GUARDED FLAMES

CHAPTER FIVE

EVANGELINE

He kissed me.

For two seconds—maybe three—his mouth was on mine, wild and desperate like he’d been starving for it. And then he ripped himself away like I burned him.

Like I was the sin he couldn’t forgive himself for.

And now he was avoiding me.

Again.

Typical.

I leaned against the balcony railing outside my bedroom, glaring down into the courtyard where he was pacing back and forth like a caged beast. Shirtless. Covered in sweat. Probably thinking about that kiss and hating himself for it.

He needed to stop pretending like I was made of glass. I wasn’t. I could handle him. His rage, his scars, whatever demons kept him up at night—I didn’t care. I wanted all of it.

But he just kept running.

Well. Maybe it was time he got chased.

I slipped back inside, grabbed a hoodie, and made my way downstairs barefoot. Quiet. Invisible.

I knew the path he took every morning. Around the garden. Into the garage. Then down to the private gym.

I caught him in the hallway this time.

He stopped when he saw me, his hand on the door handle, chest rising and falling like he already knew he was about to lose control.

“What now,” he said, voice flat, but his eyes… his eyes were wild.

I shrrugged, walking toward him like it was nothing. “Just wanted to talk.”

“We have nothing to talk about.”

“Liar,” I said softly, stopping right in front of him. “You kissed me.”

He looked away. “That was a mistake.”

“Then why are you still thinking about it?”

He didn’t answer.

So I stepped closer. Close enough that my chest brushed against his. His jaw clenched so tight I thought he might snap his teeth. His hands stayed fisted at his sides.

“You’re so scared of touching me,” I whispered. “Is it because you think you’ll hurt me?”

He swallowed hard. “I will hurt you.”

“You already are...”

That did it.

He grabbed my arm, spun me around, and slammed me against the wall—not rough enough to bruise, but rough enough to warn me. His body pressed into mine, chest to chest, mouth just inches away. I gasped at the sudden closeness, heat pooling between my legs instantly.

“Don’t push me, Evangeline,” he growled, his breath hot against my cheek. “You don’t want to see what happens when I lose control.”

“Yes,” I whisperred, heart pounding. “I do.”

His hand moved up, fingers sliding into my hair, yanking my head back gently but firmly. Our eyes locked, and I saw it—the hunger, the desperation. The man was unraveling right in front of me.

Then his lips crashed into mine again.

Hot. Brutal. Real.

This kiss wasn’t tender. It was punishment. Fire. It said all the things he was too scared to speak.

He pinned me harder against the wall, his knee slipping between mine, forcing my legs apart. I moaned into his mouth, gripping the back of his neck, nails digging into his skin.

His hands were everywhere now—one at my waist, the other sliding under the hoodie I wore, feeling the bare skin underneath. He groaned when he realized I wasn’t wearing anything beneath it.

“No bra,” he muttered, voice dark. “No panties either?”

I just smiled and kissed him again.

But then...—

He stopped.

Just like that.

Pulled back. Breathless. Angry.

“I can’t,” he said, taking two steps away like he needed air. “You’re not just some girl, Evangeline. You’re his daughter.”

I stood there, lips swollen, chest heaving. “I’m not a child, Nikolai.”

“You’re a mistake I’m not allowed to make,” he said, staring at me like I’d just stabbed him in the heart.

And then he left.

Again.

Leaving me cold aching, and more determined than ever.

Because that kiss?

That kiss said everything I needed to know.

He wanted me.

Nowall I had to do was make sure he couldn’t walk away next time.