Chapter 4: A Deal With The Devil
1072 Words
"You want revenge," he had said, his fingers steepled beneath his chin. "That’s why you’re here."
Selene had met his gaze without hesitation. "And you need a wife."
His lips had curved into that slow, knowing smirk that made her want to slap him and kiss him in the same breath.
"Careful, sweetheart," he had murmured. "You’re playing a dangerous game."
She had known that from the start.
But she hadn’t known that one night in his office would change everything.
That one touch would shatter the careful walls she had built.
That she would crave him, despite every reason not to.
Now, as his breath ghosted over her skin, his hands tracing fire along her body, she realized she had underestimated just how dangerous Gideon Dunhaven truly was.
Not because he could destroy her plans.
But because he might just destroy her.
The office was dark except for the city lights spilling through the floor-to-ceiling windows. The hum of New York pulsed beneath them, but in this moment, there was only him.
Gideon stood too close. His scent—rich spice and the faintest hint of whiskey—coiled around her like a trap. His jacket had been discarded, the sleeves of his crisp white shirt rolled up, exposing his forearms. He was effortless power, coiled tension, the kind of man who got what he wanted.
And right now, his gaze said he wanted her.
Selene swallowed, forcing her spine straight even as her body betrayed her with the slightest tremor. She wasn’t weak. She wouldn’t crumble just because he looked at her like that.
Like he wanted to ruin her.
"You're staring," he murmured, voice low and amused.
She lifted her chin. "You're in my space."
"Am I?" His fingers traced the edge of the marble desk, so deliberate, so controlled, like he knew exactly what he was doing to her. "You act like you don't like it."
Selene refused to react. "This was supposed to be business, Dunhaven."
Gideon's smirk deepened. "And yet you're here, late at night, in my office, looking like a woman who wants something she shouldn’t."
A slow burn ignited in her stomach. "You’re insufferable."
He chuckled, the sound dark and rich. "You say that, but you haven’t moved away."
Damn him.
She should step back. She should remind him that their arrangement didn’t include… this. The heat. The tension thick enough to suffocate.
But she didn’t move.
Gideon tilted his head, studying her like she was a puzzle he wanted to take apart piece by piece. "Why did you really agree to this marriage?"
Selene stiffened. "I told you. I have my reasons."
"Hmm." He reached for her then, so slow she could have stopped him. But she didn’t. His fingers grazed her wrist, sending a shiver through her. "Secrets look good on you, sweetheart. But be careful. I like unraveling things."
She sucked in a breath as his fingers traveled higher, barely touching, just enough to leave a trail of heat in their wake.
This was wrong.
This was not part of the plan.
But when his palm finally settled at her waist, when his thumb brushed just beneath her ribs, she didn’t push him away.
Gideon exhaled a slow breath, his lips so close to her ear that it sent another shiver down her spine.
"You know this marriage isn’t real," she whispered, her voice unsteady.
His grip tightened just enough to make her pulse race. "Then why do you feel it?"
She swallowed hard, her body betraying her. He was too close. His touch too firm, too demanding.
This was a mistake.
And yet, when he shifted, his mouth barely a breath away from hers, she didn’t move.
She should stop this. Walk away.
Instead, her fingers curled into his shirt.
Gideon groaned, low and dangerous, before his lips brushed the edge of her jaw.
"You’re playing with fire, Selene," he murmured, voice rough with restraint.
She tilted her head, baring her throat in a silent dare. "Then burn me."
The last thread of tension snapped.
His mouth claimed hers in a kiss that was all heat and dominance, stealing the breath from her lungs. His hands tightened on her hips, pulling her flush against him, and she gasped against his lips.
He tasted like whiskey and sin, like something forbidden but impossible to resist.
She should stop.
She should—
Gideon lifted her onto the desk in one swift motion, parting her legs as he settled between them. His grip was firm, unyielding, like he would devour her whole if she let him.
And God, she wanted to let him.
His fingers traced up her thighs, dragging the fabric of her dress higher. She felt bare beneath his touch, vulnerable, but she didn’t pull away.
Instead, she met his gaze—stormy, dark, filled with something just as dangerous as desire.
"This is a bad idea," she whispered.
Gideon smirked. "The worst."
His lips brushed hers again, teasing, tasting, his fingers tightening on her thighs.
Selene’s heart pounded, her body betraying every rational thought.
His kisses turned desperate, rough, as if trying to mark her, brand her. His fingers skimmed the bare skin beneath her dress, tracing circles that made her tremble. She gasped into his mouth, fingers twisting in his hair, pulling him closer.
Gideon growled low in his throat, deepening the kiss, his tongue sliding against hers in a slow, deliberate tease. His hands roamed, mapping her, memorizing her, like he wanted to claim every inch of her skin.
Selene arched into him, pressing closer, needing more. His heat was intoxicating, his touch setting her nerve endings ablaze. Every stroke of his fingers, every graze of his lips, sent a fresh wave of desire crashing through her.
When his lips left hers, trailing fire down her throat, she tilted her head back, surrendering to the sensation. He nipped at her pulse, soothing the sting with his tongue, and she gasped, her nails digging into his shoulders.
"You drive me insane," he muttered against her skin.
She swallowed hard, fighting for control she no longer had. "Then we're even."
He chuckled, low and dark, before reclaiming her lips, devouring her like she was something he couldn't afford to lose.
The city lights flickered outside, but inside, there was only them—wrapped in heat, drowning in something far more dangerous than lust.
And neither of them wanted to stop.
- Writer
