جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 40

My brain temporarily short-circuited. My face was burning so hot I was convinced steam was about to start pouring out of my ears.‘​I wouldn't mind being a pervert just for you.’???​Who says that?! And with that level of absolute, unbothered confidence?​"You are unbelievable," I choked out, but instead of backing away, I let my irritation override my embarrassment. I took a half-step forward, sticking my face out slightly toward him and narrowing my eyes. "Do you have a problem with my wardrobe?"​"I do, actually," Lucien countered smoothly, entirely unfazed as his eyes locked onto mine.​"And what exactly is your issue with it?"​"I want to see more skin," he said.​"Ah, you really are a pervert," I hissed. But strangely, my body didn't retreat. I stood my ground, my heart hammering a frantic rhythm against my ribs, and I didn't even slap his hand away as he slowly brought it up, his thumb and forefinger gently pinching my chin to tilt my face higher.​"I told you, sweetheart," Luc

​I snatched the clothes from the manager and marched into the oversized fitting room. Within a few minutes, I swapped out my cargo pants for the new outfit. The utility pants were made of a stretchy fabric—durable enough to sprint in, but hugging every curve of my hips—while the cropped top left my belly completely bare, contrasting sharply with the deep crimson silk underwear peeking just above the waistband.​I stepped out of the fitting room, feeling exposed but undeniably agile.​Lucien’s breath hitched. The smug, teasing look on his face instantly vanished, replaced by a dark, heavy intensity. His gaze traveled slowly from my boots, up the tight line of my legs, lingering on the bare skin of my waist before finally locking onto my eyes. He sat up slightly, his broad shoulders tensing.​"Well, damn," Daniel’s lazy voice cut through the silence. He strolled over from a different section, carrying a heavy, olive-green bomber jacket with reinforced lining. He stopped a few feet aw

I shook my head, letting out a long, dramatic sigh as I followed them toward the elevator. "You two are absolute menaces. I'm trying to plan for the collapse of human civilization, and I'm stuck with a walking pervert and his instigator sidekick." I grumbled.​Daniel didn't even try to hide his grin. He held the elevator door open for me, leaning lazily against the frame as I brushed past him. "Instigator? Feisty, I’m the voice of reason around here. If it were up to Lucien, we'd be packing velvet robes and champagne into the fallout shelter."​"Don't give me any ideas, Daniel," Lucien purred from right behind me, his heavy, looming presence filling the small elevator space the second he stepped inside. The doors slid shut with a soft chime, sealing the three of us back into that high-tension pressure cooker.​Lucien casually slung a heavy arm over my shoulders, his broad frame weighing down on me just enough to keep me anchored right at his side. I tried to wriggle out from under hi

"This sounds very absurd," a calm yet cold voice spoke up, cutting through the heavy silence that had settled over the room.​It was Pedro, one of Lucien's oldest and most calculating lieutenants. Unlike Desmond, Pedro wasn't red-faced or visibly angry; he sat with his elbows resting on the polished wood, his fingers laced together, his sharp gray eyes assessing me with a terrifyingly sharp intellect.​He leaned forward slightly, his posture completely relaxed despite the suffocating tension in the room.​"With all due respect, Boss," Pedro began, his voice devoid of mock or humor, focusing entirely on Lucien before shifting his gaze back to me. "You want us to mobilize our entire network, pull our families out of their homes, spend hundreds of millions, and build a fortress as if the end of the world is coming. Fine. We obey orders. But if we're going into total lockdown, we need tactical clarity. What enemy are we up against that requires ‘this’ much preparation? Give us a name. A s

​"How did you...?" I panted, my voice barely a squeak. I hadn't heard a single footstep. I hadn't even heard the sound of the connecting side door between our rooms opening.​"Shhh," Lucien murmured softly.​He didn't step back. Instead, his long fingers smoothly took the silk ribbons from my trembling hands. Slowly, his fingers brushed against the sensitive skin of my bare back as he neatly tied the ribbon into a delicate bow.​But even after the knot was secure, his hands didn't retreat.​Lucien reached around, his large palm wrapping firmly around my bare waist, yanking me backward until my spine was pressed completely flush against the solid, burning wall of his chest. His other hand came up, wrapping around my hip, keeping me right where he wanted me.​My heart went into absolute overdrive, hammering a frantic, deafening rhythm against my ribs.​"What are you doing here, Lucien?" I whispered, my hands instinctively reaching up to clutch at his thick forearms.​"Seeing how well yo