VELVET SHADOWS

CHAPTER 3 THE SAFEHOUSE

The drive felt endless, each mile pulling us deeper into the darkness.

Eventually, the rain thinned to a mist, and the glow of the city disappeared in the rearview mirror, replaced by the shadowed sprawl of pine trees and winding roads.

The car slowed only when a tall, rusted gate came into view. It swung open at the sight of us, and we followed a gravel path to a secluded property — a sprawling stone house that looked like it had been forgotten by time. No lights, no neighbors, no sound except the low growl of the engine.

When we stepped inside, the air was warm, faintly scented with cedar and something darker — Adrian’s cologne, lingering like a ghost.

The driver vanished without a word, leaving the two of us alone.

“You’ll be safe here,” Adrian said, locking the door with a heavy click. “No one knows this place exists. Not even my closest people.”

He moved through the space with the familiarity of someone who’d been here before, but there was a certain alertness in his posture — the kind of man who was never truly at ease.

I followed him into the main room. The fire was already lit, casting golden light over the leather armchairs and dark wood floors. Shadows danced across his sharp cheekbones, making him look even more untouchable.

“You’re staring,” he said, catching me in the act.

“You make it hard not to.”

The corner of his mouth twitched, but it wasn’t quite a smile.

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In the firelight, he shed his coat, then his jacket, until he was left in just a black shirt clinging to the lines of his body. My eyes lingered on the way the fabric stretched over his shoulders, the faint movement of his chest as he breathed.

“You should rest,” he said, voice deepening. “You’ve been through enough tonight.”

“Rest?” I echoed, a hint of defiance in my tone. “You pull me out of bed, drag me into the middle of nowhere, kiss me like the world is ending… and you think I can just lie down and sleep?”

That got his full attention.

In two strides, he was in front of me. One hand braced against the mantel beside my head, the other brushing a damp strand of hair from my face. His touch was gentle, but the heat behind his gaze was anything but.

“You’re right,” he murmured. “Sleep isn’t exactly what I had in mind.”

The fire crackled between us, the only witness as his lips found mine again — slower this time, deliberate, like he wanted to draw every ounce of tension out of me. His fingers traced the curve of my jaw, the slope of my neck, sending sparks across my skin.

When he finally pulled back, his voice was low, dangerous.

“There are things you don’t know yet. Things that might make you hate me. But until then…” His thumb brushed my lower lip. “…I’m going to take every moment I can get.”

TO BE CONTINUED