THE BILLIONAIRE’S PUREST OBSESSION

Behind Closed Doors

Evangeline woke up early the next morning. Kneeling by the small bed in the worker’s room, she said her morning prayers. Talking to God always gave her peace and made her feel safe.

After praying, she went straight to the kitchen, made a quick breakfast, and then began scrubbing the counters. Back home, work was done with just water and soap. Here, the kitchen was full of marble, glowing electronic panels, and appliances that looked too complicated for a home.

Every inch of the island had to be wiped until it was spotless. Everything had to look perfect so the head housekeeper wouldn't have any reason to be unhappy.

A few minutes later, the older housekeeper walked into the kitchen. The woman looked very tired and moved with a noticeable limp, holding a pile of clean sheets.

"How was your first night, Evangeline?" the housekeeper asked, setting the sheets down on the kitchen island with a soft groan.

"It was very nice," Evangeline replied with a small smile, placing her cleaning cloth down. "You look tired today, Mrs. Gable. Are you feeling alright?"

"My back is hurting me terribly today," the housekeeper sighed, rubbing her hip. "The other maid had called in sick this morning. Evangeline, I know your job is only to cook for Mr. Moreno and manage his diet, but you cannot only be cooking while the rest of the house needs work. I cannot carry these linens up the stairs. Can you go upstairs and clean the boss's bedroom for me please?"

Evangeline hesitated for a second. Entering his private space was the last thing she wanted to do. The memory of last night was still fresh; his solid chest and the grip of his hands on her waist.

But the thirty thousand dollar debt back home had to be paid. Her family was counting on her to be useful and earn every cent. "Yes, I can do that for you."

Taking the stack of grey sheets from the housekeeper, Evangeline walked out of the kitchen and headed up the staircase.

The door to Kylian's bedroom was easy to find. Standing outside, she took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. She knocked softly, but there was no response from the other side. Assuming the room was empty, she pushed the it open and let herself in.

Stepping inside, Evangeline stopped in her tracks. She was shocked at the state of the room, it looked completely vandalized.

The dark sheets were ripped back and tangled all over the mattress as if someone had been thrashing in anger all night. The pillows were thrown onto the floor. Walking closer to the edge of the bed to put the clean linens down, her eyes caught something on the dark rug. Laying right there were the torn pieces of a sheer black lace bodysuit. The fabric was torn at the middle.

The memory of the red-haired woman, from the office yesterday flashed through her mind. She had been wearing a tight red dress, looking at her like she was dirt. Now, the proof of what happened in this room lay right at her feet.

A wave of anger and disapproval filled her chest. These city people were full of bad things, and the boss was right in the middle of it. "A kind of man that destroyed a room like this after spending the night with a woman was certainly not the kind of man she respected." Evangeline felt frustrated, though she didn't understand why the thought of him with someone else made her feel so annoyed.

Shaking off the thoughts, Evangeline forced herself to focus on the work. She dropped the clean sheets onto a nearby chair and walked over to the bed to start stripping the mattress. Bending over the low mattress to pull the dirty sheets off made her blue dress stretch tight across her hips, the apron strings straining against her waist.

A door on the other side of the bedroom swung open.

Evangeline gasped and spun around, her white bonnet moving with the movement.

Kylian stepped out of his private study. He had on nothing but a pair of loose grey joggers that hung low on his hips. His chest was bare, showing his broad shoulders and the hard muscles of his torso. He stood in the doorway, his grey eyes staring straight at her.

Her heart started thudding fast against her ribs. Trapped alone in his room, the way he looked at her made her face turn red.

"What are you doing in my room?" Kylian asked. He didn't look happy to see her there.

Evangeline quickly looked down at the floor, refusing to look at his bare chest. "Mrs. Gable asked me to help," she whispered, her voice trembling slightly. "Her back is hurting, and the other maid didn’t show up today, so she asked me to assist her.”

Kylian didn't answer right away. His eyes raked down her body, taking in the sight of her simple clothes. He had spent the night trying to sweat her out of his mind with Vanessa, yet seeing her here, covered in plain clothing, made his groin ache instantly.

But it wasn't just her body drawing him in. It was the absolute lack of fear in her stance.

"I don't like strangers in my space," Kylian muttered, stopping just a few feet away from her.

"I am not a stranger, Mr. Moreno. I am your employee," Evangeline said, her stubborn nature forcing her to look up. She kept her eyes locked onto his face, avoiding his bare torso. "And you have no modesty. You should put on a shirt."

A smirk touched Kylian's lips. Nobody gave him orders, especially not his employee. He leaned in closer, watching the way her chin remained held high. "This is my house, I’ll wear whatever I want, and If you are too scared to look at a man, you shouldn't have taken the job."

"I am not scared," she snapped back, her blue eyes flashing with defiance. "I am just used to men who respect themselves and the people around them. Back home, a man does not walk around half-naked in front of a woman."

Kylian’s jaw tightened, the bluntness of her words didn't make him angry; it only made her more intriguing. She was untouched, completely innocent to the ways of his world, yet she stood her ground against him without flinching.

"You are not back home, Evangeline," Kylian said, his voice dropping into a dangerous, quiet rumble. "You are in my house now, and you do what you are told here."

He walked closer, invading her personal space even more, until he towered directly over her. Evangeline stood her ground, refusing to retreat an inch.

Kylian reached out, his large hand gripping the side of her waist. His fingers dug firmly into the thick linen of her dress, holding her still right where she stood.

Evangeline sucked in her breath. She was trapped in his grip, her heart beating wildly against her ribs as she looked up into his piercing grey eyes, and realized that working here wasn’t going to be as easy as she’d imagined.