His Forbidden Touch

Chapter 3 : Under His Eyes

The following morning, Elena walked through the glass doors of Blackwell Corporation with a determined breath. She told herself she could handle this. She needed this job. She couldn’t allow Adrian Blackwell or the way his eyes lingered on her to shake her so easily.

But the moment she stepped into his office, all her rehearsed courage unraveled.

Adrian was standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows, hands in his pockets, the city stretching endlessly behind him. He didn’t turn immediately. He didn’t need to. Somehow, she could feel his presence wrapping around her like a shadow.

“Miss Carter,” his voice came, low and smooth. “You’re late.”

Her heart skipped. She checked her watch. She wasn’t late not even by a minute. But she didn’t argue. “I… apologize, Mr. Blackwell.”

He finally turned, his gaze locking onto her with unnerving precision. Those steel-gray eyes traveled over her face, down her frame, and back again. It wasn’t a careless glance. It was deliberate, measured like he was taking his time memorizing every inch of her.

Elena’s throat went dry. She looked away, but his stare followed, clinging to her as if he could sense the heat crawling over her skin.

“You look nervous,” he observed, taking slow steps toward her. “Why is that?”

She forced a shaky smile. “It’s my first day. Anyone would be nervous.”

He stopped just inches from her, close enough for her to catch the faint scent of his cologne dark, intoxicating, expensive. It curled around her senses, weakening her resolve.

“Perhaps,” he said softly. His gaze dipped to her lips for a fraction of a second before returning to her eyes. “Or perhaps it’s me who makes you nervous.”

Elena’s breath caught. Her body betrayed her, warmth rushing through her veins as if his words alone could touch her. She opened her mouth to deny it, but the truth tangled in her throat.

Adrian leaned just slightly closer, his voice dropping to a husky whisper. “You should know, Miss Carter… I see everything. Every flicker in your eyes. Every shift in your breath. You’re not as unreadable as you think.”

Her pulse hammered wildly. She gripped the edge of her folder, desperate to keep herself grounded. “I-I don’t know what you mean.”

His lips curved, dangerously close to a smile. “You’ll learn soon enough.”

The air between them grew heavy, charged with an unspoken pull neither of them dared acknowledge aloud. For a moment, Elena swore he might touch her might close the last inch of space between them.

But instead, Adrian straightened, his composure sharp and cold once more.

“Bring me the quarterly reports by noon,” he said, as if nothing had happened. “And Miss Carter…”

She froze, her hand on the doorknob.

“Don’t waste my time.”

The command cut through the silence, final and unyielding. Yet when she dared to glance back, his eyes were still on her dark, smoldering, and far too dangerous.

Elena’s chest tightened. She left quickly, but his gaze followed her even as she closed the door.

And though she hated to admit it, the weight of his eyes lingered long after she was gone burning into her skin, into her thoughts, into the very parts of herself she wished to keep untouched.