After My Ex Cheated, I Choose His Billionaire Brother

Chapter 2: No Escape

The silence in the room stretched until it felt like it might snap. A hundred pairs of eyes darted between Alexander Thorne and me, the tension so thick it was suffocating. My mind screamed at me to say something, to apologize, to explain that it was a stupid game, but my voice was completely trapped in my throat.

Alexander didn't say a word. He didn't have to. The sheer authority radiating from him commanded absolute silence. He simply lowered his hand from his lip, his obsidian eyes burning a hole straight through me. The heat from that kiss still tingled on my swollen mouth, a damning reminder of how completely I had surrendered to him in the dark.

My ex-boyfriend's terrifying, billionaire older brother.

Panic, sharp and blinding, finally overrode my shock. I couldn't stay here. I couldn't face the judgment, the whispering that was already starting to ripple through the crowd like a rising tide.

I spun around, practically tearing the silk blindfold from my hand and dropping it to the floor. "Excuse me," I mumbled to no one in particular, shoving past a wide-eyed Sarah and blindly making my way toward the back of the house.

"Chloe, wait!" Sarah called out, but I didn't stop. I couldn't.

I pushed through the kitchen, the neon lights suddenly feeling too bright, the music too loud, the air too thin. I needed to get out of this house. I needed to pretend the last five minutes had never happened.

The hallway leading to the back exit was dimly lit, shadows clinging to the peeling wallpaper. I stumbled in the unfamiliar stilettos, my ankle rolling slightly, but I caught myself against the wall, my breath coming in ragged gasps. The back door was just a few feet away. Freedom.

I reached for the doorknob, my fingers trembling.

"Running away so soon, Chloe?"

The voice was a low, smooth baritone that sent a violent shiver down my spine. It was a voice used to giving orders and having them obeyed without question.

I froze, my hand hovering inches from the brass knob. Slowly, I turned my head.

Alexander Thorne stepped out of the shadows near the coat room, his tall, imposing frame blocking the only other exit. He moved with a predatory grace that was entirely unsuited for a grimy college party. In the dim light, the sharp angles of his face looked even more dangerous, more unforgiving.

"Mr. Thorne," I managed to squeak out, instantly hating how small and terrified I sounded. I cleared my throat, trying to summon some semblance of dignity. "Alexander. I... I didn't know it was you. It was a game. A stupid dare."

He took a slow step toward me. "A dare."

"Yes," I babbled, pressing my back against the door, the cool wood offering little comfort. "I was blindfolded. I couldn't see. I would never have..." I trailed off, realizing exactly what I was about to say. I would never have kissed you.

But the lie tasted like ashes in my mouth, because for those few seconds in the dark, I had wanted to kiss him. I had wanted it more than anything.

Alexander closed the distance between us, stopping just a breath away. He was so close I could feel the heat radiating from his chest, could smell the intoxicating scent of bergamot and danger that was permanently seared into my memory. He braced one large hand against the door above my head, effectively caging me in.

"You wouldn't have what?" he murmured, his voice dropping an octave, slipping into something dark and dangerously intimate. "Kissed me back like you were starving for it?"

A hot blush stained my cheeks. "It was an accident," I insisted, my voice barely a whisper. I refused to meet his eyes, staring fixedly at the intricate silk tie resting against his crisp white shirt.

"Look at me, Chloe."

It wasn't a request. It was a command.

Against my will, my eyes flicked up, meeting that intense, pitch-black gaze. The breath was knocked out of my lungs all over again. There was no anger in his eyes, only a dark, simmering possession that terrified me down to my bones.

"You're Julian's brother," I whispered, desperately trying to construct a barrier between us with words. "This... this shouldn't have happened. I'm sorry."

Alexander let out a low, humorless laugh that vibrated against my chest. "Julian," he repeated, the name sounding like a curse on his lips. "My foolish, entitled younger brother who threw away the most precious thing he ever had for a momentary distraction."

I flinched at the reminder of Julian's betrayal, the old wound aching dully. "That doesn't matter now. We broke up. I just want to move on."

"Oh, I agree," Alexander said smoothly. He leaned in closer, his lips brushing against the shell of my ear. The sensation sent a violent jolt of electricity straight to my core. "But I don't think Julian understands that yet. He still thinks you belong to him."

I shivered, squeezing my eyes shut as his warm breath danced across my skin. "I don't belong to anyone."

Alexander's hand moved from the door, his long fingers trailing lightly down my neck, sending goosebumps erupting in their wake. His touch was feather-light, yet it felt heavier than chains.

"You're wrong, little bird," he whispered, his voice a dark velvet promise that made my knees weak. "Thorne men don't share."

My eyes snapped open, my heart hammering wildly against my ribs. "What are you talking about?"

He stepped back just enough so I could see his face, his expression unreadable, his eyes completely serious. "I'm talking about the fact that Julian brought you into my world, but he was too stupid to realize what he had."

He reached out, his thumb gently tracing the line of my jaw, completely ignoring my instinctive flinch.

"I've watched you for a long time, Chloe," he confessed softly, the words sending a chilling thrill through me. "Watched you smile at him, watched you tolerate his childish tantrums, watched you break when he betrayed you. I waited patiently in the shadows, letting him dig his own grave."

I stared at him, my mind spinning. Alexander Thorne, the untouchable billionaire, had been watching me? "Why?" I breathed.

The corner of his mouth twitched in a dangerous half-smile. "Because I knew, eventually, he would ruin it. And when he did..."

He leaned down, his mouth hovering just a fraction of an inch above mine. The heat between us was explosive, a tangible force pulling me toward him. My lips parted involuntarily, the memory of his demanding kiss rushing back in a dizzying wave.

"...I would be waiting to claim what he threw away," he finished, his voice a dark, possessive rumble.

Before I could process the terrifying weight of his words, his mouth crashed down on mine again.

This time, there was no blindfold. No crowd. Just the dim hallway and the crushing, undeniable reality of Alexander Thorne.

I gasped, trying to push against his chest, but his arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me flush against him until there was no space left between us. His kiss was even more demanding than the first, a fierce, consuming fire that demanded absolute surrender. He tasted like power, like expensive liquor and dark secrets, and God help me, I couldn't find the strength to fight it.

My hands, which had been meant to push him away, somehow found their way to his shoulders, gripping his jacket desperately as my legs turned to water. He groaned, a deep, feral sound that vibrated against my lips, and his tongue swept into my mouth, taking complete control.

For a long, terrifying moment, I let him. I let the older, more dangerous brother erase the memory of the younger one completely.

When he finally pulled away, I was trembling violently, my chest heaving as I gasped for air. Alexander looked down at me, his chest rising and falling heavily, a dark, satisfied gleam in his eyes.

"You kissed the wrong brother, Chloe," he whispered, his thumb swiping across my swollen bottom lip. "And now, I'm never going to let you go."