Close To You Novel Novels & Stories

I try to look away, to disappear in the crowd. But then—Melisa calls out. And grabs my arm. Fuck. Fuck! Did she recognize me? No… right? Her hand is on my arm. “Hey! Can I take a picture with you?” she asks, smiling. My heart races. My chest tightens like I’m about to explode. I’m sweating inside the helmet. My legs feel like they’ll collapse. My stomach flips like I’m going to run—or puke. I can’t believe she’s this close. Too close. After twelve fucking years. She lets go of my arm after the photo. She’s still holding a book. And just like that—She slips away again.

I slid off my barstool, my legs slightly unsteady from the whiskey. But I didn't back away. Instead, I stepped directly into his personal space, closing the distance until my damp dress brushed against his expensive suit trousers. I was completely surrounded by him. I reached up, my hand trembling slightly as I wrapped my fingers loosely around the back of his neck. His skin was burning hot against my cold palms. “Will you give me a good time, Alpha? Will you make me forget?” His eyes darkened instantly, his pupils dilating until they were almost entirely black. The cedar scent in the air turned thick and possessive.

In seconds, giving excuses I couldn’t make out, Clara and Gianna left the room, shutting the door behind them, leaving me alone with Nico. He looked at the screen and smiled. “Dramatic, huh?” “Not really.” I laughed. “You’ve always been one for theatrics. By the way, was that Zayne?” “That was Zayne.” The information settled, and I nodded, beaming as I sank back into the bed. “Great, now I can have dinner on patios in peace, Ex-President Nikolai Rossi.” He closed the steps between us and dropped onto the bed so he was facing me. “I’ll miss your scandals.” A mischievous smirk. “And the storerooms of that particular—”

“This isn’t your environment.” “You decided that?” He stepped closer. Deliberate. Unhurried. Like a man who knew exactly what closing that distance meant and was doing it anyway. The air between us changed immediately. warm and charged, the noise of the club fading back like it knew better than to interrupt. I could smell him from here. Something clean and understated that had been living quietly in the back of my memory since the first night in my apartment. “You saw me dancing,” I said quietly. It wasn’t a question.

“Your mother buried herself in debt because of her gambling addiction. Even when I’d paid it off for her, she never repented and entangled herself with another pack’s Alpha. That’s why I divorced her. Hale came into my life a year later. “Over the years, Hale has favored Veya, yes, but she’s never neglected her care for you. Yet, you believed Layla’s provocations and, in revenge, tried to harm Veya? Veya has never sought to take the Alpha’s place from you. She’s told me long ago that she wants to explore the world.”

As long as you're strong, I'll be okay. Nova closed her eyes and I kept stroking her hair until she fell asleep. After that, I went back to my room. I stared at my bed. It was hard to believe that just a few hours ago, Ella and I had been lying on this bed professing our love to each other. I lay on the bed and tried to sniff in her scent, which was still left. It was pleasant, really pleasant. Well, like they said, all good things eventually came to an end, and my love story with Ella seemed to have come to an end too.