TRAPPED BY DESIRE

FROLICKING PARTNER

The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open as Roman stepped out into the concrete parking garage with Alana still draped unceremoniously over his shoulder.

Roman reached down to adjust the hem of Alana's dress when he spotted his driver, but his fingers accidentally grazed her inner thigh. Alana flinched hard at the unexpected contact of his warm hand against her skin.

"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded, thrashing against his spine.

Roman's expression hardened instantly.

"If you don't stop moving this instant, I'll spank that stubborn ass of yours," Roman warned, his heavy tone leaving no room for doubt.

Alana immediately stilled against his back. She had absolutely no intention of finding out whether he would actually execute the threat if she kept misbehaving.

The driver promptly pulled open the rear door, bowing his head slightly as Roman approached.

"Good morning, Mr. Ashford," the man greeted respectfully, keeping his eyes downcast as he expertly pretended not to notice the woman hanging over his boss's shoulder.

"Front seat," Roman instructed plainly.

Without a single question, the driver closed the rear door and hurried to open the front passenger one instead.

Roman gently lifted Alana off his shoulder and guided her into the cabin, ignoring her stiff resistance as she sat down.

Alana glared up at Roman through the glass as he spoke quietly to the driver. The man gave a respectful nod before walking away toward the secondary vehicle. A moment later, Roman circled the hood and slid seamlessly into the driver's seat.

His familiar, crisp cinnamon scent filled the vehicle the instant he stepped inside. Alana turned her face toward the window and rolled it down, hoping the fresh air would clear her head, even though there was barely a breeze moving through the subterranean garage.

The sheer sight of him was vexing, and even his scent irritated her despite how refreshing it was. No... it irritated her because she actually liked it, and that fact infuriated her.

She turned to look at Roman, only to realize he was already watching her with those intense green eyes, his expression carrying a trace of deep contemplation.

His penetrating gaze rendered her completely speechless for a brief moment before she quickly recovered her composure.

"Don't you ever handle me like that again," she warned, pointing an accusatory finger directly at his face.

Roman continued staring at her without saying a single word or showing the slightest reaction to her outburst.

"Did you hear a word I just said?" Alana asked when the heavy silence persisted.

"..."

"Can you stop staring at me like that? It's creepy as hell," she muttered, glaring hard at him.

Roman finally broke eye contact. Leaning back against the leather seat, he rested his head and closed his eyes.

"Fasten your seat belt, Alana," he said calmly, his eyes remaining shut.

Noticing that he had already fastened his own, Alana reached over her shoulder for the strap.

She tugged on the belt several times, but the mechanism refused to budge.

A small frown settled on her face. She tried again with a harder yank, convinced the fabric had somehow gotten stuck in the slot.

Roman slowly cracked his eyes open as the repeated clicking and frantic tugging filled the quiet car.

"Let me," he offered, leaning his frame across the center console toward her.

Despite the fierce glares she continued sending his way, Alana removed her hand from the plastic tab, allowing him to intervene.

Her entire body tensed slightly when Roman leaned even closer, his broad chest reaching across her lap. He noticed the subtle change in her posture immediately but chose not to comment on it.

Instead, Alana turned her attention sharply toward the side window while Roman freed the caught seat belt with practiced ease.

He clicked it into the buckle effortlessly before settling back into his own seat and closing his eyes once more.

An uncomfortable silence immediately settled inside the car as neither of them spoke another word.

Alana, feeling a little too worked up, suddenly realized her lingering anger wasn't entirely because of Roman, but because of the person who had called her phone earlier.

Despite her best efforts to forget her stepsister and erase her completely from her memory, it still wasn't enough to dull the sting.

Her palm subconsciously drifted to her opposite wrist beneath the sleeve of her jacket. The wound there had healed completely, leaving behind a noticeable, jagged scar that would forever serve as a reminder of her family's cruelty.

She felt her eyes beginning to sting with heat, but she held back her tears, unwilling to ruin her makeup or appear pitiful in front of Roman. The last thing she wanted was for a man like him to see her in such a vulnerable state.

The sudden sight of Erin approaching one of the parked cars with a tall blonde beauty snapped Alana out of her dark thoughts. Dressed in a short black dress, the woman carried herself with effortless, striking elegance.

Alana recognized her almost immediately.

It was the exact same woman Roman had been frolicking with in the living room last night.

Her eyes narrowed as she recalled seeing the woman somewhere else before, but she couldn't quite place the memory.

She watched as Erin opened the luxury car door for the blonde beauty before walking toward their vehicle with a leather bag in hand.

When Erin reached the driver's side window, Roman rolled it down with a smooth motion.

Without a word, Erin handed him the bag through the opening.

"What took you so long?" Roman asked curtly.

"I was waiting for her to get dressed," Erin replied evenly.

Roman simply rolled the window back up without another word before starting the engine and pulling out of the parking garage.

Although Alana wasn't looking directly at the blonde woman anymore, she could still feel the weight of her gaze lingering on her through the mirrors as their car drove away.

"Do you even know where you're driving to?" Alana asked after they finally emerged from the dimly lit parking garage into the morning light.

"Maybe," Roman replied simply.

"Maybe?" Alana repeated, straightening up in her seat. "Do you even know which university I attend?"

"Ryan has mentioned your school a few times, so yes," Roman answered, his eyes fixed on the road.

Alana leaned back against her seat and stared out the window at the passing buildings.

"The two of you seem to enjoy talking about me a lot," she mumbled under her breath.

Roman heard her anyway.

"Ryan just loves bragging about you," he said, his voice lowering. "He's fond of you."

Alana was completely caught off guard by his answer.

She hadn't realized her cousin actually cared about her well-being, especially with how distant he had been over the past few years.

Her gaze shifted to the passenger side mirror, where she noticed a black sedan trailing consistently behind them.