Nine– Her POV (The Kiss That Shouldn’t Have Happened)
528 Words
The penthouse walls were closing in on me.
After the bookstore incident, Alexander barely spoke to me. He walked around like nothing happened, calm and collected, while I simmered with anger. Every clipped word, every smirk, every arrogant silence made me want to scream.
And yet, every time he was near, my heart betrayed me. The air grew thick, my skin buzzed, and I hated myself for it.
That night, I found him in the living room, sprawled on the sofa in his shirtsleeves, tie discarded, whiskey glass in hand. The city lights poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting shadows across his sharp jawline.
He looked untouchable. Untamed. Unapologetically powerful.
“Enjoying your drink?” I snapped, crossing my arms.
His gaze flicked up lazily, those dark eyes catching mine. “Depends. Are you here to join me, or to argue again?”
“Maybe both.”
He chuckled, low and deep, and the sound curled around me like smoke. “Of course. Fighting with me seems to be your favorite hobby.”
I moved closer, anger pushing me forward. “You think this is a game, don’t you? That you can lock me up in your golden tower and I’ll just… play along?”
His jaw tightened. “I don’t think. I know.”
The arrogance in his tone lit a fire in my chest. I stepped right up to him, close enough to see the flecks of steel in his eyes. “You don’t own me, Alexander. You may have trapped me in this contract, but you will never control me.”
His smile was slow, infuriating. “Sweetheart, I already do.”
That word. Again. Sweetheart.
Something inside me snapped.
Before I knew what I was doing, my hands were on his collar, and my lips crashed against his.
For a heartbeat, he froze. Then the world tilted.
His glass clinked against the table as his hand slid to my waist, pulling me closer, deepening the kiss until I was drowning. His lips were fire, his touch electric, and for the first time since this nightmare began, I felt alive.
Too alive.
I pulled back suddenly, breathless, my fingers trembling against his chest. His heartbeat was steady, strong, infuriatingly controlled.
“What the hell was that?” I whispered, half to him, half to myself.
Alexander’s lips curved into a dangerous smirk. “You tell me, Elena. You kissed me.”
Shame burned hot across my cheeks. “I—It was a mistake.”
His eyes darkened, but his voice stayed maddeningly calm. “If that was a mistake, sweetheart, then make it again.”
My breath hitched. “Never.”
“Never?” He leaned closer, his voice a low growl. “You can lie to yourself, Elena. But don’t lie to me.”
I turned and stormed off before I did something even more reckless, his voice following me down the hall.
“Remember this,” he called after me, smooth and deadly. “You crossed the line first. Now, there’s no going back.”
And he was right.
No matter how much I wanted to deny it, that kiss changed everything.
- Writer
