Chapter 5 After Midnight
633 Words
By the time we returned to the Alexander Tower, it was nearly midnight.
I should have gone home.
Instead, I found myself standing in Zack’s private lounge, staring at the glass in my hand.
“You drink?” he asked.
“Sometimes.”
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“You’re nervous.”
“I’m trying not to be.”
He poured himself a drink and leaned against the bar.
“Then don’t take a small sip.”
The warmth spread through me, easing some of the tension I’d carried all day.
I looked at him.
“Who was the woman in the photograph?”
His expression immediately changed.
“I told you. She’s part of my past.”
“And I told you I don’t like secrets.”
“Then you’re working for the wrong man.”
A faint smile touched my lips.
“Maybe I am.”
He studied me for a moment.
Then his gaze dropped to the glass in my hand.
“You’ve had enough.”
“I’ve barely had anything.”
“You’ve had enough.”
I ignored him and took another sip.
Before I could drink again, he stepped toward me and gently took the glass from my fingers.
“Hey.”
“You’re done.”
“I can handle it.”
“I know.”
His voice softened.
“That’s not what I’m worried about.”
I looked up at him.
“Then what are you worried about?”
He didn’t answer.
He was standing close now.
Close enough that I could feel the warmth of his body.
“You worry about me too much,” I whispered.
“Maybe.”
His eyes held mine.
The alcohol had made me reckless.
Braver than I should have been.
I stepped closer.
“Why?”
His jaw tightened.
“Aria.”
The way he said my name sent a shiver through me.
“What?”
“You’re not thinking clearly.”
“Maybe I am.”
I looked into his eyes.
“Maybe I’m finally saying what I really think.”
He went completely still.
“What do you think?”
I swallowed.
“That you don’t hate me as much as you pretend.”
A slow, dangerous smile appeared.
“You have no idea what I’m pretending.”
My heartbeat quickened.
“Then tell me.”
He stepped closer.
Our bodies were almost touching.
His eyes dropped to my lips.
For one breathless moment, neither of us moved.
Then his hand lifted, his fingers brushing a strand of hair away from my face.
The touch was gentle.
Nothing like the cold man everyone feared.
My breath caught.
His fingers lingered near my cheek before he slowly pulled away.
“Go to bed.”
I frowned.
“Why?”
“Because tomorrow, you’ll remember this conversation.”
“And?”
“And I want you to remember it clearly.”
I stared at him.
“You always walk away.”
“Because someone has to.”
He turned toward the window.
I watched him for a moment.
Then I whispered, “Goodnight, Zack.”
He didn’t turn around.
“Goodnight, Aria.”
I walked toward the hallway.
But before I reached the door, his voice stopped me.
“Aria.”
I turned.
He finally looked at me.
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking I’m a safe man.”
My heart pounded.
“I never thought you were.”
His eyes darkened.
“Good.”
I left the room.
But as I closed the door behind me, I realized something that frightened me more than any threat.
I hadn’t wanted him to stop.
And tomorrow, I knew I would have again.
Sober.
With every word remembered.
And with a feeling between us that neither of us could pretend wasn’t there.
- Writer
- chap_listContents
- likeADD