Dangerous temptation

Chapter 5

Mara’s pov

As much as I hated Daniel, I couldn’t just abandon my responsibilities not yet, not while we were still bound together by paper.

The moment I woke up, I forced myself through the motions. A quick shower. A half-hearted breakfast I could barely taste. Then I grabbed my keys and got into the car, heading toward the hospital.

Maybe I just wanted to see him suffer to look into his pale, lifeless face and feel something close to satisfaction.

But halfway down the road, the car sputtered and stopped.

“Damn it,” I muttered, slamming my hand on the steering wheel.

Of course. Another thing that didn’t work in this cursed family.

The spare car keys were in Daniel’s study, and he’d locked the door like he was still trying to control everything even while lying unconscious.

I parked by the roadside and climbed out, the morning breeze brushing against my face. Popping the hood open, I peered inside, pretending I actually knew what I was looking at.

I sighed, wiping the sweat off my forehead with the back of my hand. The car engine looked fine to me or maybe I was just too tired to care.

“You planning to stare at it till it fixes itself?”

The voice startled me. Deep. Calm.

I turned, my breath catching in my throat.

Ethan.

He stood by his car a few meters away, hands in his pockets, that same unreadable expression on his face. The sunlight caught the edge of his jaw, sharp enough to cut through my defenses.

“I—I didn’t hear you drive up,” I stammered, closing the hood.

“That’s because you were too busy pretending to be a mechanic,” he said, walking closer. His tone was teasing, but his eyes those dark, haunting eyes stayed locked on mine.

I crossed my arms. “You following me now?”

He smirked faintly. “If I were, you wouldn’t know.”

The way he said it made my pulse race for reasons I didn’t understand.

He stopped right in front of me and glanced at the car. “It’s overheating. You’ve been driving this wreck?”

“It’s all I have access to,” I said, trying not to sound defensive.

He bent slightly, inspecting the hood again before straightening up. “You shouldn’t be driving around alone.”

“And you shouldn’t care,” I shot back.

For a moment, silence stretched between us. The wind picked up, carrying the faint scent of his cologne clean, dark, expensive. He looked at me then, really looked, and something in his gaze softened.

“I don’t,” he said quietly. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll let you break down on the side of the road.”

He took a step closer, too close, until I could feel his breath on my skin. My heart hammered against my ribs.

“Get in,” he said finally, tilting his head toward his car. “I’ll take you where you need to go.”

“What about the car?” I asked, glancing back through the window.

“Someone will pick it up,” he said flatly, already walking to the driver’s side.

I hesitated for a moment, then slowly opened the door and slipped in beside him. “Thanks,” I murmured, forcing a small smile.

He started the engine. “Where are you off to?”

His eyes stayed on the road, but I couldn’t help myself my gaze wandered to his side profile.

Sharp jaw.

Steady hands gripping the wheel.

Lips that looked like sin and temptation.

He caught me staring.

“A picture would last longer,” he said, voice low, almost amused.

Heat rushed to my cheeks and I turned away, mortified by my own thoughts. “Sorry,” I muttered.

“You still haven’t answered my question, Mara.”

God. The way he said my name slow, deliberate it rolled off his tongue like a promise and a warning.

“I’m going to see Travis,” I said quietly. “At the hospital.”

The air in the car shifted. Ethan went completely silent, his knuckles whitening around the wheel. His jaw clenched, muscle ticking.

Then, without a word, his foot pressed harder on the pedal.

The car lurched forward, speeding down the narrow road. My heart jumped into my throat.

“Ethan!” I grabbed the seatbelt, holding on tight as the world blurred past the windows. “We’re not in a race!”

He didn’t look at me. His eyes were fixed ahead, dark and unreadable.

The faster we went, the more my stomach twisted. I wanted to scream from fear and but then I noticed the wrong turn he’d taken.

“Ethan,” my voice wavered, “you took the wrong turn.”

He didn’t even glance my way. A faint smirk tugged at his lips.

“No,” he said, eyes fixed on the road. “I didn’t.”

Panic crawled up my spine. “What the hell do you mean you didn’t? You’re going the wrong way!”

Finally, he looked at me one brow raised, that same dangerous smirk playing on his mouth.

“Do you really want to see him that badly?”

I opened my mouth, but no words came out.

His lips curved further, the smirk deepening into something darker.

“Relax,” he murmured. “You’ll see Daniel later. Right now… you’re with me.”

He finally slowed the car and pulled over in front of a small restaurant.

I blinked, confused. “What are we doing here?”

“You only ate a little this morning,” he said simply, cutting the engine. “Figured you might be hungry.”

He smiled a soft, almost human smile but his eyes stayed cold.

Something about that contradiction sent a shiver down my spine.

He wasn’t angry anymore. He was… composed. Too composed.

“Come,” he said, his voice low but firm. “Let’s eat.”

Before I could respond, he stepped out of the car, walked around, and opened my door.

For a moment, I just sat there, unsure whether to move unsure if I wanted to.

Then his hand appeared, steady and waiting.

I hesitated, but his gaze held mine,dark, unwavering, impossible to refuse.

So I placed my hand in his, and he helped me out of the car.

His grip was warm, almost gentle… but there was something in the way he held me, something that said I wasn’t going anywhere unless he allowed it.

It was a five-star restaurant the kind of place where everyone looked polished, expensive, untouchable.

I instantly felt out of place. My reflection in the glass door said it all: jeans, an oversized hoodie, and tired eyes that hadn’t seen rest in days.

People stared the moment we walked in. I could feel their judgment like heat against my skin.

Ethan noticed.

“Don’t worry,” he murmured, leaning closer so only I could hear. “Let them stare.”

He opened the door for me, his voice dipping lower, almost a whisper.

“They’ve probably never seen beauty dressed carelessly.”

My breath caught not because of his words, but because of the way he said them.

Like he meant every single one.

“Wait here,” he said softly, brushing past me before I could ask why.

He walked straight to the manager, his posture calm but commanding the kind that made people listen before he even spoke.

Five minutes later, I blinked in disbelief as waiters began escorting every single customer out of the restaurant. Chairs scraped, murmurs filled the air, and then silence thick and heavy settled over the room.

Ethan walked back, slipping his hands into his pockets like nothing unusual had happened.

“What did you do?” I asked, my voice small.

He smiled faintly. “I booked the entire place.”

“For what?”

“So you can eat,” he said simply, pulling out a chair for me.

“Without eyes watching you.”

The waiter walked over and motioned for us to sit. I slid into the chair while Ethan leaned back, silent, like he owned the place.

“Make your order,” he said, voice low but firm.

After I ordered, I glanced at him. “Aren’t you eating?”

He smiled not the warm kind, but the kind that made my stomach tighten.

“You should eat.”

Something in his tone told me not to ask again, so I didn’t. I picked up the cutlery and tried to focus on the food, but curiosity gnawed at me more than hunger.

How powerful was he to clear out an entire restaurant just because he felt like it?

And why did that both terrify and thrill me at the same time?

He watched me for a long time before speaking, his fingers tracing the rim of his glass.

“How did you meet Daniel?” he asked finally.

I coughed, almost choking on my drink. Of all the things he could’ve asked…

“It was arranged,” I said, trying to sound casual.

“Oh.” His voice was low, almost a whisper, but I could feel it slide under my skin. His eyes lingered on me like he could see through the cracks I tried so hard to hide. “Are you happy?”

Happy? The word echoed in my head, mocking me. I wasn’t even sure what that felt like anymore.

“Yes,” I lied, forcing a smile that didn’t reach my eyes.

He was a family member I’d only just met who knew if he was a schemer like the rest of them? In this house, everyone wore masks, and I’d learned the hard way to move carefully.

He laughed softly, the sound low and unsettling. He was about to say something when the food arrived.

I picked up the cutlery and began to eat slowly. My mind wandered despite myself. I wondered what kind of person he really was. He didn’t seem to fit with the others too detached, too calm. Like he was watching the chaos from a distance rather than living in it.

“Eat,” he said suddenly, his voice smooth but firm. “Don’t think too much about me.”

I froze, the fork halfway to my mouth. How did he know?

“Let’s go,” I muttered, grabbing my bag. I walked to the counter and handed my card to the waiter, but he gave me an apologetic smile.

“Mr. Ashford already settled the bill, ma’am.”

I froze, my earlier irritation dissolving into something softer

I turned to look for him, but he was already gone. Typical.

Stepping outside, I spotted him leaning casually against the car, his hands tucked into his pockets, that same unreadable expression carved on his face. The late sunlight hit his features just right sharp jaw, cold eyes. Intimidating, but impossibly magnetic.

“Thank you,” I said quietly, forcing a smile.

He didn’t respond. His gaze just held mine, steady and unwavering. For a few long seconds, the world around us faded the noise, the movement, everything. It was just us. I should’ve looked away, but I couldn’t. There was something in his eyes that pulled me in, something dangerous and deep.

Finally, I took a step forward—and that was my mistake. My heel snapped. I gasped as my balance gave way, the world tilting beneath me.

But before I could hit the pavement, Ethan strong arms wrapped around me, stopping my fall.

For a heartbeat, neither of us moved. His grip was firm, his breath close against my ear. My pulse raced as I met his eyes dark, steady, and far too close.

Our faces were just inches apart. His eyes searched mine, dark and intense, filled with something I couldn’t name worry? Desire? Both? I could feel his warm breath brushing against my skin, and for a moment, my lips parted on their own.

Before I could think, his mouth was on mine. I should have pulled away. I should have. But instead, I melted against him, every nerve in my body screaming for more. His tongue pressed against mine, exploring like he was claiming a piece of me I didn’t even know I wanted to give.

Reality hit hard when I finally tore my lips from his, breathless, chest heaving. “We… we shouldn’t be doing this,” I whispered, barely steady.

His grip tightened around me, anchoring me in place. His voice was low, rough, laced with something dangerous.

“Pray you find the strength to stop me,” he murmured, his forehead resting against mine, “because I won’t.”