The Contract Bride

Ten – His POV (The Kiss That Changed Everything)

I’ve faced hostile takeovers, court battles, and billion-dollar negotiations. Nothing rattles me.

Until her.

Elena Carter. The girl who signed her life away to save her family. The girl who kissed me tonight like she hated me—and needed me in the same breath.

I shouldn’t have let it happen.

I should’ve pushed her away, reminded her that this contract is business.

But the second her lips touched mine, all my carefully built control shattered.

I’m still sitting on the sofa, whiskey untouched, staring at the door she stormed through minutes ago. My chest is tight, my hands restless. Her taste lingers, sweet and defiant, and it’s driving me insane.

She thinks it was a mistake.

A mistake?

No. It was inevitable.

For weeks, I’ve watched her fight me—eyes sparking every time she challenges me, lips trembling every time she swears she hates me. She has no idea how close she is to breaking me, how much I want to ruin her resolve completely.

But here’s the problem: I don’t just want her body. I want her loyalty. Her surrender. Her heart.

And that terrifies me more than any enemy I’ve ever faced.

My phone buzzes on the table. A message from Victor. “Tomorrow’s board meeting is at ten. Don’t be late.”

I smirk bitterly. Late? For the first time in my life, business feels… secondary.

I stand, loosen my collar, and pour myself another drink, but it doesn’t help. The city lights outside mock me with their calmness, while my mind spins with chaos.

Elena Carter kissed me first.

That means she wants me—whether she admits it or not.

And if she thinks she can run from what just happened, she’s about to learn that Alexander Steele doesn’t let go of what’s his.