The kiss was nothing like the calculated performance at the press conference podium. It was a torrential downpour after months of suffocating drought, fueled by a dangerous mix of unvoiced fear, fierce pride, and the electric tension of the storm raging outside the glass walls.
Elena’s head spun as Ethan’s mouth claimed hers with a raw, possessive hunger that entirely erased the boundaries of their legal contract. The cold, logical CEO who analyzed risk for a living had vanished. In his place was a man driven by sheer instinct, his hands gripping her waist tightly, lifting her slightly against the steel railing of the staircase so she had no choice but to feel the erratic, heavy pounding of his chest.
For a terrifying, exhilarating moment, Elena stopped fighting. Her hands, which had bee
