakily, stripping off my clothes before stepping into the bathtub.I grabbed his soap, holding it to my nose, inh

Epilogue: The Beautiful RuinThe moon had moved across the sky, casting long, skeletal shadows of the headboard on the tangled silk sheets.The room was silent, save for the hum of the air conditioning and the heavy, rhythmic thrum of my own heart—a heart that no longer felt like it belonged in my chest. It felt as if it had been physically removed, branded with Caspian’s name, and shoved back in.I lay on my stomach, my face pressed into the pillow, my wrists finally free of the steel but still tingling with the ghost of the restraint. My body was a map of his possession.I could feel the dull ache in my hips, the stinging heat on my thighs where the leather had grazed me, and the heavy, stretching fullness that served as a constant reminder of what he had done to me.I should have felt disgusted. I should have been crawling toward the door, plotting my escape to the police, to David, or to anyone who could save me. But as I shifted, a soft, involuntary whimper escaped my throat. It

I ran. That was all I could do: run and pray my legs didn’t give out before I reached somewhere safe. My sneakers slapped against the wet ground, the cold water soaking through to my skin, but I couldn’t feel it.The only thing my body registered was the sound of that bullet. The way it had split the air inches from my ear.I burst out of the alley and almost ran into a black SUV parked at the curb. The engine growled softly as the passenger door swung open.“Get in!”I stood frozen for a moment as the rain lashed at my face, stinging my eyes. I heard the crunch of gravel behind me in the alley. The shooter was back on his feet and coming for me.I stared at the open door, then glanced back at the darkness behind me. Both options seemed unfavorable, but I chose to step into the unknown.I quickly settled into the seat as the door slammed shut. The driver wasted no time and stepped on the gas, causing my head to snap back. The tires screeched on the wet street as we sped off, disappear