THE BILLIONAIRE’S LONGING

My heels clicked against the marble floor as I stumbled down the hotel hallway, every step heavier than the last. My throat burned, my skin felt too hot, and my heartbeat thundered in my ears. Something was wrong. I had only taken a sip, just one sip of the drink my stepsister had pressed into my hand. Her smile had been too sweet, her eyes too bright, but I hadn’t questioned it. Why would I? But now the world blurred and tilted, my body unsteady, my breath shallow. I clung to the wall for support, desperate to make it to the room where my fiancé was waiting. Tonight he was supposed to propose, my life was supposed to change. But my body no longer belonged to me. Heat licked through me, restless and consuming. My legs trembled, my breaths shallow. My fingers fumbled against cold metal as I pushed at a handle. The door swung open, and I stumbled inside. The room was dim, shadows curling in the corners. My bag slipped from my fingers as I tried to steady myself. I wasn’t alone. A man was there. He sat on the edge of the bed, head bowed, his broad shoulders tense. His jacket was tossed carelessly aside, his shirt halfway unbuttoned as though he’d been fighting with it. When he lifted his head, our eyes met, and for a moment the world stilled. Dark eyes, sharp, commanding, even dulled with something that looked too much like the haze clouding me. I opened my mouth to speak, to explain, but the drugged heat inside me stole my words. My knees buckled, he moved before I could fall, his arm wrapping around me, pulling me against him. His skin burned through the thin fabric of my dress. “I…” My voice broke, trembling. “It’s too hot…” His breath was ragged, his chest rising fast against mine. “Me too.” The scent of him a clean, masculine, dizzying wrapped around me as tightly as his arms. His hand pressed against the small of my back, steadying me, but instead of pushing me away, he held me closer. And I didn’t pull back. I couldn’t. The heat in me surged, reckless. I found myself clutching his shirt, tugging him down until our lips met. The kiss was urgent, hungry, clumsy with desperation. His taste filled me, sharp and intoxicating, and my body pressed closer to his without thought. Clothes fell away in the blur of fumbling hands. His mouth traced fire across my skin, down the slope of my neck, along my collarbone. Everywhere he touched, my body ached for more. The world shrank until it was only him the strength of his body above mine, the sound of his roughened breaths, the way his touch made my pulse race. When he pushed inside me, the sharp sting tore a cry from my lips. He froze. His hand tightened against my waist, his forehead pressing against mine. For a second, the fog seemed to lift in his eyes. He realized. So did I. Pain and heat tangled, overwhelming. My first time. My breath hitched, trembling, but the drugged ache in me pleaded for more. I clung to him, urging him on despite the tears that slipped down my cheeks. His jaw tightened, his movements hesitant at first, almost restrained, until restraint broke. Our bodies moved together, faster, harder, each thrust pulling ragged sounds from my throat. His lips found mine again, swallowing my cries, kissing me with a hunger that felt like it would consume us both. Pleasure built, fierce and shattering, until it left me shaking beneath him, my nails digging into his back as waves crashed through me. His voice was low, called out into the dark as he buried himself deep inside me, his body trembling against mine. And then, silence. The room was still, save for the ragged sound of our breathing. His body slumped beside me, arm draped loosely around my waist, chest rising and falling. Exhaustion pulled at me, heavy and irresistible. My last thought before the darkness claimed me was a single question that pierced through the haze. What have I done? When I woke, the sun was bleeding through the curtains, painting the room in soft gold. My head pounded, my body ached in ways I’d never known before. Memory hit me in fragments. His lips, his hands. The way he moved inside me. I turned my head and he was still there. The sheets had slipped low on his hips, his bare back rising and falling in steady breaths. Broad shoulders, muscles cut and defined, his dark hair messy against the pillow. He was sleeping on his stomach, his face hidden, but the sight of him…of us, made my cheeks burn hot. I scrambled upright, clutching the sheets against me, heart racing. What had I done? What would people say? My fiancé…oh God. With shaking hands, I gathered my clothes, pulling them on in frantic silence. I didn’t dare glance back at him. I didn’t want to see his face. I slipped out of the hotel in a daze, my head pounding, my body still weak from whatever they had given me. My heart raced with panic and shame, but all I could think about was getting away. Away from that room, away from what had just happened, away from the weight pressing down on me. I didn’t look back. I didn’t dare. By the time I reached home, my hands were trembling as I fumbled with the key. Maybe… maybe I could pretend nothing happened. Maybe it was just a mistake I could bury deep, never to be spoken of again. But the moment I pushed the door open, I froze. Because they were waiting. My father, my stepmother, my stepsister and Daniel. All of them stood in the front hall, their faces a mirror of everything I feared. “Ella.” My father’s voice cracked like thunder across the room. His eyes were blazing, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. “Where are you coming from?” My throat closed. My lips parted, but no sound came out. The words tangled in my chest, every excuse dying before I could force it free. “Don’t.” My father’s voice sliced through the silence like a blade. “Don’t you dare lie to me. Your sister saw you going into a hotel room with a man.” My knees buckled, the world tilting. My gaze snapped to her. She stepped closer, brushing my arm like she meant to comfort me. Her eyes shimmered with false tears, her lips trembling. “Ella, I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to rat you out. But Dad was worried. I couldn’t keep it from him.” Her touch burned. To everyone else, she looked like the perfect sister. But I saw the flicker of triumph in her eyes before she lowered her gaze. “Liar,” I whispered, too soft to be heard. Daniel stepped back, jaw tight, disgust in his eyes. The man I thought I’d marry looked at me like I was dirt. “I didn’t..” My voice shook, desperate. “It’s not what you think, I…” “Enough!” my father roared. “I won’t hear your shameless excuses. You’ve disgraced this family. You’ve ruined your name.” “Please, let’s not be too harsh…” my stepmother murmured, her hand to her chest. But I caught it, the curve of her mouth, delight hiding behind false pity. My father’s glare was final, merciless. “From this moment on, you are no daughter of mine.” The words hit like a death sentence. My chest caved, cold spreading through me as silent tears slid down my cheeks.