Under the Moonlight
321 Words
After the dinner with Arthur, the garden was quiet, filled with the scent of night-blooming jasmine. Alexander led me to a stone balcony that overlooked the rolling hills of the estate. The moon was a silver sliver in the sky, reflecting in his dark, thoughtful eyes.
"You were incredible tonight," he said, turning to face me. He had discarded his tie, and the top buttons of his shirt were open, making him look less like a CEO and more like the man I had grown to love.
"I meant what I said to him, Alexander," I whispered, my heart racing. "I’m not a trade."
He stepped closer, the space between us vanishing. "And I meant what I said, too. I’d give it all up. The companies, the money, the houses. None of it means anything if you aren't there to share it with me."
He reached out, his hands framing my face with a tenderness that made my breath hitch. His thumbs brushed over my cheekbones, his touch like velvet. "I started this contract to save my inheritance, Bliss. But somewhere between that first day in my office and tonight... the contract became a cage. I don't want to own your time for six months. I want to earn your heart for a lifetime."
My eyes filled with tears—happy ones. "You already have it, Alexander. You’ve had it since the moment you protected me from Isabella. You’ve had it since the pier."
He leaned down, his forehead resting against mine. "No more lies? No more acting?"
"No more acting," I promised.
Finally, he tilted his head and claimed my lips in a kiss that was sweet, desperate, and filled with a thousand unspoken promises. In that moment, the debt was paid, and the contract was burned. We weren't a CEO and a girl in trouble anymore. We were just two people who had found home in each other's arms.
- Writer
