CHAPTER 1

Seraphina Harrington POVThe bathroom mirror didn't lie, but I wished it did.The silk dress my stepmother, Beatrice, had bought for my twenty-first birthday was beautiful, but it was too tight, too low-cut, and completely unlike anything I would ever choose for myself. It clung to my curves like a second skin."Perfect," Beatrice’s voice echoed from the doorway. She was leaning against the frame, a sharp, calculating smile on her face. "You look like a woman worth millions, Seraphina. Let’s make sure tonight is worth every penny.""I don't understand why Mr. Henderson is even on the guest list, Beatrice," I said, smoothing down the fabric with trembling hands. "This is supposed to be a small family celebration. He’s a business investor. Why is he here?""He is the reason our family still has a roof over our heads after your father passed," she snapped, her tone instantly losing its fake warmth. "He’s interested in you. You should be flattered. Now, dry your tears and get downstairs.

CHAPTER 2

Seraphina HarringtonThe leather seats of the SUV felt cool against my bare, burning skin, but it wasn't enough. The heat inside me was growing, heavy and thick, pulsing through my veins until every breath felt like a chore. I pressed my forehead against the cold glass of the window, watching the city lights blur into streaks of yellow and white through the sheets of rain.What did Julian put in that glass? It wasn't just a regular sleeping pill. My mind was racing, hyper-aware of the fabric of my dress rubbing against my skin, making me itch with a strange, desperate need for something I couldn't even name.The driver didn’t say a word. He just kept his eyes on the road, weaving through the midnight traffic with terrifying speed. Within twenty minutes, the car pulled into the private underground parking lot of a skyscraper in the heart of the city’s financial district."We are here, Miss Harrington," the driver said, stepping out to open my door.When I tried to stand, my knees buckl

CHAPTER 3

Seraphina HarringtonThe freezing water kept blasting down on us, but the ice was doing absolutely nothing to kill the fire in my blood. If anything, the cold made every single place Dominic touched me feel like it was being branded with a hot iron. My soaked dress felt heavy, scratching against my sensitive nipples, and the friction was driving me completely out of my mind.I couldn't think straight. All I knew was that Dominic was right here, he was solid, he was cold, and I needed him. I needed him to touch me properly or I was going to lose it.He was still holding my waist, his grip firm and unyielding, trying to force me to stay under the stream. But his breathing had changed. It wasn't the slow, calm breathing of my untouchable guardian anymore. It was ragged, deep, and heavy."Seraphina, look at me," he muttered, his voice sounding rougher than I’d ever heard it. He grabbed my chin, forcing my face up so I had to look into his eyes. They weren't grey anymore—they were nearly b

CHAPTER 4

Seraphina Harrington POVThe bedroom was pitch black, save for the pale city lights filtering through the sheer curtains. I lay completely still under the heavy duvet, every single muscle in my body aching with a deep, throbbing soreness. Between my thighs, a sticky warmth leaked out onto the expensive sheets every time I shifted—a constant, visceral reminder of what we had just done in the shower.Dominic was sitting on the leather armchair across from the bed, a glass of amber liquid in his hand. He hadn't touched it. He was just staring at me through the dark, his silhouette rigid and imposing. The heavy silence between us felt thick, suffocating the last remnants of the drug in my system.He thought I was asleep. But the raw friction of his thick cock stretching me open was still burned into my memory, keeping me wide awake. I felt a sudden, familiar tightening in my lower stomach just looking at him. The aphrodisiac was mostly gone, but the craving for him wasn't.I sat up slowly

CHAPTER 5

Seraphina Harrington POVI carefully buttoned the oversized white shirt Dominic had thrown at me. The cotton felt crisp, smelling exactly like his cedar cologne, and the hem fell all the way down to my mid-thighs. My body was still humming, a deep, heavy ache settling between my legs where he had just stretched me open.Dominic stood by the massive floor-to-ceiling window, his back to me. His broad shoulders were tense under a clean black t-shirt, his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his dark sweatpants. Looking at him now, you wouldn't think he had just spent the last hour ruthlessly hammering into me, marking me as his. He looked completely detached again. Like the untouchable billionaire my father had trusted.He didn't turn around when I stepped off the bed. My bare feet made a soft padding sound against the polished hardwood floor."You're staying here," he said, his voice level, monotone, and completely devoid of the gravelly rasp he used when he was coming inside me. "I’ve

CHAPTER 6

Dominic Mercer POVThe bedroom door clicked shut, the heavy mahogany barrier finally cutting me off from the sight of her tangled in my sheets. I stood in the dim hallway, my bare chest rising and falling in sharp, ragged breaths. My sweatpants felt heavy, riding low on my hips, and my skin was still slick with a mixture of my sweat and her juices.Even now, the sharp scent of her—sweet vanilla mixed with the raw, metallic tang of my own release—lingered in my nose, driving me crazy.I looked down at my hands. They were trembling.Dominic Mercer, the man who controlled half the shipping lanes in the country, the man who never made a move without three backup plans, was shaking. For a whole year, I had played the part of the dutiful guardian. I had stood at her father’s funeral, looked Richard in the eye before they buried him, and silently swore to protect his only daughter. I had kept my distance on purpose. I ignored the way her body was filling out, ignored the soft, vulnerable loo