Chapter 7

“She didn’t raise her voice.
She raised the stakes,
and I folded,
with fire in my throat.“

Nathan’s POV

If hell had a welcome mat, it would be her in that fucking dress.

And I? I’d walk barefoot into the fire every damn time.

My wavering sanity slit its own throat when she opened the door for me, looking like that.

Her dress wasn’t made of fabric, but of pure sin, and stitched together from every filthy thought I ever had about her. Emerald green, just like her eyes. Bold, feral, the color of envy and obsession. It clung to her sweet body in all the right places. The silk caught the light and twisted it into a web of danger, one that started at her collarbones and ended somewhere around my undoing.

It left so little for imagination with the thigh-high slit, flashing glimpses of skin that deserved to be written about in ink and my teeth. And the neckline, God, the fucking neckline, plunged so deep, enough that I could see the soft hollow between her breasts, screaming for me to look, break, burn, and bleed for her.

“I’m ready,” Her soft voice broke through my haze, and she moved quickly, barely glancing my side, “Just give me a second,” She added, her heels clicking gently against marble, synchronizing with the wild thrum in my ears, followed by the low rustle of silk brushing her inner thighs as if to taunt me. 

She grabbed her purse, but even with distance, her scent surrounded me from every edge. Her perfume felt like violence dressed in flowers. It wasn’t the soft kind. No, it was something darker, richer, like smoky vanilla clinging to jasmine. It wrapped around my throat and pulled so hard.

Fuck, my mouth went dry. My cock twitched. My pulse stuttered.

She turned to walk toward the door again, purse in hand, hips swaying like she knew what it did to me, because of course she did. That fucking dress was made for war, and I was the idiot charging into it without armor.

My eyes dragged upward, very slow and deliberate, tracing every inch I planned to ruin later.

I stepped forward…slow, like a wolf raised in manners. But not tamed, never tamed. Her scent hit harder up close. Clean skin. Sugar dipped in sin. My fucking personal religion. Damn me, but I’d worship on her altar. Every. Fucking. Day.

My hand moved on instinct, reaching for the curve of her waist, already imagining how her skin would taste on my tongue. I needed to touch her. Feel her. Sink my teeth into her before the madness starts screaming again.

I pulled her to me with a bit of force. Her heels faltered slightly, clicking sharply against the floor as her body slammed into mine. A low gasp parted her stained lips, and for a second, just a second, I could almost taste it.

I leaned in, but before my mouth could devour hers, before I could bite or bless or ruin, her hand came up fast. Her palm pressed into my chest and pushed, not gently, not teasing, but hard enough to insult my pride.

My eyes snapped to hers. Gone was the dazed girl from yesterday, the one I fucked against the kitchen counter, twisted and played with my bare hands. Now, those eyes were on fire. Hard. Sharp. Sober and commanding.

“Don’t even think about it,” she said, like she was giving an order…like I was supposed to obey.

The fuck?

“I beg your pardon?” I grated, my voice came out low and lethal, not used to being denied the things I already claimed in my head.

Her palm stayed firm on my chest, and she pushed yet again, slowly but harshly. At the same time, she stepped back, peeling her body away from mine like it didn’t already belong there.

“Don’t think I’ll let you ruin my makeup,” She said, ever so fucking casually, her tone breezy, like I was nothing more than a gust of wind she needed to stay in place. “Or my hair. I need to look good tonight.”

She didn’t even look at me when she spoke. She reached into her purse, pulled out her phone, and opened the camera, “So, don’t you dare and touch me all night long,” She added, adjusting a loose strand of hair, lips slightly parted as she inspected her reflection.

Then, as if I wasn’t still standing there with my hands aching, my sanity on edge, she dropped the phone back into her bag, smoothed her dress with a single, slow motion, and walked right past me.

“Come on, we’re already late,” she added over her shoulder, her heels echoing off the marble. “And Nathan,” She paused for a second, but never once looked back at me, ” I know it’s so hard for you, but try not to make a scene tonight, will you?”

I stood there, my hands still hanging in the air like they’d been denied oxygen.

I didn’t move. Not at first. My jaw was clenched so hard it felt like bone grinding against bone. My fists locked and trembled with restraint. And my breath felt like a fucking storm trapped in a glass bottle.

But I turned around and I followed. Of course, I fucking followed.

I stalked behind her, watching the way that dress moved, hugging her like it belonged more than I did. Her scent still clung to me like a bruise I asked for, but one I couldn’t fucking touch. What is wrong with her today?

By the time we reached the car, I was seconds from snapping. My knuckles twitched when I saw her hand reach out, right as mine did, for the door’s handle.

Her fingers brushed mine. She huffed, that condescending little exhale she did when she wanted to feel above me, like I hadn’t kissed her open and watched her tremble multiple times before.

“I can open my own door,” she muttered, so defensive, like I was some fucking inconvenience.

And that—that—was the match.

With a loud, echoing crack, my palm slammed the door shut before she could pull it open. The sound rang loud through the night, and she froze. She was still facing the car, her back to me, and she sensed my negative energy; she tasted it because her shoulders tensed instantly.

Good.

I leaned in, so fucking close, my voice came out low and wrecked and full of thunder. “You walk ahead of me one more time like you didn’t beg for my hands last night, and I swear to God, princess—”

My breath hit her shoulder. She shivered. I felt it. “—I’ll put you on your knees in front of everyone you know and make you apologize to every inch of me for pretending I don’t still own you.”

Something must’ve been so wrong with her tonight because she turned around, her eyes burned into mine, sharp, wild, defiant, and her jaw tightened like she wanted to bite back.

She shook her head, “No, you don’t,” She shot out. Fucking hell, does she want me to snap her neck, because I can easily do that. “No, you don’t own me, so stick to your limits, Nathan,” She grated out.

My fingers twitched.

She didn’t stop. “I didn’t want you here, but you forced yourself into my night,” She added, anger tightening the lines between her brows. “This is not a game. My job is important to me, it’s all I have, and I can’t…I won’t let you ruin it, so you better stick to my rules tonight, or you can just leave right now and let me go on my own,” She added, scoffing, “I would much prefer it that way.”

I didn’t breathe for a second, not because I couldn’t, but because if I did, I might explode.

Might wrap my hands around her throat and take every fucking ounce of oxygen from her lungs, just to feel in control again. I just fucking might.

She was triggering me on purpose, thinking I’d let her go, thinking she’d walk away and be free, and I almost gave her what she wanted. Almost. But no, I can’t let her win, not in my game. She wants fire? Fine. She is probably unaware that I’ve been sleeping with lit matches in my chest for years.

So, instead of exploding, I exhaled. In and out. I am cool.

Then, my lips lifted into a smile, so sweet and fucking innocent. Her expression wavered, her power slipping, especially as I took a step back and opened the car door myself, like a gentleman—the worst kind she’ll ever come across.

“After you, princess,” I said, my voice all silk and smoke, like I hadn’t just imagined killing the woman I’d kill for.

Her throat bobbed, taken aback by my calmness, and she was about to get in, but she had to add one more thing, “Oh, and don’t call me that in front of people.”

Patience. Fucking patience.

My smile grew wider, cracked slightly at the corners. The fire in my chest was growing and spreading, “As you say, Aylin.” I said her name like a curse, like a bruise I wanted to press on until she gasped and writhed.

She looked at me like she knew, knew I was pretending, faking, trying to act normal. Like I wasn’t already thinking about how I’d ruin her when we got home. Slowly. Thoroughly. This time, I’ll make sure she forgets her own fucking name.

She turned around, smart girl, choosing not to poke the monster again. Her hips swayed as she slid inside, that fucking slit flashing more leg than I deserved to see and less than I wanted to bite.

I closed the door behind her, gently; it was a miracle I was still capable of that. Then circled the car, counting backward from murder, and slipped into the driver’s seat.

Aylin looked around. I saw her eyes flick across the console, the leather, the shine, and the threat humming beneath the hood.

“You like?” I asked, a bit proud.

She shrugged, totally unbothered. “A bit of a show-off.”

Show-off?

I almost covered the car’s ears.

My beautiful black baby, sleek, brutal, purring violence wrapped in luxury. She was my Aston Martin DBS Superleggera. A bullet in a tuxedo. A promise of sin at 180mph. She was me, and she deserved better than this slander.

I reached out and stroked the steering wheel in apology. Don’t listen to her, baby. She doesn’t mean it. She’s crazy.

“Well, she purrs when I touch her right,” I murmured, just before roaring the engine awake, a low, guttural growl that made my spine buzz.

Aylin’s lips twitched at my words. She turned to the window, but not before saying under her breath, “Just like you, then.”

I nearly groaned, almost leaned to her side and kissed her right here, right now, but yeah, no touching tonight. Fuck, she has no idea how she’ll pay for all of this.

Aylin typed the address on the navigation system, and I started driving us there, a calming piece of music playing in the background to keep my nerves in check. Throughout the ride, she kept silent, but her silence wasn’t quiet. I felt her eyes on me, lingering for seconds too long. So finally, I turned and faced her, my eyebrow raising, my gaze questioning.

“You clean up well,” she said eventually, her voice calm, almost amused. Her eyes flickered downward, slowly. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a suit.”

Well, I’d fixed myself up, sure. For her, maybe, but only the surface, anyway. My black suit was tailored within a breath of its life. I didn’t wear a tie, no, that was too professional, too obedient. The white dress shirt was unbuttoned just enough to let me breathe, but not enough to show the edges of the surgery scar carved across my chest. My beard was trimmed. My hair pushed back, neat but still a little feral.

“Yeah,” I said, my eyes involuntarily flickering to her fucking neckline, low enough to make priests twitch, “And green suits you,” I added, “Although, I would’ve preferred you in red.” Oh, the fantasies…

She gave me a knowing look and shook her head before she looked away, trying to ignore me. I smirked, dragging a thumb along my jaw like I wasn’t picturing her on her knees with that dress half ripped, lipstick smudged, and breath gone.

But sure, all in the right time.

Almost like her curiosity finally got the better of her, she turned to me, brows drawn in, her voice low in questioning, “I can’t believe we haven’t talked about this before, but…” She paused. “What exactly do you do?”

Oh, someone is finally interested.

I gave her a casual look, “I ruin lives and drink overpriced coffee.” I smiled, “Sometimes I send invoices.”

She rolled her eyes, the kind that said don’t be a smartass. “Seriously?”

I shrugged, “I own a business.”

“What type of business?”

“Medical…stuff.”

Her confusion deepened, her lips parting like more questions were loading. “It…doesn’t make sense.”

My eyebrow lifted. “Why not?”

She gave me a look, “It just doesn’t seem like you.”

I smiled, fingers drumming the wheel, the other hand twitching at my side, wanting to reach for her, skin, silk, heat, anything. “I didn’t say I am a doctor,” I pointed out, “Although you can’t deny, I would’ve made a dangerously handsome doctor.”

She chuckled lowly and shook her head, not dignifying the question with an answer.

“Your business must be doing well, then,” she added, eyes sweeping the interior. “This is like the fourth car I’ve seen you drive.”

“She’s my favorite,” I said, stroking the wheel like it was something sacred. “So don’t speak badly about her again. She’s sensitive.”

She laughed, quietly and under her breath, and I swore I caught her mumbling insane. When did that word become my pet name? Not that I minded.

I kept my eyes forward, voice drifting a little lower. “Well, the thing is, I didn’t build my business…I mean, it kind of got passed to me or handed down,” I added, “Well, to put it in simpler words…I am more like a nepo baby,” I added, in mockery, “My dear old father left me a buckload of money, so that’s that.”

Each answer I gave only made her more confused, and if possible, more curious. “How exactly are you related to Lilly?” She asked, the mention of my father pushing that thought in her head, “I never understood that. I practically grew up around Lilly. I never saw you around.”

I exhaled through my nose. “It’s complicated.”

“Well, yeah, uncomplicate it then,” She said.

I turned to her, my expression drained of every ounce of amusement, “I liked it better when you were silent.” My voice was flat. “Can we go back to that?”

She didn’t respond at first. Just blinked, her lips parted slightly. Her jaw tightened, and she turned her head to the window, shutting up for good.

The rest of the ride slipped by quietly, but not peacefully. It felt loaded, like a wire pulled too tight. Then the building came into view. Tall, all glass, marble, and washed in gold lighting from within. It was already busy and crowded. Expensive cars lined the area, chauffeurs moved, and voices echoed off the walls, accompanied by soft laughter and a veneer of fake professionalism.

I slowed by the entrance, letting the valet approach with that fake little smile like he didn’t already hate his job. I tossed him the keys, and he caught them, barely.

I stepped out of the car first and adjusted the cuffs of my jacket. I straightened, rolled my shoulders back as I slipped into the version of me built for this kind of place.

My eyes fell on Aylin as she went down next, and everything seemed to blur around me. Her heel hit the pavement, then came the other. There was control in every move; it was precise and measured, as if she, too, had stepped into character.

Her leg emerged first, all silk and sin, then the full length of that emerald dress poured out behind her like envy incarnate.

I knew heads turned her way, I just didn’t look, I didn’t watch them. My eyes were already drowning in her.

Fuck, but my obsession was multiplying, expanding, in an ever-unhealthy, unholy manner. She looked unreal, like something sculpted from my dreams. And God help me, I felt the words twist and turn in my head, and the poems started writing themselves behind my teeth. Line after violent line, inked in blood and bone, torture and lust.

It left me so confused, so fucking bewildered, that she had spent her whole life pining after Chase, when she could’ve had just anyone, could’ve had me maybe. But it didn’t matter anyway. I have her now, and she’d be a goddamn fool to think she could ever escape the shackles I’ve already locked around her soul.

I clenched my jaw and moved toward her, offering my arm out of reflex and control. She paused, just long enough to hurt me. Her eyes met mine, so calm and unreadable, like I hadn’t spent the last hour on the edge of spontaneous combustion because of her.

Then she slipped her arm through mine, so cold and practiced. I didn’t say a word because if I opened my mouth, nothing that came out would match our surroundings. I’d ruin her night before we even made it through the door.

We walked toward the entrance, but Aylin slowed, her steps pausing near a woman with short curls and an earpiece tucked at one side. She was speaking urgently into it, clipboard in hand, multitasking like her entire world depended on this event.

Her gaze lifted and fell on Aylin, and just like that, her expression lit up.

“Aylin!” She said, more like squealed, and her voice…oh, she is the Cynthia person from the phone yesterday.

She hung up her call quickly and practically lunged toward us. Aylin instinctively dropped my arm to hug the girl back.

I clenched my jaw so fucking tight, my fingers aching to push that Cynthia person into the ground. Why the fuck did everything feel wrong when we weren’t touching?

“You look so beautiful!” Cynthia said, pulling back and holding Aylin by the arms as she gazed at her outfit. “I mean insanely stunning.”

Aylin’s smile widened, her cheeks flushing just enough to spark my madness, “Thanks, and you look amazing,” She gushed, her tone all sugar and warmth, while I’ve only received knives and glares since I arrived. Nice.

Cynthia’s eyes flicked to me, blinking once, then twice, before her smile turned politely confused. “Uh…hey,” she said, her voice shifting into that overly professional tone, “You must be the plus one,” She added, a subtle edge under her breath.

I smiled back, but my smile wasn’t soft, it was a bit sharp, you know the kind that I have when I kill people, but only the boring ones.

“Unfortunately for her, yes,” I said, letting my arm slide around Aylin’s waist and pulling her back to me like I had every fucking right. Because I did.

Aylin let out the tiniest exhale, and Cynthia looked doubly confused. Her eyes darted to Aylin, wide and coded with the kind of girl-speak that screamed what the fuck is this, and why didn’t you tell me?

“Now, if you’ll excuse us,” I added smoothly, already steering Aylin toward the entrance, “I need to show off my girl,” I added with a wink.

Cynthia blinked in shock, and a faint blush crept up her face. Then she forced a tight smile and gave a small wave as we slipped inside.

The moment the doors closed behind us, Aylin tugged against my arm, trying to break free of my touch.

“Nathan—”

There it was. That fucking tone again.

I tightened my hold around her waist, my fingers digging in just enough to warn.

“Unless you want me to commit murder tonight,” I hissed, my voice low and sharp in her ear, “you’re not going to say another word about your fucking rules or me not being allowed to touch you. You’ve been pushing me all night, Aylin. You’re lucky I haven’t pushed back.” Yes, I can tolerate her fucking attitude, but to an extent only.

She stiffened in my grip. Wise girl. Instead of mouthing off, she sucked in a sharp breath and chose silence, for now.

We walked deeper into the hall, all gleam and excess, champagne glasses flashing under expensive chandeliers. A group nearby waved her over, two women she clearly knew, standing with their overdressed plus-ones.

They exchanged greetings, and the men nodded at me, trying to blend in.

“You didn’t introduce us,” one of the girls said, her tone laced with something too sugary to be sincere as she addressed me.

Aylin’s spine straightened, like she was prepping herself for all that was me, both physically and mentally.

“Uh, yeah,” she said carefully, “This is Nathan. He’s—”

“Her boyfriend,” I cut in smoothly, and Aylin stiffened beside me, especially when I leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to her temple like this was our norm.

She didn’t move, but I felt her breathing change. Red started to creep up her neck, not a soft blush, but fire. Rage. Embarrassment. Control, slipping.

“Oh! So nice to meet you,” the woman gushed, linking arms with the man beside her. “This is Jackson, my fiancé,” she added, launching into a monologue about their upcoming wedding venue or menu or something equally irrelevant.

I wasn’t listening.

I was too focused on Aylin, the way she radiated heat beside me like she was about to combust.

She turned her head slightly, just enough for her words to slice clean into me.

“You will pay for this,” she said under her breath. Her voice was soft, innocent, and shaking with fury.

I smiled before I dragged my thumb along her cheek, my touch so tender and cruel all at once.

“Show me your claws, Aylin,” I whispered back, loving it when I trigger her, “Let them out. Scratch. Bite. Do whatever you want. Just don’t expect me to let you go even when I bleed.”

Her glare burned through me, and her jaw clenched.

I leaned in closer, my breath brushing her neck.

“I’m just playing your game,” I murmured. “You wanted distance. You wanted control. I didn’t even touch you, but now look at you, standing in front of your colleagues, blushing like I’ve already had you against the nearest wall.”

She hissed out a breath, eyes forward, smile still frozen in place for the people around us.

“Nathan,” she snapped low, “I swear to God—”

“You already did,” I said, “Several times. Yesterday morning.”

Her jaw tightened so hard, her control wavering, right on the edge of the cliff, one more word from me and she’d fall and snap.

Deciding to be a good company, I didn’t push further, I am not so cruel after all, I won’t ruin her night. My fingers fluttered gently over her waist as my eyes moved around the hall, searching and searching, till…oh, there they are.

“Well,” I said under my breath, the smile already forming, “Would you look at that,” I added, “Your ex-boyfriend has arrived.”

Aylin proved to me again that she was wise because she didn’t dare to turn her head, didn’t give me the satisfaction of knowing she wanted to look. She just stared ahead, expression calm and polished, pretending she hadn’t heard me.

But I felt it…that twitch of something jagged beneath all of her pretty poise.

My gaze slid across the room and fell on him again. Chase was all crisp lines and calm arrogance, surrounded by a group of people, talking and laughing, like he belonged in the center of every room. My eyes drifted to Lilly, right next to him, leaning into his arm, smiling and laughing at whatever Chase’s friend was saying.

She was wearing a soft, satiny baby blue dress, her brunette hair was pulled into a messy bun, pieces falling loose around her face.

Almost as if she sensed my unwavering gaze, her eyes moved around and fell on me. They widened instantly, the shock and disbelief of my presence written all over her face, and I swear she mouthed what the fuck. I smiled in return and threw her a wink.

I tugged Aylin away from the group with a quiet “excuse me,” I didn’t mean. She was just about to protest, I could feel the indignation coiling in her throat, but I gave her no air, no chance, no permission.

“Come on,” I murmured, already dragging her along. “We should say hi to our tennis buddies.”

Lilly noticed me getting closer, she whispered something to Chase, and moved from his side, ready to meet me halfway. Chase’s confused eyes drifted from her and then found me, before they fell on who was beside me.

My steps slowed when Lilly came close enough, and before she could open that pretty little mouth to ask anything, I let go of Aylin, took two steps forward, and gave Lilly a quick hug, like we were long-lost friends.

She stood stiff in my arms, taken aback, especially when I leaned in to peck her cheek; she barely contained the urge to slap me into next week.

“You look so pretty,” I said with a teasing wink, pulling back just enough to pinch her cheek.

She slapped my hand away like it was diseased. “Don’t touch me,” she grumbled and shot me a hard glare.

She took in a calming breath, straightened herself, tucked all that anger and confusion behind a glassy smile, and turned to Aylin.

“Hey,” she said, her smile almost too fake.

Aylin mirrored her, polite and fake, “Hey,” she replied.

Lilly’s gaze whipped back to me. “What the hell are you doing here?”

I raised a brow, like she’d asked me to explain gravity.

“Isn’t it obvious?” I said, slipping my arm right back where it belonged, around Aylin’s waist, pulling her in like possession. “I didn’t have it in my pure, charitable heart to let her come alone.”

Aylin glared up at me, she didn’t even try to hide it, her cute, adorable nose flaring, but before she could speak her inevitable fury—

“Aylin!” Cynthia’s voice chimed in. She approached with a tablet and manic energy. “Come on, they want the whole team for a photo.”

Aylin sighed in relief, and she slipped out of my grip like she’d been dying to escape me. She flashed Lilly one more practiced smile and disappeared into the crowd without another word.

I watched her walk away and resisted the urge to scowl.

My eyes dragged back to Lilly, who didn’t hold back and punched my arm, harder than necessary. “You’ve got some explaining to do.”

Her brows arched, her whole face demanding clarity like I owed her anything. I just shrugged in return.

She crossed her arms. “You told me you two weren’t dating,” she accused. “You said that you were just having fun. That doesn’t look like just fun. That looks like dating to me.”

I tilted my head, gave her a smile that didn’t reach my eyes. “Don’t worry, we’re not dating.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Then what the hell is that?”

My eyes drifted back to Aylin, now onstage with the rest of her team, smiling for the camera like she didn’t just spend the last hour dragging me toward insanity.

I shrugged again, “What can I say?” I smiled at Lilly, “I’m just a bored kid with too much time on his hands.”

Time I thought I wouldn’t have.

Time I didn’t ask for.

“Besides,” I said, grinning like the devil with a hobby, “this is fun.”

I tucked my hand into the front pocket of my slacks, tilting my head, “Why are you worked up over this?” I asked, eyebrow lifting. “You jealous?”

I winked and Lilly rolled her eyes so hard, “Yeah, very,” she deadpanned. “To be honest, I’d actually prefer it if you two were dating.”

“But it still feels…weird,” she added, lips twisting like the word tasted off.

“How so?”

She shook her head, frowning. “I don’t know. You and her, it just doesn’t make sense. I can’t explain it.”

Before I could respond with something sarcastic and inappropriate, Mr. Perfect appeared again. He paused by Lilly’s side and leaned in without hesitation, his hand brushing the small of her back like he paid rent there.

“They want me for pictures,” he said, his voice gentle. Concern flickered across his brow. “Our table’s over there. Sit for a bit, yeah? Don’t stay on your feet too long.”

Lilly’s earlier expression dissolved into a big, soft smile, and she nodded her head.

Then the fucker looked at me. “Nathan,” he said, polite and fake, nodding once like he actually gave a shit.

I gave him a smile, the urge to cause him harm multiplying by the day. He is so damn lucky Lilly gives a shit about him.

“Chase,” I replied, returning the nod with one of my own.

He whispered something else to Lilly that I didn’t catch before he leaned in and pressed a soft peck to her lips.

When he left, Lilly looked around, adjusting the strap of her heel, her face tightening. “I’m gonna sit,” she muttered. “My legs are killing me.”

My brows knit, and I followed beside her, my eyes cautious, watching the way her balance faltered just slightly.

“They still hurt?” I asked, thinking she’d gotten better.

“Just when I’m on my feet too long,” she mumbled, stopping at their table. I pulled out her chair before she could struggle with it, offering my hand. She grunted a quiet thank you, using it for support as she lowered herself with a sigh. “And I’ve been on them all day.”

“I wasn’t going to come tonight,” Lilly said, her gaze following Chase across the room. “But, well, I didn’t want him to be alone.”

My eyes stayed on her, a hundred different thoughts clouding my brain. She turned her head back to me, her eyes flickering to the name card resting on the table, one that obviously didn’t belong to me. “Oh, Tiffaney, how manly of you,” Lilly joked, making fun of me.

I shot her a glare before I removed the name card and tossed it behind me. “Guess Tiffany’s standing tonight.”

She laughed, just a little, and that should’ve been the end of it. “By the way, I didn’t tell you,” she said, grabbing my full attention with her serious tone, “Chase and I will be moving.”

My smile faltered.

“Moving where?”

“To Paris,” she said, too casually, like it were a weekend trip. “I got offered this position at work, sort of a promotion. We might stay there just till the project is over, or maybe longer. We’re not sure yet.”

“When will you leave?” I asked, and beyond my control, I felt my mood go down.

“If everything’s ready…a month. Maybe less.” She answered, picking up the wine glass from the waiter who passed us by.

I took one too, and downed the entire glass in one go. I’ll need something much stronger tonight.

I finally looked away. My eyes drifted to nothing in particular, the blur of lights and laughter in the far distance, people I didn’t know, didn’t care to know. My focus thinned into static. I wasn’t seeing any of it.

After a couple of silent minutes, I felt Lilly rest her hand over my arm. “Nathan?” She said, unsure, as if she couldn’t understand why such news would upset me.

Hell, I didn’t understand it either.

Why did it upset me, for fuck’s sake?

I looked at her, “Chase and I will be throwing a goodbye dinner next weekend, you know, just the family,” She added, “You should come too.”

My eyebrow raised, “You think that’s a good idea?”

She nodded, “Yeah, why not?” She said, “Nikolas will be there, Natalie, too.” She added, as if to convince me, using the people I’ve been trying my best to steer away from.

“I haven’t been within stabbing distance of your father since, well, since a while,” I muttered. “You sure he wouldn’t just shoot me on sight?”

Lilly flashed me a ridiculous look and shook her head, “Of course not,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Seriously. Come over. It’ll be fun.”

Fun.

I gave her a noncommittal nod. I didn’t trust my voice enough to speak.

A beat passed.

Then I mumbled, more to my glass than to her, “France is far.”

I don’t know why I said it.

Lilly’s smile faltered, and she exhaled slowly, both stressed about this step, but also excited, “Well…yeah.”

Her eyes softened as she leaned back slightly. “But it’s close to England. You can visit me when you go there.”

Her brow furrowed a little. “When are you going back, anyway?” she asked. “You said once you felt better, you’d—”

“I don’t know,” I cut her off. Too fast. Too flat.

Because I didn’t know, and because it wasn’t that simple.

It didn’t feel like I belonged there anymore, not that I belonged here either.

I live in the in-between.

Always have.

Too close to the fire to call it safety, too far from the warmth to call it home.

My silence stretched between us, and I sat there for a moment too long, too still, my breath shallow, my thoughts too loud, and thankfully, Lilly didn’t push.

Then I did what I always do.

I killed the part of me that wanted to feel something. Snapped the bleeding thread of emotion clean in half and threw the pieces somewhere dark where I keep all the things I don’t have time to deal with.

No. Not tonight.

I wasn’t going to spiral over stupid notions.

I needed air.

I needed a distraction.

I needed my safety net. I needed her.

My eyes drifted through the crowd like a starving predator searching for its prey, and there she was.

My goddamn hurricane.

She was across the room, surrounded by her flight crew. Even from here, I could see the slit in her dress dance with every slight turn of her hips. Her hair cascaded down her back in soft, curled waves, just loose enough to look like she’d been touched, just polished enough to pretend she hadn’t.

I was too absorbed by her that at first, I didn’t notice the man who approached her. Tall. Broad-shouldered. His suit was too tight in the arms, and his smile was too polished, practiced, and predatory.

He leaned in toward her, too fucking close, under the flimsy excuse of a group selfie. And his hand…his fucking hand…slid low across her back like he had any goddamn right.

My hand belongs there.

I went still.

The edge of the table pressed against my palm like it was trying to hold me down. My knuckles turned bone-white. My shoulders locked, and my breath stuttered behind clenched teeth.

My jaw ticked. Tick. Tick. Ticking, like a bomb waiting for detonation.

I didn’t blink. I didn’t breathe. I just watched.

I watched that same man lean his smug little face toward her cheek, raising the camera, his fingers barely grazing her waist, and she didn’t move away.

He whispered something to her, and I saw the way Aylin smiled, too soft, too lethal.

Fuck, she still didn’t move away, didn’t even flinch. She tilted her head just slightly, like she was intrigued by his conversation. Her lips curved, eyes half-lidded, all honey and venom.

And that was the moment I knew she saw me watching.

Because when the camera flashed, once, twice, her eyes drifted, and she looked right at me.

A stare sharp enough to gut me.

Then she turned away, like I was nothing but noise in the background.

The man chuckled at whatever she said. His hand stayed on her waist a little too long. He brushed a strand of her hair off her shoulder like he fucking earned the right. She let him.

Worse? She laughed again.

She tipped her head toward him, her fingers grazing his arm like she didn’t know I was unraveling just feet away. Her laugh was so light. Carefree. Cruel.

So, this is her revenge.

Cute.

My fingers twitched, and my leg bounced. My body practically vibrated from the effort it took not to march over there and rip the camera, and maybe his arm, in half.

She was playing with fire.

She knew I’d burn the whole goddamn room just to get her attention.

She knew.

And still, she poked the dragon.

Fine.

Let her pretend.

But she’ll come crawling by the end of the night.

And when she does?

I’ll remind her exactly who taught her how to burn.

⊹˚₊‧───────────────────‧₊˚⊹

Author’s note:

Hey!

Nathan is going to either kill the guy or Aylin on the next chapter xD

Anyway, the next update might come earlier since next weekend I have a trip so I won’t be able to write, hopefully I will finish it up in the next upcoming days or you’ll have to wait longer.

Don’t forget to vote and comment 😉

See you soon <3