Forbidden Chemistry

AftershocsandEndlessFlames

The Arrival Of the Titan

Less than twelve minutes later, the ambient mood inside The Velvet Drift died a sudden, quiet death.

The heavy glass entrance doors opened, and an icy, suffocating pressure swept through the room. The lounge staff froze. Heads turned.

Thomas stepped into the establishment like an unyielding force of nature. He had discarded his suit jacket, wearing only his dark dress shirt with the collar unbuttoned, his sleeves folded up past his forearms. His expression was dangerously dark, his sharp jaw locked tight, his dark brown eyes sweeping the room with lethal efficiency until they locked onto Jen.

Jen's coworkers gasped, instantly sitting up straight as if an inspector had just walked in.

Jen, thoroughly tipsy, blinked slowly at the looming silhouette approaching her table. A dizzy, defiant smile spread across her lips.

" Look....... the President arrived."

Thomas stopped right beside her chair. He paid no attention to her gasping colleagues. His intense, burning gaze was pinned entirely on her flushed face, her hazy dark eyes, and the messy beauty of her unraveled composure.

" Jen," Thomas growled softly, his gravelly voice dropping into a low, possessive rumble that sent a wave of heat straight through her veins. " You're drunk."

" I am not drunk," Jen protested, swaying slightly as she tried to stand up. " I am ...... released. Something you know nothing about, Mr. Stiff Corporate Titan."

Before she could lose her balance, Thomas stepped in. His massive, warm hands caught her by the waist, effortlessly pulling her flush against his broad, solid chest. The sudden, intoxicating warmth of his body sent a shock wave through her system.

He looked over at her stunned coworkers, his tone flat and cold. " Her tab is covered. Have a good evening."

Without waiting for a reply, Thomas slid one arm under her knees and the other behind her back, scooping her effortlessly up into his arms.

"Thomas! Put me down!" Jen squealed, wrapping her arms around his neck as the room spun. " I can walk!"

" You can barely stand," Thomas rasped against her ear, holding her close to his heart as he carried her out of the lounge and into the cool night air."

Fire in the Penthouse

He placed her gently into the front passenger seat of his private SUV, buckling her seatbelt himself. His hands lingered over her hips for a fraction of a second, his dark eyes flaring with an intense, restrained hunger as she leaned her head back against the leather seat, staring at his lips.

The drive back to the resort was a blur of flashing streetlights. Instead of taking her to her bungalow, Thomas pulled up to the private executive entrance of the penthouse suite.

" Where are we?" Jen asked hazily as he helped her out of the vehicle, guiding her into the private high-speed elevator.

" My quarters," Thomas said, his voice tight, his knuckles white as he held her waist firmly against his side. " Rosa confirmed Gioia is fast asleep. You are staying with me tonight."

The elevator doors opened directly into the dim, luxurious master suite of the penthouse. The floor-to-ceiling windows framed the dark, moonlit ocean below.

As soon as the doors closed behind them, the artificial distance between them exploded.

Jen turned in his grip, her small hands flattening against his broad chest, pushing him back against the solid mahogany wall.

" You think you can just kidnap me, Thomas?"

Thomas didn't pull back. He let her push him, his hands coming up to grip her waist, his thumbs digging into her skin through her trousers. His dark eyes burned down into hers with an absolute, wild intensity that made her breath hitch.

"You sent the text, Jen," Thomas rasped softly, leaning down until his lips were a heartbeat away from hers, his hot breath fanning across her trembling mouth. " You called me here, You told me to stop acting like I own you.... or come take what's mine."

" You don't own me," Jen whispered, her eyes dropping to his lips, her body burning with a fierce, helpless desire that five years of absence had only intensified.

" Then tell me to stop," Thomas growled, low in his throat, his long fingers sliding up from her waist to the back of her neck, tilting her head up. " Tell me you don't want this, Tell me to walk away, Jen, and I swear to God I will."

Jen looked into his eyes — filled with raw devotion, and a desperate hunger for her forgiveness. She couldn't play hard to get anymore. She was tired of fighting the pull of the only man she had ever loved.

" Don't you dare walk away," Jen whispered.

Thomas let out a low, guttural growl, abandoning all restraint.

His lips claimed hers in an explosive, relentless kiss that consumed her entirely. The kiss was hard, demanding, and breathless — a fierce collision of five years of agony, longing, and unspoken passion. Jen gasped into his mouth, her arms wrapping tightly around his neck, pulling his broad frame closer until there was no air left between them.

Thomas lifted her effortlessly, setting her onto the edge of the heavy executive desk. He stepped between her thighs, his broad hands gripping her hips with fierce, possessive pressure, pinning her beneath his heat.

Every touch was electric, intense, and searing. The quiet restraint of the past weeks shattered into a fiery storm of desire. He kissed her cheeks, her jaw, her neck, leaving a trail of hot, desperate fire against her skin while her fingers tangled wildly in his dark hair.

" You are mine, Jen," Thomas breathed against her collarbone, his voice rough and uneven as he held her anchored to him, his chest heaving against hers. " Always yours....... forever yours."

In the shadow of the moonlit room, wrapped in his crushing embrace, Jen surrendered completely to the fire, letting the lingering doubts of the past burn away in the heat of his unshakable possession.

The moonlight spilled across the executive suite through the vast floor-to-ceiling glass, casting long, dark shadows over the tangled sheets of the heavy king-sized bed. The vast room was quiet, save for the rhythmic, steady crashing of the ocean waves against the cliffs below and the thick, heavy breathing of two bodies lingering in the aftermath of a storm.

Jen lay on her side, her head resting on a soft pillow, her chest heaving softly as her senses slowly returned to her, her dark hair was wildly scattered across the white linen, her skin still flushed a deep, rosy pink and glistening with a fine sheen of sweat.

Five years of lonely nights, buried grief, and guarded defenses had vanished in a single, explosive night.

Beside her, Thomas lay like a sleeping titan — or rather, a vigilant guardian. His broad, muscular back was scarred with subtle tension, his dark eyes wide open and staring fixedly at her face as if he were still convinced she might disappear into thin air if he blinked.

His large. Warm hand rested heavily over her bare hip, his thumb gently caressing the curve of her waist in a slow, possessive rhythm.

" You're staring," Jen whispered, her voice low, raspy, and thoroughly worn out from the hours prior. She tried to pull the white sheet higher up over her chest, suddenly feeling a wave of shyness beneath his intense gaze.

Thomas didn't let her hide. His hand tightened slightly on her hip, holding her anchored in place.

"I've spent five years staring at a tiny, faded photograph in a cold apartment in Boston, Jen," Thomas growled softly, his voice a deep, gravelly rumble that vibrated through the mattress. " Do you honestly think I can take my eyes off you now that you're actually in my bed?"

Jen's heart fluttered with a sudden, breathtaking wave of desire, but she forced a small playful pout onto her lips. " I am only her because I was tipsy, President Bolduc. This doesn't mean I've completely forgiven you."

A dangerous, devastatingly handsome smirk touched the corner of Thomas's sharp lips. "Is that so?"

Before Jen could process his words, Thomas moved.

He didn't give her a chance to retreat. With terrifying, effortless grace, his broad frame shifted, looming over her like an unyielding shadow. His massive shoulders blocked out the moonlight as he trapped her beneath his heat, his dark brown eyes flaring with a sudden, dark flame that made her breath hitch instantly.

" Thomas...." Jen gasped softly, her palms flattening against his warm, bare chest, feeling the heavy, rapid thud of his heart against her hands. " We....... we should sleep. It's almost three in the morning."

" Sleep is a luxury for men who aren't fighting to keep what's theirs." Thomas murmured, his head dropping into the curve of her neck.

He pressed a lingering, burning kiss to the sensitive spot below her ear, sending an immediate wave of intense goosebumps cascading down her spine. His stubble grazed her tender skin, a sharp, exquisite contrast that made her arch her back involuntarily into his touch.

End of Chapter 15