Chapter 18
1072 Words
The air crackled between them.
Nicholas stood motionless, his dark gaze locked on her—unreadable, dangerous.
Elara’s pulse thundered.
She had won.
Or at least… she thought she had.
But the way Nicholas watched her now—with that slow, measured look, like a predator deciding just how hard to strike—told her this wasn’t over.
Not even close.
"You like to run, don’t you?" His voice was deceptively calm.
Elara forced a smirk. "Only when the chase is worth it."
Nicholas took a step forward.
She took a step back.
Another step.
Another.
Until—
Her back hit the wall.
Shit.
Nicholas’s smirk returned. "Problem, sweetheart?"
Elara clenched her jaw. She refused to let him win this round.
So she tilted her chin up, defiant. "Not at all. But I think you should be the one worried, Wolfe."
Nicholas let out a low, dark chuckle. "And why is that?"
Elara exhaled slowly, forcing herself to ignore the heat curling in her stomach.
Because despite the fact that she had cornered herself…
Despite the fact that Nicholas was now inches away, his body radiating pure, controlled power—
She wasn’t going to lose.
Not yet.
So she did the only thing she could.
She flipped the script. Again.
Before he could make his next move, she reached for his collar, yanking him closer.
Nicholas stilled.
His muscles tensed beneath her grip.
Then, in a whisper that barely brushed his lips, she smirked.
"You think you’ve caught me, Wolfe," she taunted.
Then she leaned in, her lips grazing the shell of his ear as she delivered her final play.
"But you’re the one who walked straight into my trap."
And with that—
She slipped past him.
Smooth. Effortless. Untouchable.
Nicholas didn’t move right away.
Didn’t even turn.
But when he finally did—his expression had changed.
Gone was the teasing amusement.
Gone was the playful taunting.
What remained was something much darker. Much more dangerous.
Something that sent a thrill of anticipation racing down her spine.
"You just made a mistake, sweetheart," he murmured, voice like a promise.
A warning.
A challenge.
Elara forced herself to smirk.
"Then come and fix it, Wolfe."
And just like that—
The game was back on.
Elara had no idea what she had just done.
Nicholas wasn’t the kind of man you challenged and walked away unscathed.
And yet, here she was—tempting fate.
Testing him.
Pushing him.
She thought she could win this game. That she could control the pace, the power, the inevitable conclusion of this night.
But she was wrong.
Nicholas let out a low, dark chuckle, shaking his head as he slowly turned to face her.
"You really don’t know when to stop, do you?"
Elara smirked, but he saw it—the slight hitch in her breath, the way her fingers curled at her sides.
She wasn’t unaffected.
No matter how hard she tried to pretend.
"And if I don’t?" she challenged, tilting her head, feigning confidence.
Nicholas moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
One second, there was distance between them—the next, he had her against the wall.
His hands planted on either side of her, his body close, but not touching.
Not yet.
Elara’s breath hitched.
And Nicholas?
He smirked.
"You wanted me to come and fix your mistake?" he murmured, voice like velvet over steel.
He leaned in, so close his lips almost grazed her jaw.
"Careful what you wish for, sweetheart."
Elara exhaled shakily, her hands pressing against his chest—not to push him away, but to ground herself.
She was losing this round.
And she knew it.
But that didn’t mean she would surrender.
Not yet.
"Big words, Wolfe," she whispered, her nails dragging down his shirt, teasing.
"Then stop running." His voice darkened. Commanding.
"Make me," she breathed.
Nicholas snapped.
In one swift motion, he grabbed her wrist, twisting her around so her back was against his chest.
Trapped.
Caged.
His lips brushed her ear as he whispered, "Now you’re in trouble."
Elara gasped, her body betraying her.
And Nicholas?
He smirked.
Because this time—she wasn’t going anywhere.
Trouble.
She was in trouble.
The second Nicholas’s breath ghosted against her skin, his grip firm but controlled, Elara knew she had pushed him too far.
And yet—a thrill shot down her spine.
She had been toying with fire all night. Now, she was burning.
"Still think you’re in control, sweetheart?" Nicholas murmured, his lips a whisper away from her ear.
Elara’s breath hitched.
She should fight back.
Should twist away, turn the tables like she had done before.
But this time…
Nicholas wasn’t giving her the chance.
His grip on her wrist tightened—just enough to make her pulse stutter, just enough to remind her exactly who she was dealing with.
Her back was still against his chest, his body a wall of heat and dominance, his presence completely overwhelming.
"Nothing to say?" he taunted, his voice dripping with amusement.
Elara clenched her jaw, forcing herself to breathe—forcing herself to focus.
She needed to get out of this.
Not because she didn’t want it—God, that was the problem.
She wanted it too much.
She refused to let him see that.
So she did the only thing she could.
She moved.
Twisting her body sharply, she used his own momentum against him, breaking free from his hold in one swift motion.
Nicholas didn’t stop her.
Didn’t chase.
Didn’t even move.
Instead, he turned slowly, his dark eyes locking onto hers—a slow, measured stare filled with something even more dangerous than before.
Elara’s breath came fast, her chest rising and falling as she backed away just slightly.
Then—he smirked.
A dark, wicked, all-knowing smirk.
"Run all you want, Elara," he said, his voice a promise. A threat.
"But in the end…"
He took one slow, deliberate step forward.
"You’ll come right back to me."
Elara swallowed hard, refusing to let him see just how much those words affected her.
She forced a smirk of her own, tilting her head.
"Careful, Wolfe," she taunted. "You might start believing your own delusions."
Nicholas chuckled.
A deep, predatory sound.
"Sweetheart…" His voice dropped, pure, lethal confidence laced in every syllable.
"You already know it’s the truth."
Elara’s heart slammed against her ribs.
Because the most dangerous part?
She wasn’t sure he was wrong.
- Writer
