chapter 9
1125 Words
đź“– **Forbidden Fling: Chapter 9
Aurora stared at her reflection in the café bathroom mirror, her hands gripping the edge of the sink so tightly her knuckles turned white.
The girl looking back at her wasn’t Candice, wasn’t the girl who danced under neon lights while men’s eyes devoured her. She wasn’t the girl who curled against Marcus in his expensive sheets, letting him touch parts of her she swore she’d buried.
She was Aurora.
Ben’s Aurora.
She touched her lips, remembering the way Marcus’s mouth had claimed her last night, the way he had looked at her like she was his.
You’re mine.
Her phone buzzed on the counter.
> Ben: Hey, beautiful. I grabbed us a table outside.
She swallowed hard, shoving the phone into her purse, splashing cold water on her face, forcing herself to breathe.
---
When she stepped outside, Ben was already standing, a bright smile lighting up his handsome face as he pulled her into a hug. His scent was warm, comforting, so different from Marcus’s expensive cologne that clung to her skin.
“I missed you,” he murmured against her hair before pulling back to look at her, his thumb brushing her cheek.
She forced a smile, guilt twisting in her chest. “I missed you too.”
They sat, and Ben ordered her favorite coffee without asking, remembering from the last time. He told her about a deal at work, about a funny encounter with a client, about how he had thought of her when he passed a bookstore that morning.
She tried to listen, nodding, laughing in the right places, but her mind kept drifting.
To Marcus.
To Liam.
To the phone calls she hadn’t returned, the lies she was weaving around herself like a noose.
---
“You okay?” Ben’s voice pulled her back, his brow furrowing as he reached across the table to take her hand. “You seem… distracted.”
Aurora blinked, forcing another smile. “Just tired. Work’s been… a lot.”
He squeezed her hand gently. “You know you can talk to me, right?”
Her throat tightened, her eyes burning. She wanted to tell him everything. About Candice. About Marcus. About Liam.
But she couldn’t.
She wasn’t his Aurora.
Not really.
---
They walked through the park after coffee, Ben’s hand warm in hers, the sun peeking through the clouds as children laughed in the distance, dogs barking, life continuing like hers wasn’t a mess of secrets.
He stopped, pulling her close, brushing her hair back as he looked into her eyes. “I like you, Aurora. A lot.”
Her breath caught. “Ben…”
“I know we’ve only just met, but I feel like I’ve known you forever.” His smile was soft, earnest, breaking her heart.
He leaned down, pressing his lips to hers, soft and gentle, nothing like Marcus’s demanding heat. She kissed him back, letting herself feel it, letting herself believe she could have this.
When they pulled back, his eyes searched hers. “Can I see you again tomorrow?”
She hesitated, the lie on the tip of her tongue.
“Yes,” she whispered.
His smile returned, and he kissed her again, hugging her tightly before walking her to a cab.
---
The moment she stepped into Marcus’s penthouse, she knew.
He was sitting on the couch, elbows on his knees, his eyes dark, watching her as she closed the door softly behind her.
“Where were you?” he asked, his voice calm, but the undercurrent of anger was unmistakable.
She dropped her purse, toeing off her shoes, refusing to meet his eyes. “Out.”
“With him?”
Her head snapped up, her mouth opening, but no words came.
Marcus stood, his jaw clenching as he stepped toward her, his presence filling the room, pressing down on her like a storm.
“Answer me, Aurora.”
She swallowed, lifting her chin. “It’s none of your business.”
His eyes flashed, and in two steps, he was in front of her, his hand gripping her chin, forcing her to look at him.
“It is when it concerns your safety.”
“It was coffee, Marcus!” she snapped, pushing his hand away, stepping back. “You don’t own me.”
His eyes darkened further, his hands clenching at his sides. “I’m protecting you.”
“No, you’re controlling me,” she shot back, her voice rising, the fear, guilt, and confusion boiling over.
They stood there, breathing heavily, the tension crackling between them.
---
Suddenly, his hand shot out, gripping her waist, pulling her against him as his mouth crashed onto hers, hard, demanding, devouring.
She fought him for a moment, her hands pushing against his chest, but then her body betrayed her, melting into him, her hands tangling in his hair as she kissed him back just as desperately.
He lifted her, carrying her to the bedroom, throwing her onto the bed, his body covering hers as he kissed her, bit her, his hands pulling at her clothes, tearing them away as she gasped his name.
“Mine,” he growled against her throat, his teeth scraping her skin, leaving marks that would remind her who she belonged to.
“Marcus—” she whimpered, but the rest of her words were lost as he slid into her in one deep thrust, pulling a cry from her lips.
He moved over her, hard, fast, relentless, claiming her body, marking her, reminding her with every thrust that she was his, that no matter how much she tried to deny it, she wanted this.
Wanted him.
Needed him.
When it was over, they lay tangled in the sheets, their breathing ragged, their bodies covered in sweat and marks.
Marcus brushed her hair back, his thumb tracing her swollen lips. “Don’t see him again.”
Tears filled her eyes as she turned her face away, closing her eyes, letting the tears slip down her cheeks silently.
Because she knew she would.
And she knew Marcus wouldn’t forgive her for it.
Later that night, as Marcus slept beside her, her phone buzzed on the nightstand.
Ben: Thinking of you. Can’t wait to see you tomorrow, angel.
Aurora stared at the message, her heart breaking, her body aching, Marcus’s marks burning on her skin as a reminder of who she belonged to.
She typed a reply with trembling fingers.
Me too.
Outside, the city lights flickered, shadows dancing in the alleys as a figure watched her window, a cigarette glowing in the darkness before falling to the ground, crushed under a heavy boot.
“We’re not done, baby.”
Liam’s voice was a promise in the dark.
- Writer
