CAUGHT IN HIS GRIP
Lila gasped as her back hit the wall, her breath stolen by the man pressing into her space like a storm. His scent—dark musk and power—wrapped around her before his voice did.
“Only I know where to touch you to make you wet,” Ethan growled, his lips brushing her neck, setting her skin ablaze. “You don’t know how much I’ve missed you.”
His hand gripped her waist possessively, thumb brushing the curve of her hip. Lila’s heart pounded. His touch hadn’t changed—only grown more dangerous. She trembled under him, not just from fear… but from memory. From longing.
“Ethan—” she breathed.
He cut her off with a kiss that stole her air, his lips demanding, bruising. She whimpered into his mouth, her hands splayed on his chest, unsure whether to push or pull.
“You left me,” he muttered between kisses. “Without a word. No goodbye, no explanation.”
Lila’s eyes locked with his—once warm, now steel. He looked… haunted. Angry. And undeniably aroused.
“I had to,” she whispered.
“No,” he snapped, gripping her jaw. “You chose to. You ran. And you took everything with you.”
She turned her face away, chest heaving. “Please, Ethan, don’t—”His hand slid lower, grazing her thigh through her dress, making her legs weak.
“Don’t what?” he whispered into her ear. “Don’t remind you of what your body craves? Of who owns it?”
She gasped, tears stinging her eyes—not just from his intensity, but from the secret pressing against her soul.
Mom?”
Lila’s heart nearly stopped. From behind her, a little girl peeked into the room, eyes wide and innocent.
Ethan’s head snapped toward the sound, eyes locking on the child.
“You have a daughter?” he suddenly asked, voice low and lethal.
Lila’s heart stopped. Her body stiffened.
Ethan stepped back just enough to let his eyes search hers. “i swear to God, Lila. I’ll kill whoever the father is. You belong to me.”
A beat of silence passed. Lila swallowed hard. Her voice cracked as she whispered, “She’s yours, Ethan.”
The world fell still.
His jaw clenched. His eyes flared with a storm of emotions—shock, rage, disbelief.
“You had my child… and ran?” he said quietly, dangerously.
Lila nodded once, her lips trembling. “I was scared. Your mother… she said I’d ruin you.”
He stepped away from her, fists shaking. “My own daughter... you hid her from me for five f**king years?”
“I didn’t know how to come back,” she said, voice breaking. “You were everything, Ethan. And I was just a girl from nowhere.”
He turned back, his face hard. “She took my future, hid my blood, and expects mercy.”
“You have no idea how much I burned for you, Lila,” he whispered. “Every damn night. And now… now you’re mine. I’m done playing nice.”
He reached out again, this time gentler. His fingers brushed her cheek. “You still feel it, don’t you? The fire between us.”
She closed her eyes as his lips grazed her ear. “I’ll make you remember exactly how much you belong to me.”
And deep inside… she already did.
**
From the hallway stepped a little girl with bright eyes and a shy smile—her daughter, innocent and unaware of the storm raging between the adults.
Ethan’s gaze softened as he knelt down, eyes locked on the child who carried his blood and his heart.
“So, this is the reason you ran,” he murmured, voice thick. “My daughter.”
Lila swallowed, tears slipping freely now. “I was trying to protect her. Protect us.”
He reached out, taking the child’s hand gently, then looked back at Lila. “No more running. Not from me.”
A promise hung in the air— the beginning. The battle for love, trust, and possession had just begun.
And Ethan Steele wasn’t a man to lose.
