CHAPTER 05— The Man Who Looked Too Long
907 Words
(Kaela)
The Blackwood gardens are so much bigger than she expected.
Rows of white roses, trimmed hedges, marble fountains shaped like Greek gods. Even the sunlight feels filtered — too perfect, too polished.
Kaela breathes in the fresh air, grateful to be outside after a morning of suffocating rooms and cold hallways.
Vionn walks a step behind her, silent, hands in his pockets like some brooding shadow wrapped in a tailored suit.
Every time she glances back, she finds his eyes already on her.
Watching.
Guarding.
She should hate it.
She should feel trapped.
But his presence… oddly makes her warm.
Safer than she should feel.
She steps toward a rose bush, reaching out to touch the petals—
“Careful,” Vionn murmurs behind her.
Kaela jumps slightly.
“You scared me.”
His lips curve faintly.
“You scare easily.”
“No, you just appear everywhere like a ghost.”
“I’m not a ghost, Kaela.”
His eyes lower to the bracelet on her wrist.
“I’m the one who keeps you alive.”
Her breath tangles.
Before she can reply, a voice cuts in:
“Mrs. Blackwood?”
Kaela turns.
A man in his late twenties stands on the garden path — tall, handsome, sun-browned skin, soft brown eyes.
He’s wearing the estate staff uniform, but he carries himself with relaxed confidence.
He smiles at Kaela — not politely, not formally…
but directly.
“Good morning,” he says warmly. “I didn’t expect to see you outside so soon.”
Kaela offers a small smile back.
“It’s beautiful out here.”
“I could give you a tour, if you like. There are hidden paths, ponds, even an old observatory.”
He looks thrilled at the idea.
Kaela opens her mouth to answer—
—and suddenly the air drops ten degrees.
Vionn steps between them.
Not beside her.
Between them.
A silent, territorial wall of ice and muscle.
The staff member—Daniel, his name-tag reads—freezes.
Vionn’s voice is cold enough to shatter stone.
“Did I ask you to speak to my wife?”
Daniel swallows hard.
“N-no, sir. I just thought—”
“You thought wrong.”
Kaela’s eyes widen. “Vionn—”
His hand curls around her waist.
Not painfully.
But firmly.
Possessively.
Like he’s warning the wind not to touch her.
Daniel tries again, voice shaking.
“I meant no disrespect. Mrs. Blackwood looked—”
“Looked what?” Vionn cuts in sharply.
“Lonely?”
Kaela gasps softly.
Vionn’s stare is lethal.
Daniel backs up immediately.
“S-sorry, sir. I didn’t— I’ll return to my duties.”
He practically sprints away.
Kaela pulls out of Vionn’s hold.
“What was that?”
“Staff shouldn’t address you without permission.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“It’s protocol.”
“No,” she snaps, “that was jealousy.”
Vionn freezes.
His jaw tightens.
His eyes darken dangerously.
“Choose your next words carefully.”
“You were jealous,” she insists, stepping in front of him. “Over a simple conversation.”
“A simple conversation?” he repeats quietly, almost mockingly.
“Is that what it was?”
Kaela folds her arms.
“Yes.”
Vionn steps closer, forcing her to tilt her head back.
His voice drops to a deep, low rumble that vibrates through her spine.
“He looked at you,” he says bluntly.
“Not like staff looks at their employer. Not like respect.”
Kaela swallows.
“So what?”
“So I don’t like when other men look at you.”
Her heart slams.
She isn’t prepared for the raw honesty in his voice.
The bluntness.
The… vulnerability hidden under all that ice.
“You’re my wife,” Vionn continues, every word sharp with possessiveness.
“And he forgot that.”
Kaela whispers, “You barely touch me. You barely speak to me. And suddenly—”
Vionn moves, slow and precise.
His fingers graze her cheek — barely touching, but enough to make her breath tremble.
“Don’t mistake restraint for lack of desire,” he murmurs.
Her chest tightens painfully.
His face is close now.
Too close.
His breath brushes her skin.
Kaela whispers, “Vionn…”
He doesn’t step away.
“I’m trying,” he admits quietly.
“For your sake, Kaela. I’m trying to give you space. Time. Control.”
His thumb brushes the edge of her jaw—soft, careful, almost reverent.
“But if a man looks at you like you belong to him…”
His voice drops into something darker.
“I will stop trying.”
Kaela’s whole body goes still.
She has no defense against his honesty.
“Why?” she whispers. “Why does it matter so much?”
Vionn’s eyes flick down to her lips—
then back up, with effort.
“Because you’re mine.”
A shiver runs through her.
He sees it.
Feels it.
Something hungry flashes across his face.
But he forces himself to step back.
Barely.
His voice is rough when he speaks again.
“Let’s continue the walk.”
Kaela follows silently, her heart pounding, her skin still burning where he almost touched her.
The garden feels different now.
Too close to something like desire.
And Kaela realizes something terrifying—
Vionn Blackwood isn’t jealous because he owns her.
He’s jealous because he wants her.
- Writer
