THE ONE I WAS FORBIDDEN TO LOVE

“If anyone finds out about us…” Her voice barely rose above a whisper. Soft. Dangerously soft. “…we’re both dead.” Anik Varren didn’t move. Didn’t blink. Didn’t even breathe for a second. Rain slammed against the massive windows behind him, drowning the city in silver light. Thunder rolled somewhere far away, low and violent, but it wasn’t loud enough to silence the pounding suddenly rising inside his chest. Elara Voss stood only inches away. Too close. Close enough to ruin him. The dim lights of the penthouse painted shadows across her face, catching the sharp curve of her jaw, the darkness in her eyes, the calm she wore like armor. That calm irritated him. Because she didn’t look afraid. And she should have been terrified. “You shouldn’t be here,” Anik said quietly. His voice was steady. Controlled. But the hand resting against the marble counter beside him curled slightly tighter. Elara noticed. Of course she noticed. She noticed everything. “And yet,” she murmured, “you opened the door.” A mistake. That was the problem. The second he saw her standing outside his apartment fifteen minutes ago, soaked by the storm, eyes unreadable— He should have shut the door. Instead, he stepped aside and let her in. Now she was here. In his space. In his head. Destroying the control he spent years building. Anik turned away from her slowly, jaw tight. “You need to leave.” Silence. Then— “No.” That single word slid under his skin like a blade. He exhaled once, slowly. Dangerous. Everything about this woman was dangerous. Not because she screamed or threatened or begged. No. Elara Voss was dangerous because she stayed calm while making him lose his. “You’re making this harder than it needs to be,” he said. Her heels clicked softly against the floor. One step closer. Then another. “You think I want this to be easy?” Anik’s shoulders stiffened. Bad idea. Very bad idea. He finally turned to face her fully. “What exactly do you want from me, Elara?” For the first time since she arrived— Her composure cracked. Just slightly. Enough for him to catch the flicker of emotion in her eyes. Pain. Need. Something worse. “You,” she admitted softly. The word hit harder than it should have. Anik laughed once under his breath, but there was no humor in it. “You don’t know what you’re asking for.” “No,” she whispered. “I know exactly what I’m asking for.” Thunder shook the windows. The air between them tightened. Neither moved. Neither looked away. And suddenly the room felt too small. Too hot. Too alive. Anik knew this feeling. He’d felt it before battles. Before bloodshed. Before moments that changed everything. Instinct. Warning him. Telling him to walk away before it was too late. But his body betrayed him. Because instead of stepping back— He stepped closer. Now there was barely any space left between them. Close enough to feel her breathing. Close enough to smell rain and jasmine on her skin. Close enough to forget every rule he ever made for himself. “Elara.” Her name sounded rough in his mouth. Dangerously rough. She tilted her head slightly. “What?” “You need to stop looking at me like that.” “How am I looking at you?” He swallowed once. Big mistake. Because now he noticed her lips. And once he noticed— He couldn’t stop. “Like you already know what I’m thinking,” he said. A slow smile touched her mouth. Not victorious. Not playful. Worse. Intimate. “Maybe I do.” Something inside him snapped quietly. Not loudly. Not dramatically. Just enough. Enough to make him reach for her before his mind could stop him. His hand wrapped around her wrist. Fast. Firm. A sharp breath escaped her lips. But she didn’t pull away. That made it worse. Anik stared at her for one long second. Two. Three. Every instinct screamed at him to let go. Instead— His grip tightened slightly. “This,” he said quietly, “is exactly why you’re dangerous.” Elara stepped even closer. Now her chest nearly touched his. “Then stop touching me.” He should have. God, he should have. Instead— His eyes dropped to her lips again. And this time she noticed. A slow silence filled the room. Heavy. Electric. Deadly. Then— A phone vibrated sharply against the marble counter. Both of them froze. Reality crashed back instantly. Anik released her wrist so fast it almost looked violent. His breathing had changed. So had hers. The phone kept vibrating. Unknown number. Anik stared at the screen. Then his expression darkened. Because there was only one group of people who used that private line. And if they were calling now— Something had gone wrong. Elara saw the shift in his face immediately. “What is it?” Anik didn’t answer. He picked up the phone slowly. Listened. And whatever he heard— Turned the air in the room cold. His jaw tightened. His eyes hardened. Then finally— He spoke. “Who knows?” Silence. Then— A dangerous look crossed his face. The kind that appeared right before violence. Anik ended the call. Elara’s voice dropped. “Anik…” He looked at her. And for the first time that night— She saw fear in his eyes. “They’re already watching us.”