Back To Rule; He Wants Me

LEXI Something warm squeezes my butt, and I stir, a sleepy smile tugging at my lips. Mmm. Fingers drift lazily across my back, tracing slow circles that send little shivers through me, and a soft kiss brushes my forehead. What’s gotten into Julian today? He’s been so busy lately that we barely see each other. Maybe he finally decided to make up for it. Arms slide around my waist and pull me closer until my back settles against a solid chest. Warm. Comfortable. Familiar enough that I don’t question it. I sink into him, smiling as my eyes slowly flutter open. Then the smile fades. My brows knit together. The ceiling above me isn’t white. It’s dark… charcoal, maybe. Heavy navy drapes frame the windows, blocking out most of the morning light. My stomach drops. This… isn’t Julian’s room. I jerk upright so fast the room spins. The duvet tangles around my legs and I nearly tumble off the bed before catching myself. What the— Heart pounding, I clutch the duvet to my chest and look down. The man beside me is still half sprawled across the bed. The first thing I notice is his chest. Broad and sculpted, the kind that looks like it belongs on the cover of a fitness magazine. Heat creeps up my neck and I quickly drag my eyes to his face. His face is just as unfair. Sharp jaw. Dark hair. Perfectly relaxed, like waking up beside a stranger is the most normal thing in the world. “You’re up.” His voice is low and calm as he sits up slowly, grabbing a pillow and resting it against his lap. A faint smile touches his lips. Mine is pure horror. “Who the hell are you?” My voice comes out louder than intended. “And where have you brought me?!” I scramble backwards and grab the first thing my hand finds on the bedside table. An empty vase. This should be good enough. “Calm down.” He watches me like I’m the confusing one here. “Don’t tell me to f*****g calm down!” I snap, shaking the vase at him in what I hope looks threatening. He doesn’t even flinch. Instead, he studies me with a strange, blank expression before saying. “We had s*x last night.” My brain short-circuits. “We what?!” He shrugs like we were discussing the weather, then swings his legs off the bed and starts walking toward me wearing nothing but boxers that show off his huge bulge. “Stay back.” My grip tightens around the vase as I swallow and force my gaze back to his face. He keeps walking toward me. “I said stay back!” I hurl the vase at him. It misses him by a mile and shatters against the wall. Great. Fantastic aim, Lexi. He glances at the broken pieces on the floor, looking mildly bored. That’s my chance. I bolt for the chair where my clothes are piled and start dragging them on as fast as humanly possible. “Listen,” he says behind me, voice still irritatingly calm, “I think you’ve got it all wrong.” I ignore him and snatch my purse from the table. “Would you just hold on?” His voice is smooth, deep, annoyingly persuasive. For half a second I almost turn around. Almost. Instead, I grab my heels and sprint for the door, slamming it shut behind me. The hallway outside is empty. Thank God. I run barefoot toward the elevator and jab the button repeatedly like it might make it come faster. The doors finally slide open and I dive inside, exhaling in relief as they close with a soft ding. My chest is still heaving when the memories start creeping back. Last night. I had just gotten off work, exhausted, and decided to visit my fiancé, Julian. The door was unlocked, so I stepped inside and saw the worst thing I could imagine. Julian was having s*x with my sister. Grunting, moaning each other’s names like they weren’t doing something utterly wrong. I didn’t stay. I couldn’t, so I ran straight to the nearest club. Drunk and heartbroken, the moment I stumbled back into the street, I nearly got hit by a car. My breath catches. The man from the room. The ridiculously handsome one. He had been in the passenger seat. He offered to help me. He brought me to the hotel. My eyes widen. The last thing I remember was grabbing his face and kissing him like my life depended on it. “s**t,” I whisper. Shit. s**t. s**t. I shove my heels on and step out of the elevator, trying to smooth my hair and straighten my clothes, before anyone notices how completely disastrous I look. But the moment I step into the lobby, the receptionists snap their heads toward me and whispers ripple through the air. I try not to focus on their confusing gazes and push through the revolving doors, but I’m met with something worse. “Miss Thompson! Is it true you arrived here last night with Mr. Winters?” “W–what—?” Before I can even react, someone grabs my arm and pulls me straight into a wall of cameras as questions fly at me from every direction. “What were you doing alone with him all night when you're engaged to Mr. Julian?” “Are you cheating on your fiancé?” My ears start to ring. Cheating? If anyone should be answering that question, it’s Julian. “Miss, please answer!” Hands tug at me and cameras flash nonstop as I try to push through them, but it’s impossible. Desperate, I glance back toward the hotel entrance, hoping the guards will step in. They don’t move. They just stare at me like I’m something disgusting stuck to the bottom of their shoe while the cameras keep firing. And that’s when I see him. Standing inside the lobby, watching, is the man from the room. His expression is completely unreadable. My mouth opens, but no sound comes out. What’s the point anyway? I turn away and shove through the reporters, running down the street. “Taxi!” I yell and one screeches to a halt beside me. I dive inside before the reporters reach me. “The Golden Estate,” I gasp. “Please hurry.” The car lurches forward, weaving through the streets. I exhale a relieved breath but even I know this was just the beginning. I still had to get home and face the betrayal of my fiancé. ***** “Thanks.” I pay the driver and step out, turning toward the house. My steps feel light and stiff as I cross the porch and head for the door. A chill runs down my spine as I grab the knob and push it open. Inside, my mother is pacing the living room, back and forth, her face tight with worry. “Mum,” a breath of relief leaves me. She barely has time to turn before I catch her hands in mine, holding on like I might fall apart if I let go. Tears sting the back of my eyes as everything from last night crashes through my mind again. Julian. My stepsister. The two of them tangled together on my bed. My stomach twists. “I swear… you wouldn’t believe what I went through last night. I saw—” Someone clears their throat behind me, the sound cutting through my words like a blade. My head lifts. We’re not alone. My stepfather stands a few feet away, arms crossed, watching quietly. Glenn is beside him, clinging to Julian’s arm, her face carefully arranged into that same sweet, innocent expression she always wears. And Julian… Julian is smiling at me. Not warmly. Like a dare. Like he’s waiting to see what I’ll do. The nerve of him. Anger surges through me, hot and sharp. I turn to my mother, desperate for her to know the truth, but she jerks her hands from mine before I can speak. Her blue eyes blaze with disappointment as she shoves her phone at me, almost catching me in the nose. “Care to explain this?”