All Chapters of Behind Closed Doors: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

Emily’s POVThe silk whispered down my legs, cool air kissing every inch of skin he’d just bared. I sat there on the edge of that massive bed, completely naked in front of Daniel, my heart beating so hard I could feel it in my throat."Lie back," Daniel murmured, his voice like smoke and gravel.I did. The plush duvet swallowed me, soft against my bare back. Daniel stood over me, his silver eyes tracing every curve like he was memorizing me all over again."You have no idea what you do to me," he said, unbuttoning his white dress shirt with deliberate slowness. Each button revealed more of his sculpted chest, the dark hair trailing down toward his belt. "When I saw those vultures surrounding you—" He yanked the shirt off and threw it across the room. "—I wanted to burn that entire campus to the ground.""Daniel," I whispered, reaching for him.He caught my wrist, pressing a kiss to my palm. His lips traveled down my arm, feather-light, until he reached my shoulder. Then his mouth foun

Emily’s POV"Look at yourself, Emily," Daniel whispered, his deep voice vibrating right against the back of my neck.He stood behind me in the grand mirrored dressing room, his broad hands resting heavily on my waist. The floor-to-ceiling mirrors reflected everything—the soft glow of the recessed lighting, the flush on my cheeks, and the absolute devotion in Daniel’s dark silver eyes.He slid his dark silk button-down shirt over my shoulders. It was far too big for me, falling past my thighs, smelling rich with his woodsy cologne."It looks better on you than it ever did on me," he murmured, his long fingers moving to the top button."Daniel..." My voice was barely a breath. "You said we weren't going to think about anything outside this bedroom.""We aren't," he said softly, slowly unbuttoning the shirt he had just put on me, parting the smooth fabric to expose my collarbone. "I’m looking at my whole world right now. Why would I think about anything else?""You're impossible," I teas

Emily’s POV"Sign the Walker family trust assets over to me by six o'clock tomorrow morning," Victoria whispered, her fingernails digging into my wrist like sharp steel claws. "Or I release the rest of the note to the District Attorney, and Daniel goes to prison for the rest of his life."I let my eyes fill with quick, fake tears, forcing my voice to tremble. "Please, Mother... don't do this. He didn't force those pills down your throat! You know he didn't!""The world doesn't care about the truth, Emily!" Victoria sneered, her voice ringing with arrogant, toxic victory. "They see a heartbroken, dying mother lying in an ICU bed because her husband seduced his young step- daughter! I own the media! I own the narrative! If I say he poisoned me, they will believe me!""You... you really pre-scheduled that press release before taking a few harmless sleeping pills?" I whimpered, shrinking back against the edge of the hospital bed as if I were utterly defeated."Of course I did!" Victoria l

Emily’s POV"Maya!" I gasped, my throat closing up as I held out my shaking phone. "Look at this!"Maya leaned over from the front passenger seat of the SUV, her sharp eyes scanning the high-resolution photo on my screen. Her face turned to pure ice the second she saw the sniper crosshairs centered directly on my head, along with the text message: Declarations of love won't save him, Emily. Tell Daniel that his past in London is coming for you both."Driver, evasive route back to the Greenwich estate right now!" Maya ordered sharply, pulling out her radio. "Code Red! We have an active surveillance threat on the target! Seal the main gates before we arrive!"The heavy SUV swerved violently onto the highway, tires screeching against the asphalt as two backup security sedans fell into tight formation around us.Ten minutes later, the massive iron gates of the Greenwich estate slammed shut behind us. Armed guards in tactical gear lined the long,

Emily's POVDawn painted the Greenwich estate in shades of amber and rose, light spilling through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the master suite like honey poured over silk sheets.I hadn't slept. Not really. Every time I closed my eyes, Adrian Cole's smug face materialized behind my lids, that yellowed folder in his hands promising to destroy everything Daniel had built.But sometime around four in the morning, Daniel's breathing had finally evened out beside me. The tension in his shoulders had softened. His arm had stayed wrapped around my waist, heavy and possessive, even in sleep.I'd watched him for hours. The sharp cut of his jaw. The dark lashes against his cheekbones. The way his lips parted slightly, vulnerable in a way he never allowed himself to be when conscious.My fingers had traced the lines of his chest through his unbuttoned shirt, following the trail of dark hair down to where the sheet pooled at his waist. I'd felt him stir against my thigh, hardening even in sle