"ONE HOUSE FOUR MEN MY CHOICE"

HIS DESK MY BREATH HIS NAME

CHAPTER 2

The car ride to Knox’s office was silent.

He didn’t talk. I didn’t ask. The tension between us was thick, but it wasn’t the bad kind. It was the kind that made my skin feel too tight.

When we got to the 60th floor, his PA just nodded and disappeared. The whole floor was empty. Knox had cleared it.

His office was all glass and black and power. The city was spread out behind him like he owned it. Maybe he did.

"SHUT THE DOOR," he said.

I did. The click echoed.

He walked around his desk slowly, like he was giving me time to run. I didn’t.

"You didn’t sleep well," he said. It wasn’t a question.

"HOW DO YOU KNOW?"

"Because you have shadows under your eyes. And because I was awake too."

That made me look up.

Knox stopped in front of me. We were too close. I could smell his cologne. Something expensive and dark.

He reached out and grabbed my waist.

Before I could react, he lifted me up like I weighed nothing and sat me on the edge of his desk. Papers crumpled under me.

I gasped. "KNOX. WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

My voice was shaky. Broken.

He stepped in between my legs. His hands stayed on my waist. His thumb brushed over the fabric of my dress, slow.

"SHHH," he said. "I’m just talking to you."

"IT DOESN’T LOOK LIKE TALKING."

His eyes dropped to my lips, then back to my eyes.

"YOU’RE SCARED," he said. "I CAN TELL. LET ME MAKE YOU FEEL SAFE FOR FIVE MINUTES."

I should have said no. I should have pushed him away.

But my body was traitor. The neediness I’d been holding in since last year came rushing out.

Knox’s hand moved from my waist. His fingers traced up my side, over my ribs, until they were at my throat. Not choking. Just resting.

Then his hand moved to my lips. He traced the shape of my lower lip with his thumb.

I shivered.

"YOU’RE COLD," he whispered.

"I’M NOT COLD," I whispered back.

His hand moved down. To my collarbone. He ran one finger along it, slow, like he was drawing something on my skin.

Then his hand slid around to my back. He pressed me closer to him.

My breath caught.

"KNOX—"

"TELL ME TO STOP," he said against my ear. "AND I WILL."

I didn’t.

Because his other hand was now on my hip. He pulled me to the very edge of the desk, so there was no space left between us.

And then he kissed me.

It wasn’t soft. It wasn’t gentle.

_IT WAS A FRENCH KISS THAT MADE ME FORGET MY OWN NAME._

His mouth was demanding, hot, and it took everything I had not to make a sound. His hand in my hair held me still while his other hand pressed into my hip, keeping me exactly where he wanted me.

I kissed him back. Desperate. Needy. Like I was drowning and he was the only air.

Between kisses, we were both breathing hard.

"Veyla," he groaned against my mouth. "YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU’RE DOING TO ME."

"I DON’T CARE," I whispered back. "DON’T STOP."

And he didn’t. Not until his phone started ringing on the desk beside us.

The sound cut through everything.

Knox pulled back first. His eyes were dark, his lips swollen, his chest rising and falling fast.

He picked up the phone without looking away from me.

"WHAT?" he snapped.

It was his PA. I could hear the voice from here.

"SIR. URGENT MEETING. THE BOARD IS HERE. 10 MINUTES."

Knox closed his eyes for a second. When he opened them, the CEO was back. But his hands were still on me.

"I HAVE TO GO," he said. His voice was rough.

"OKAY," I said. My voice was barely there.

He helped me down from the desk. His hands lingered on my waist a second too long.

"Driver will take you home," he said. "Stay there. Don’t talk to anyone. Don’t open the door for anyone."

"KNOX—"

"I’LL BE HOME BY 7," he said. "We’ll talk then."

The ride home was a blur.

In the car, I kept touching my lips. I kept feeling his hands on my waist, on my back, on my hip.

And in my head, the voice from last night kept repeating.

_“28 DAYS. CHOOSE THE ONE YOU LOVE. WITH YOUR HEART.”_

I stared out the window.

_I have to tell them,_ I thought. _All four of them. Tonight. When they’re all home. I have to tell them about the curse. About the 28 days. About the choice._

I didn’t know what would happen after I said it.

But I knew I couldn’t keep it to myself anymore.

_7 PM. All of them home. One truth. Four reactions._

To be continued....