THE MAFIA'S THRONE.

SEDUCTION 2.

Her body.

Damn it..her body was right there. Bare. Vulnerable. Beautiful.

Shayla stood in front of me like a goddess sculpted by temptation itself. No towel, no shame. Just skin and fire.

My breath hitched. I looked away immediately, turning toward the wall, trying to blink the image out of my mind. I shouldn’t be seeing this. I shouldn't be thinking these things. But the pounding in my chest and the hard-on pressing against my trousers told a different story.

She leaned in. I felt the soft whisper of her breath before her lips touched my neck. Her mouth was warm…nhot, even…pressing against the sensitive skin below my ear, slowly kissing down the line of my throat. My entire body tensed.

"Shayla," I murmured, voice strained. "Please... stop."

She didn't. Her hands roamed to my chest, fingers featherlight, skimming the ridges of my abs. My fists clenched at my sides.

I tried pushing her gently by the shoulders. "You don't want to do this. This isn't right..."

She looked up at me, her eyes shimmering.

"Don't lie to me," she whispered. "You want this as much as I do."

Her voice cracked. Her lower lip trembled. My heart lurched.

Were those... were those tears?

She stepped back, still unclothed, still breathtaking, and reached down for the towel lying crumpled by her feet.

"This was a mistake," she said in a hoarse whisper. "I thought you felt it too. I thought…”

I grabbed her hand.

I didn’t even think. It just happened. My hand caught hers before the towel reached her hips.

She looked up at me, startled. Her eyes widened.

And then something inside me snapped.ol

Like a dam breaking.

I pulled her to me. Hard.

I kissed her.

God…I kissed her like I needed her to breathe. Her arms wrapped around my neck like they belonged there. Her mouth parted under mine, and she moaned—soft and broken…into me. I didn’t know where she ended and I began.

My hands slid over her sides, cupping her breasts. Soft, so soft, like silk in the dark. Her head fell back, and I kissed down her jaw, her throat, every inch of her burning skin.

She whimpered when I laid her back on the bed, and I straddled her, gazing down at her body like it was forbidden scripture.

I kissed her collarbone. Her stomach. Her hips. She trembled beneath me.

Maybe... just maybe... I could be bad today.

Maybe I could lose control for once.

But something…someone…inside me pulled the reins.

I froze.

"Shayla..." I whispered.

She opened her eyes. Her gaze was glassy. Dazed.

I rolled off her and sat beside the bed, running both hands through my hair. My body still burned for her. My heart raced. But I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t cross that line.

She reached for me, touching my bare shoulder. "Why?" she asked, voice barely a whisper. "Why are you stopping?"

I turned toward her, trying to steady my breathing. "Because... this isn’t how I want it to be."

"But I do," she said. "I want you, right here. Now."

I reached for the covers and gently pulled them over her body. She looked confused. Hurt. But she didn’t protest.

"Shayla, listen to me," I said, cupping her cheek. "You are beautiful. You’re... intoxicating. But I can’t use you. Not like this. Not when I know you're hurting."

"Who said I’m hurting?" she asked defensively.

"I don't know but.. I know this is not right.."

Her lips trembled. She blinked rapidly.

"I’m not trying to hurt you," I whispered. "I care about you... maybe too much. And if I touch you like that now, when your parents left you under my care... I’d hate myself for it later."

She let out a soft laugh. But it was laced with pain.

"You're too good for this world," she murmured. "Too good for me."

I shook my head. "No. I’m just trying not to ruin something before it even begins."

She stared at me for a long moment. Then, slowly, she leaned in and kissed me one last time. It wasn’t lustful. It wasn’t demanding. It was soft... and sad.

She stood up, the blanket still wrapped around her body like a cocoon. She walked to the door and turned before opening it.

"I’ll wait for you," she said softly. "No matter how long it takes."

Then she was gone.

I sat on the bed, staring at the door, my heart thundering in my chest.

What the hell had just happened?

★★★★★

The rest of the day passed in a daze. My hands moved through chores on autopilot. I cleaned the drawing room, polished the railing on the grand staircase, but my mind was stuck on her. On that kiss. On the way her skin felt beneath my palms.

She’d been vulnerable.

And I... had almost failed her.

I tried to avoid her the rest of the evening. I stayed downstairs mostly. The other servants were busy preparing dinner for when Mr. and Mrs. Lockwood returned with Zach. The mansion buzzed with anticipation.

But even in the noise and motion, I felt her eyes on me.

I glanced up from the silverware I was arranging, and there she was…leaning against the far wall, arms folded, watching me. She didn’t speak. She just looked. And something in her expression tightened my chest.

It wasn’t hate. It wasn’t anger.

It was longing.

Then she turned and walked away.

★★★★★

Night fell.

And just as I was about to head home to rest, I heard a voice from behind.

"You're going to have to choose, you know."

I turned. Zach stood at the foot of the hallway, arms folded.

His voice was calm.

But his eyes were cold.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

He stepped forward, slow and deliberate. "I know that something happened while we were gone. She's been staring at you all day… What did you do?”

My heart dropped.

"I didn’t touch her," I said quickly. "Not like that."

Zach didn’t stop walking until he was right in front of me. He was slightly taller, broader. And pissed.

"You think that matters? You think restraint makes you noble? She’s falling for you. And I won’t let that happen."

I clenched my jaw. "I never meant for her to…”

"Save it." He stepped closer, until his breath hit my face. "You’re a servant. And she’s a Lockwood. You know what happens when you break the rules?"

I didn’t respond. My fists curled at my sides.

Zach leaned in.

"You disappear."

Then he walked away.

And I stood there, cold with realization, heart hammering in the silence.

So it’s come to this.

And somehow... I knew it was only just the beginning.