Chapter 165 Chapter 165 Save Me
Ivan opens the door, and I don’t argue when he steps into the bedroom behind us. I don’t have the energy to fight every single thing tonight. I set my son gently on the bed after Ivan pulls the covers back, and I start undressing him slowly—his little shoes, jacket, shirt, pants. Piece by piece, like it’s a ritual that keeps me grounded.
Ivan takes everything from my hands without a word, hanging each item neatly in the wardrobe. I watch him zip up the garment bag, still silent, still composed. Constantine could sleep through anything—through a tornado, through club music, through the world ending in flames. This kid would sleep right through it.
I move to our still-packed suitcase and pull out his Spider-Man pajamas.
Ivan chuckles.
“What?” I snap, already irritated.
“Spider-Man pajamas with Versace boxer briefs?” he laughs again, loosening his tie and then untucking his dress shirt.
My breath catches, but not for the reason he probably expects. Yes, his abs are right there, defined, distracting—but that’s not what he’s pointing out. They’re wearing the same damn underwear.
I shrug. Constantine has cheaper ones at home, but he insists on the expensive ones for traveling. Says they’re softer.
Of course he does.
I slide the shirt over Constantine’s arms, tuck him in, and pull the comforter up to his chin. Then I walk over to the window, push the curtains aside, and open it. It creaks softly, but Constantine doesn’t stir.
And then—
Heat.
Ivan is right behind me again. His arm wraps around my waist, pulling me back against him.
“Don’t touch my mother!” Constantine shouts, suddenly sitting upright in bed.
Ivan immediately lets go, stepping back like he’s been burned.
I turn, smiling despite myself. “Go to bed,” I tell him gently. “I’m going to have a drink with Marta and Christina.”
“Okay, mamma,” he murmurs, already settling back down, clutching the blanket.
I don’t waste another second. I head for the door before Ivan can corner me, before his arms trap me again and my stupid, traitorous body reacts the way it always does.
He follows anyway. Close enough that I can feel it—his presence, his intention, his words forming before he even says them.
I don’t want to hear them.
“We need to talk,” Ivan says, reaching for my hand.
“Yes,” I cut in quickly, not letting him build momentum. “You can see him as much as you want. I’ll tell you where the villa is. I guess I can even give you my new number so you can video chat, if that’s what you want.”
I stop, forcing myself to say the next part before I lose my nerve.
“I don’t have to do any of this,” I add. “He’s mine.”
The words come out fast, defensive. Necessary.
“Okay, but…” Ivan pauses, then pulls me slightly closer. “I was hoping you’d move to LA with me. Constantine will need to go to school soon.”
A cold laugh escapes me before I can stop it.
“I don’t think so.”
One of the guards down the hallway smirks, and I catch it. His expression drops instantly when Ivan turns and glares at him.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Ivan snaps, turning back to me. “Do you have some little village boyfriend you can’t leave behind? So my son can get a proper education?”
There it is.
The fight.
I didn’t want this—not tonight—but this is what we do. This is what we’ve always done.
“Fuck you,” I shoot back. “You’re such an ass. There is no ‘boyfriend,’” I emphasize. “I haven’t been with anyone since you.”
The second it leaves my mouth, I regret it.
Why did I give him that?
But the anger burns too hot to take it back.
“I don’t bring random men into my son’s life,” I add, forcing my voice to steady. “I am not you.”
I reach for the door handle.
Before I can turn it, he moves.
Fast.
Suddenly I’m pinned, his arms braced on either side of me, caging me against the door. He leans in, too close, his breath warm against my skin.
“You haven’t been with anyone in five years?” he asks, his hand lifting to my chin, forcing me to look up at him. “Not even my brother?”
“No,” I answer, holding his gaze. “That fell apart faster than it started. He didn’t tell you?”
Ivan goes still.
Then his hand drops, sliding over my hip, pulling me flush against him. My chest presses to his, and for a moment—just a moment—I let myself stay there.
It feels familiar.
Safe.
And then it doesn’t.
Because my walls start to crack, just like they always do with him. My body betrays me instantly—heat, butterflies, that dizzy rush like it’s the first time all over again.
It’s been so long, and yet nothing has changed.
Our eyes meet, and I see it.
He knows.
He sees it happening before I can even process it myself.
My hands move without permission, sliding up his jacket. The fabric is smooth, expensive, familiar. I breathe him in, that scent that’s been burned into my memory.
Snap out of it.
I try.
I fail.
“We should go to my room,” he murmurs, a smirk tugging at his lips.
That does it.
I shove him back as hard as I can, breaking the contact.
“No, thanks,” I say sharply. “I don’t know where you’ve been. Your taste in women is questionable.”
His expression darkens, jaw tightening as something dangerous flickers in his eyes. He steps forward again, slower this time, deliberate.
“You still react to me,” he says quietly, almost satisfied. “You can pretend all you want, but your body doesn’t lie.”
My pulse stutters, betraying me again.
“Stay the fuck away from me,” I whisper, even as neither of us moves.
Ivan presses his body against mine, and I feel all of him—every hard, familiar line—and fuck me, he feels amazing. The memory of the last time we were together crashes into me without warning, vivid and consuming, making my thighs press together instinctively. I can feel the heat pooling, the slick evidence of just how much my body still betrays me.
His hand slides from my hip, slow and deliberate, slipping through the slit of my dress.
My heart is pounding so hard it feels like it might break through my ribs.
His fingers push between my thighs, parting them, and I don’t stop him. I should—I know I should—but I don’t. Because I want him. God help me, I want all of him.
My breath catches, my head tipping back just slightly, my body already giving in—
“Elle! There you are.”
Tiana.
Her voice cuts through everything like a blade.
She saves me.
Without even knowing it.