บททั้งหมดของ UNHOLY & FORBIDDEN : บทที่ 71 - บทที่ 80

The water stopped rising just after the red emergency lights flickered for the third time. Rook stood on the upper landing listening to the change. The heavy rush against the stairwell door had eased into a slower, thicker movement. Rain still hammered the grates far above, but the flood in the garage had found its peak. Silas was already at the small landing window, watching the dark current through the reinforced glass. When he turned, the weak red glow cut across the water still dripping from his hair and the open collar of his shirt. He didn’t speak. He crossed the narrow space, backed her against the metal railing, and kissed her with the same open hunger as before, only slower now, as if the knowledge that the water would eventually drop had made every remaining minute more deliberate. His hands shoved her shirt the rest of the way off. It joined the rest of their discarded clothes on the wet concrete. Silas’s mouth dropped to her breast, sucking hard while his fingers worked

The kitchen was still dark when Sable pulled the heavy freezer door open at 7:40 a.m. Cold air spilled out in a visible wave. The fluorescent tube inside buzzed to life and threw the same flat white light across the metal shelving and the vacuum-sealed cuts. Rylan was already there, back to her, moving a stack of labeled containers. He did not turn around right away. He finished what he was doing, closed the container, and only then looked over his shoulder. The door swung shut behind her. The seal caught with its heavy metallic thud. Rylan walked over, took the to-go coffee from her hand, and set it on a high shelf where it would stay cold. Then he gripped the front of her chef’s coat and pulled her forward until her hips met his. The kiss was harder than the night before, open and immediate, the kind that already knew the door was sealed and the kitchen outside was empty. His hands shoved the coat off her shoulders and let it fall. The thermal shirt underneath came next. He pu

The elevator car jerked once and stopped between the twenty-second and twenty-third floors. Emergency lighting flickered on in a dull amber wash. The control panel went dark except for the red alarm button. Nessa’s hand was still on the rail when the sudden halt threw her half a step sideways. Cade caught her by the elbow before she hit the wall. The small glass panel in the door showed only the concrete of the shaft and a thin vertical strip of city light far below. They were alone. The building had emptied hours earlier. Both of them had stayed late finishing the quarterly projections. Now the car sat silent except for the low mechanical hum of the stalled machinery above them and the sound of their own breathing. Cade released her arm but did not step back. Late thirties. Dark shirt open at the throat, sleeves rolled, the residual tension of a long day still in his shoulders. Nessa had worked with him for nine months. In that time they had never stood this close without a confer

A low mechanical click sounded somewhere above the car. Nessa’s head lifted. Cade was already on his feet, eyes on the dark control panel. The amber emergency light held steady. The thin strip of city glow through the glass panel had not changed. For three full seconds nothing else happened. Then the click came again, followed by a faint vibration that ran through the floor and into the soles of their shoes. The system was trying to reset. Cade turned from the panel and looked at her. Whatever time they had left was no longer guaranteed. He crossed the small space, backed her against the wall beside the glass panel, and kissed her with the same open hunger as before, only harder now, as if the possible return of movement had sharpened everything. His hands shoved the unbuttoned blouse off her shoulders. It dropped to the floor. The amber light cut across her bare breasts. Cade’s mouth dropped to one and sucked hard while his fingers pinched and rolled the other nipple with firm pre

The tablet still displayed the previous night’s unfinished notes. Harlan had not closed the chart. The bright overhead light in Exam Room 3 threw the same hard white circle across the paper-covered table. The air held the clean bite of fresh antiseptic from the morning wipe-down. Tessa stood at the counter restocking gauze when the door opened behind her at 6:25 a.m. She did not turn right away. She finished placing the last packet, closed the drawer, and only then looked over her shoulder. Harlan locked the door without speaking. He crossed the room, took the unopened supply box from her hands, and set it aside. Then he gripped her waist and turned her to face him. The kiss was harder than the night before, open and immediate. His hands pushed under her scrub top and found her bare breasts at once. The cool clinic air and the heat of his palms made her nipples tighten quickly. He shoved the top up and off, dropped it on the stool, and lowered his mouth to her chest. He sucked one