CHAPTER 5.LIAM
913 Words
I hadn't even wanted to come out tonight. The second my friends dragged me through the entrance of Sky High, I already knew it was a mistake.
“Stop looking like someone died,” Marcus muttered beside me, loosening his tie as we walked deeper into the crowd. “You’re starting to kill the vibe.”
I scoffed dryly and grabbed the glass of whiskey the waiter offered me.
If only he knew. My mind was a chaotic, exhausted wreck.
Catching my fiancée cheating completely messed with my head, and returning to the city to take over the Hawthorn empire only made everything worse.
Coming back to the city was supposed to be a clean break, but instead, it felt like stepping right back into the prison of my youth.
The last thing I wanted was loud music, crowds, and forced conversations.
So while everyone else laughed and drank around me at Sky High, I sat there feeling detached from everything.
Until I saw her. A brunette. Gorgeous, slender, but possessing curves that immediately made my mouth go dry.
Beautiful wasn’t enough to describe her.
And when she looked back at me?
Fuck. I couldn’t stop staring. I was utterly stunned by how beautiful she was.
I desperately wanted to feel her, touch her.
God, what was I thinking. This was not part of the plan.
I couldn’t stop watching her as she swayed her hips on the dance floor.
‘I should walk up to her’ my heart hammered.
Shit, I can’t believe I was nervous like a high school kid trying to approach his crush.
The moment she started walking toward me, I already knew I was in trouble.
What happened after our small talk was unapologetically wonderful. I explored every part of her body that I didn’t want to let go of, I didn't want it to end.
But this was just supposed to be a one night thing.
After tonight we parted ways for good.
The next morning, I woke up with her sleeping peacefully against my chest.
For a moment, I simply stared at her.
She looked softer asleep. Peaceful. Nothing like the bold, tempting woman who had completely wrecked my self-control a few hours ago.
Alice. Even her name stayed stuck in my head.
My phone buzzed almost immediately. Marcus reminded me about the welcome party my family had planned for tonight.
The thought alone irritated me.
Going back to the Hawthorn mansion meant facing old ghosts I wanted nothing to do with. Well I needed to be there. I have an empire to take over after my father passed away, which makes me next in line.
I glanced down at the woman still sleeping beside me.
Part of me strangely wanted to stay. But I knew better. Women always become complications eventually.
And my life was already complicated enough. And this was supposed to be just a one night thing.
Carefully, I slipped out of bed and got dressed, throwing one last look at her before leaving the suite.
AMBER
The first thing I noticed when I woke up was how light my body felt.
For the first time in months, maybe even years, I didn’t wake up feeling emotionally exhausted.
I groaned softly, shifting my weight against the ridiculously soft, high-thread-count sheets. As I stretched, I felt an unfamiliar soreness between my tighs.
A faint smile tugged at my lips as flashes of last night replayed in my head.
His voice. His hands. The way he looked at me like I was something worth wanting.
God. I actually did that. And strangely enough… I didn’t regret it.
My heart did a violent flip as I rolled over, my hand reaching out to the other side of the massive mattress.
Empty. The sheets were completely cold.
I sat up abruptly, pulling the heavy velvet duvet up to cover my bare breasts. I scanned the sprawling, luxurious room, hoping to see him walking out of the bathroom buttoning that expensive charcoal suit, or pouring a glass of water. But the suite was entirely dead silent.
A weird feeling settled inside my stomach.
Disappointment. No him . No note.
I didn’t even get his name
I don’t even know why it bothered me. It’s not like I expected forever from a man I met in a nightclub.
Strangely, I wasn't even angry. A faint, genuine smile touched my lips as I caught my reflection in the mirrored wall opposite the bed.
My skin was flushed, my lips were swollen from his punishing, hungry kisses, and for the first time in nearly two years, I felt alive. I felt completely reborn.
Nathaniel had spent sixteen months making me feel like an invisible, broken chore in our bed. This stranger had worshipped my body with a raw, primal dominance that made me realize exactly what l'd been starved
And God help me... I couldn't stop thinking about him.
My eyes drifted to the clock on the nightstand. 10:00am. Panic seized my chest.
Tonight was the mandatory family gathering at the Hawthorn mansion to celebrate the return of Nathaniel's older brother, the legendary eldest son who was taking over the family empire.
And I needed to get back to the mansion for preparations. If not, my mother in law would eat me raw.
Sliding out of the bed, I gathered my clothes, my mind completely consumed by the storm-grey eyes of the man I was certain I would never see again.
- Writer
