CHAPTER FOUR
627 Words
Emma didn’t sleep that night.
She lay awake, staring at the shadows on her bedroom ceiling, replaying every second of the moment Chelsea walked in. The look in her friend’s eyes—shock, confusion, maybe even pity—made her stomach twist.
This is exactly why I wanted to keep my distance.
His words echoed in her head until dawn.
By the time she walked into the office the next morning, she’d convinced herself she could be professional. She would pretend nothing had happened. She would keep her head down and do her job.
But the moment she stepped out of the elevator, she saw Chelsea leaning against her desk, waiting.
“Morning,” Chelsea said cautiously.
Emma swallowed. “Hi.”
They looked at each other in silence.
Finally, Chelsea lowered her voice. “Emma…you know I’m not going to say anything, right?”
“I know,” she whispered, relief and humiliation colliding in her chest.
Chelsea exhaled. “I don’t know what’s going on between you two, but…I hope you know what you’re doing.”
I don’t, Emma thought. Not even a little.
But she nodded anyway.
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She managed to make it through the morning without seeing him. Every time the elevator chimed, her heart jumped into her throat, but it was never him.
By noon, she almost convinced herself he would avoid her completely.
Then her phone lit up.
Private Number:
Come to the penthouse. Now.
Her pulse stuttered. She hesitated just long enough for her hands to start shaking.
Be brave, she told herself. You already crossed the line.
She signed out at the desk, ignoring Chelsea’s questioning look, and took the elevator to the top floor.
His private suite was silent when she stepped inside. The curtains were drawn, and the only light came from the city shimmering through the glass.
Alexander stood by the bar, pouring a measure of amber liquid into a crystal glass. He didn’t look up as she walked in, didn’t speak as he lifted the glass to his lips.
When he finally turned, his eyes were dark with something she couldn’t read.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he said quietly.
“You told me to come.”
He set the glass down with a soft click. “I know.”
Emma swallowed, her heart beating painfully hard. “Do you want me to go?”
His jaw flexed. For a moment, he looked almost…wounded.
“No,” he said hoarsely. “I don’t.”
Before she could answer, he closed the distance between them in three long strides.
“I tried to talk myself out of this,” he murmured, his voice low and rough. “I told myself you deserve better than this—better than me.”
Her breath caught. “Alexander—”
“But when I saw you leave last night…” His hand lifted to her cheek, warm and shaking just enough for her to feel it. “I knew I couldn’t let you walk away.”
Her eyes burned. She hadn’t realized how much she needed to hear that.
“You don’t have to be afraid,” she whispered.
His thumb brushed her lower lip, lingering. “You don’t know what you’re offering.”
“Then show me.”
His gaze searched hers, and she felt something break loose inside him.
Slowly, deliberately, he leaned in until his mouth hovered just above hers.
“Once I start, Emma…” His voice was a warning and a promise all at once. “…I won’t be able to stop.”
She swallowed hard. “Then don’t.”
His breath shuddered against her skin.
And when his lips finally claimed hers, she knew she had just given herself to him completely.
- Writer
