Boundaries Blur
446 Words
Chapter 9: Boundaries Blur
Elena avoided him all morning.
She busied herself in the guest suite, pretending to scroll through emails she hadn’t checked in weeks. Anything to escape the weight of what had happened last night.
That kiss hadn’t been part of the plan. That heat in her blood? The way her lips still tingled? None of it made sense. This marriage was supposed to be a performance.
But Jaxon wasn’t acting anymore.
By noon, her stomach growled, and pride had to take a step back. She found him in the dining area, casually reading the financial pages with a plate of untouched toast beside him.
He looked up once, said nothing, and returned to reading.
Elena crossed her arms. “So we’re doing the silent treatment now?”
He flipped a page. “I thought you were hiding.”
“I wasn’t hiding.”
“You were gone for hours.”
“I needed space,” she snapped.
“From a kiss?” His voice was calm, but beneath it, a quiet storm brewed.
She flinched.
He folded the paper neatly and stood. “Elena, if one kiss has you running, what happens when we actually become husband and wife?”
Her breath hitched. “Is that a threat?”
“No,” he said, walking toward her. “It’s a promise that this marriage will become very real, very fast… if you let it.”
She backed up instinctively, but he stopped a few feet away, giving her space—and yet, taking up all of it.
“I didn’t sign up to be someone’s possession.”
Jaxon tilted his head. “But you did sign to be my wife.”
“That doesn’t mean you own me.”
“No,” he agreed. “But it means I’ll protect what’s mine. Fiercely. Possessively.”
His eyes darkened as he said it, and something primal stirred in her chest. She hated it—and loved it. That dangerous pull, that urge to lean into him, to test just how far he’d go.
“I don’t know how to play this game,” she whispered.
“It’s not a game,” Jaxon said. “It’s chemistry. And we either let it ruin us… or we use it.”
He reached out again—this time only brushing her fingers with his. A soft, electric touch that left her dizzy.
Then, just like that, he turned away.
“I’ll have the car ready in twenty minutes,” he said over his shoulder. “We’re expected at a charity dinner. Dress accordingly.”
He left her standing there, shaken and breathless.
And more confused than ever.
- Writer
