Ruby
The silence of the villa suite the next morning was absolute, yet it felt like it was screaming. I woke up with the sun, the light filtering through the floor-to-ceiling glass and illuminating the dust motes dancing in the air. Alexander was gone from the couch, but his scent—that sharp, expensive, haunting smell of sandalwood and citrus—still lingered in the room, anchored to the sofa cushions like a ghost.
I stood in the center of the vast, minimalist space, my mind replaying the night before with maddening clarity. I hadn't been able to sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I felt the phantom pressure of his hands on my waist and the searing, desperate heat of that kiss. It had been so real, so starving. For a few seconds in his arms, I had forgotten the lie, forgotten the betra
