The Almost Kiss
988 Words
Chapter 10:
“You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that.”
Lucien's words lingered between us.
My eyes opened slowly.
He was still standing close enough that I could feel the warmth of his breath against my skin.
For a man who always seemed completely in control, he looked anything but controlled now.
His jaw was tense.
His breathing uneven.
His eyes dark with something I couldn't name.
I swallowed.
“Then why didn't you?”
His gaze dropped to my lips again.
“Because you're not ready.”
I frowned.
“You don't know what I'm ready for.”
“I know you better than you think.”
“That doesn't give you the right to decide for me.”
“I know.”
His voice softened.
“And that's exactly why I stopped.”
Something about that answer unsettled me.
Most men would have taken advantage of the moment.
Lucien had stepped away.
He turned toward the window, putting distance between us.
I stared at his back.
“Why have you been obsessed with me?”
His shoulders stiffened.
“I wouldn't call it obsession.”
“You just told me you've wanted to kiss me for years.”
“Seven years.”
I blinked.
He seemed to realize what he'd admitted.
“You've really been watching me that long?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
He didn't answer.
I walked closer.
“Lucien.”
His hands curled into fists.
“You should go to bed.”
I almost laughed.
“That's your answer?”
“It's the safest one.”
“Safe for whom?”
He turned.
“For both of us.”
Our eyes locked.
There was something painfully honest in his expression.
Something that made me wonder how much of the cold, controlled billionaire everyone feared was simply a mask.
“You're afraid of me,” I whispered.
His brows drew together.
“No.”
“Then what?”
His gaze softened.
“I'm afraid of what I'll become if something happens to you.”
My heart squeezed.
Before I could respond, he walked past me.
“Goodnight, Elara.”
I watched him disappear through the doorway.
Only after the door closed did I realize my hand was still resting against my cheek where his fingers had touched me.
I closed my eyes.
What was happening to me?
I had come to this mansion because I needed answers about my father.
Not because I wanted to fall into the arms of a billionaire with too many secrets.
And yet...
I couldn't stop thinking about the almost kiss.
Or the way he'd looked at me.
Or the confession in his voice.
Seven years.
Why had he spent seven years watching me?
I returned to my room.
But sleep refused to come.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Lucien.
His expression.
His hands.
His lips stopping just before mine.
I turned onto my side and groaned into my pillow.
“This is ridiculous.”
Across the mansion, Lucien stood alone in his study.
His jacket lay abandoned over a chair.
His tie was loosened.
His hands rested against the edge of his desk as he stared at nothing.
He had nearly kissed her.
After seven years of restraint.
Seven years of watching from a distance.
Seven years of telling himself that keeping her alive was enough.
Tonight, he'd almost broken every rule he'd made for himself.
He closed his eyes.
He could still feel her beneath his fingers.
Still remember the way she'd looked at him.
Still hear the slight tremble in her voice when she'd asked why he'd been watching her.
He had wanted to tell her everything.
That he'd first seen her seven years ago.
That he'd promised himself he'd protect her.
That he'd searched for her when she disappeared from his reach.
That every piece of information about her had become something he memorized without meaning to.
But there were things she couldn't know yet.
Not until he found the truth.
His phone rang.
Lucien looked at the screen.
Dorian.
He answered.
“What happened?”
“Nothing yet.”
Lucien's expression hardened.
“Then why are you calling?”
“I found something.”
Lucien straightened.
“What?”
“There are no complete records of Elara's mother's death.”
Silence.
Lucien's eyes narrowed.
“Explain.”
“Her death certificate exists, but the original hospital records were removed.”
“By whom?”
“We're still tracing that.”
Lucien's jaw tightened.
“Keep digging.”
“Lucien—”
“Don't stop until you find them.”
Dorian hesitated.
“Are you sure you want to reopen this?”
Lucien looked toward the hallway.
Toward the room where Elara was sleeping.
“Yes.”
His voice became cold.
“Find everything about Amara Seraphine.”
“Everything?”
“Her medical records. Her movements. Her contacts. Her financial records.”
Lucien paused.
“And find out what connection she had to the Nocturne Heart.”
Dorian went silent.
“You think she knew about it?”
“I think she knew more than she ever told Elara.”
Lucien ended the call.
He stood motionless for a moment.
Then his phone buzzed again.
A message.
One sentence.
SHE'S NOT SAFE WITH YOU.
Lucien's blood ran cold.
Another message appeared.
YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT HER ALONE SEVEN YEARS AGO.
His eyes darkened.
Then came the final message.
NOW THEY KNOW WHERE SHE IS.
Lucien immediately turned toward Elara's room.
His expression changed.
The obsession he'd spent seven years hiding disappeared beneath something far more dangerous.
Fear.
He grabbed his jacket and left the study.
Because whoever had sent that message knew one thing Lucien had desperately tried to keep hidden.
Elara was the reason he had survived the last seven years.
And now someone was threatening to take her away from him.
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