Chapter 126

Chapter 126
Julian

The Maybach glided smoothly through the streets of Manhattan. The cabin was quiet, filled only with the faint white noise of the air vents. I steered with one hand, my eyes fixed on the road ahead, yet my peripheral vision kept drifting, against my will, to Violet in the passenger seat.

She leaned back against the headrest, her face turned toward the window. In the rearview mirror, Ethan had long since vanished around the corner, but the way she'd looked at that boy on the curb still lodged in my nerves like a fine, precise splinter.

I knew she'd been defending me. Right in front of Ethan, she had admitted, plainly and without hesitation, what she felt for me. When she said the words "I love him," my heart had leapt in a way I couldn't suppress.

But afterward, when she stood looking down at Ethan sprawled on the ground, there had been disappointment in her eyes, and coldness, yes, but her gaze had also lingered on him for a few real seconds. She had been looking at him. Even if it was only distaste born of old entanglements, it was still an emotion.

My fingers tightened on the wheel, the knuckles going a hard, bloodless white. I had always believed myself mature enough, cool enough to survive the backstabbing games of Wall Street, composed enough to handle any feeling that came my way. I was a full fourteen years older than her; I ought to offer her endless patience. And yet, right now, I couldn't rein in the jealousy churning inside me.

I envied Ethan for having occupied her past. I envied them for being close in age. I envied that he could stand before her and shout without shame. For the first time, I understood that where she was concerned, I could be this petty.

The car turned into the underground garage of my apartment on the Upper East Side. The engine died, and the cabin went completely dark.

"Are we here?" Violet turned toward me, her clear eyes finding mine in the dim light. She reached for the buckle of her seatbelt. "Then I'll just—"

Before she could get the words out, I caught her wrist. A slight pull, and I dragged her whole body across from the passenger seat. She cried out, lost her balance, and tumbled straight into my arms. I gave her no time to react, bending down to crush my mouth against hers.

There was nothing gentle in that kiss. I forced past her teeth, my tongue driving deep, plundering her breath with something like punishment. I wanted to work her into my very bones, to steep her in my scent, until nothing remained in her eyes or her heart but me.

A small, broken sound escaped her, and her hands came up instinctively against my chest. Her ragged breathing filled the silent cabin, magnified, like a lethal aphrodisiac that instantly ignited the fire I'd suppressed the entire drive. The more she struggled, the deeper I kissed her. I craved the sweetness of her mouth, the softness of her body.

Little by little, her resistance stopped. The small hands braced against my chest slowly turned to clinging. I felt her fingers slip in through the gap in my shirt. Her cool fingertips brushed the burning muscles of my stomach, and every muscle in my body went taut. Her movements were clumsy, and yet devastatingly enticing. She traced upward along the lines of my body, fumbling to undo the buttons of my shirt.

My reason teetered on the edge of a cliff.

I seized her wandering hand and pressed it flat to my chest, pulling back just enough to break the kiss. "Violet, hold still." My voice was terrifyingly hoarse, my chest heaving as I fought to leash the desire tearing through me. "We're in the garage. Someone could pass by at any moment. This isn't the place."

The windows were tinted with the heaviest privacy film, but I didn't want her exposed to any risk in a place like this.

Violet lay against me, gasping for air. She tipped her head up to look at me, a flush of pure reflex rising at the corners of her eyes, her lips swollen from my kiss. She didn't shrink away. If anything, she pressed closer.

"Julian…" She bit her lower lip, her voice soft and melting as water, unmistakably coaxing. "But I want you."

The last thread of my reason snapped clean.

Where she was concerned, the self-control I took such pride in always collapsed. I let out a low growl and reached for the seat control. The driver's seat reclined slowly flat. I gripped her waist, lifted her up, and settled her directly on top of me.

"You brought this on yourself." I caught her earlobe between my teeth, my voice low and dangerous.

The temperature in the cabin climbed sharply. I tore away that troublesome wine-red knit dress, the sound of ripping fabric sharp in the cramped space. She trembled and clung to my neck, burying her face in the hollow of my throat.

It was a fall past all control. I held nothing back, channeling every ounce of possessiveness and jealousy into the most direct of acts. I wanted her to remember, clearly, exactly whose woman she was.

The air in the cabin thinned, leaving only the tangle of stifled cries and heavy breathing.

I don't know how long it lasted, but at last the stirring inside the car settled. The scent of pheromones hung thick in the air. Violet nestled against me like a lazy, worn-out cat, boneless and soft. My cashmere coat draped over her, leaving only a stretch of pale shoulder bare. She glanced down at the shredded fabric tossed into the back seat, her cheeks flushed nearly to bleeding.

"You ruined my dress." She lifted her head, a trace of embarrassed vexation in those clear eyes as she shot me a reproachful glare. "How am I supposed to get out of the car like this?"

Watching her pout like that, I found the knot in my chest had already dissolved, replaced by a profound satisfaction. I laughed, low in my throat, and dipped down to kiss the tip of her nose.

"My fault." I owned it without hesitation, pulling her tighter against me. "I'll buy you ten to make up for it."

I picked up my phone from where it had fallen on the center console and dialed my assistant. "Go to a mall nearby and buy a complete women's outfit, everything from the inside out. You've got her measurements on record. Bring it to the underground garage at my apartment." I gave the instructions in the fewest words possible and hung up.

While we waited for the clothes, Violet stayed there against my chest. I stroked her long hair now and then, savoring this brief tenderness.

The assistant delivered the clothes quickly, passing the paper bag through the window before tactfully withdrawing. I helped Violet dress and set her to rights.

By the time I took her to a private kitchen on the Upper East Side and we finished dinner, the night had grown deep. The Maybach rolled out onto the streets of Manhattan once more, coming at last to a stop below the dormitory building of the music conservatory. On this early-winter night, the campus was deserted.

No sooner had the car settled to a stop than the phone on the console buzzed. My assistant's name flashed across the screen. I answered.

"Sir." His voice came through the receiver, edged with a certain businesslike precision. "Word just came from the estate. Master Ethan packed his things and has run away from home. He left a message saying he wants to cut all ties with you and will never come back."

I listened to the report, my expression calm, not so much as a flicker in my brow. "Understood." My tone was cold. "Let him go. Cancel every credit card in his name and freeze his withdrawal rights on the trust fund. Don't send anyone after him. If he wants his independence, let him find out for himself what the world outside is like."

I hung up and tossed the phone back onto the console. Whether Ethan lived or died, stayed or left, I didn't care in the slightest. He was a grown man. He'd made his choice, and now he could pay the price for his impulsiveness.

I turned to look at Violet in the passenger seat. I leaned over, cupped her face, and gave her a deep, lingering kiss. This one carried none of the earlier urgency or plunder, only endless tenderness and comfort.

"Good night, Violet." I released her, my voice low.

"Good night, Julian." Cheeks pink, she pushed the door open, obedient and sweet.

I sat in the car, watching her slender figure hurry into the dormitory building, until the glass door swung shut behind her. Only then did I draw my gaze away.