Chapter 49: Not Yet

Chapter 49: Not Yet
Chapter 49: Not Yet

EVANGELINE

The way his lips press against mine, not exploring, just feeling—firm and confident, as if trying to prove me right—makes my body yield.

And when his warm tongue finds its way in, sliding between my lips, my reason slips away into it.

His hands remain on my hips, gripping and pressing me against the wall, while mine stay still at my sides.

I want to touch him, but I’m paralyzed, lost in the way his tongue dominates mine, claiming space, setting the rhythm of every movement.

There’s no coldness in it, only possessiveness, deepening, and taking more and more of me.

No rush, no room for doubt—only certainty.

Pure Aleksander.

He keeps demanding everything when I no longer have any breath left, and my entire body craves more.

Suddenly, his touch turns rougher, tightening on my hips as his body presses harder against mine and his tongue moves in a way that’s nearly savage.

The heat, the weight of his body, and the feeling of something hard pressing against my stomach make me lose control.

A moan slips out of me, muffled against his lips, as I lift my hands to touch him. But he stops me. Releasing my hips to reach my wrists, he pins my hands to the wall, intertwining our fingers.

Holding them above my head, he pulls his hips back and slows the pace of the kiss until he pulls his lips away completely.

When I open my eyes to look at him, I’m all confusion and ragged breaths.

His blue gaze is covered by a dark, intense shadow I’ve never seen before, but as the silence stretches and I try to regain my reason, the darkness fades completely.

Our breathing is almost back to normal when he lowers my hands and lets them go, disentangling our fingers before stepping back.

Before my eyes, his body returns to its usual posture and control. But his gaze doesn’t seem the same as before.

He holds mine, so intense it almost makes my throat go dry, then drops to my lips, lingering there a moment too long before finding my eyes again.

"I’ll have my driver take you. Let me know when you’re ready," he says before turning his back on me.

Dazed, I watch him walk down the hallway until he disappears through the door at the end.

Resting my head against the wall, I close my eyes and take a deep breath, feeling my body still weak.

God… did that really just happen?

Gathering my strength, I grab the bag I dropped on the floor and rush into the bedroom.

After locking myself in, I sit on the bed and try not to lose my mind.

It takes me a while to calm down. When my reason finally returns, it hits me like a blow.

Fuck.

What did I do?

I made a huge mistake.

But the worst part is, it didn’t feel wrong at all.

And how could I resist?

He was…

God, that picture doesn’t even come close to what I just saw.

I knew it was risky to stay near him. But I didn’t know he would be here.

Damn it. I’m going to lose my mind.

I take a deep breath.

It’s fine. It was just a kiss. It doesn’t mean anything. I just need to stick to the plan.

With that in mind, I stand up and start packing my things.

✽

Aleksander is in the living room when I come down with my suitcase. Seeing him is enough to set my nerves on edge again.

Getting up, he walks toward me. I try to stay calm, fighting to avoid the memory of what we did minutes ago.

Stopping in front of me, his eyes fall to the suitcase in my hand for a moment before returning to mine.

"One of my security guards will monitor the outside of your house tonight," he says.

Of course. As if nothing had happened.

"Is that… really necessary?" I ask, a little uncomfortable with the idea.

"Just for tonight. Tomorrow I’ll have security cameras installed outside."

Cameras?

"Unless you have a problem with that," he adds, noticing my hesitation.

"I was going to say it seems a bit excessive, but my house was invaded by a maniac," I say, with an almost nervous smile.

"We’ll be ready if he comes back."

"Right…" I nod. "Well, thank you for letting me stay here. For everything you’re doing, actually."

He doesn’t respond. Before the silence can settle, I look away and head toward the elevator.

Following me, he stops just before I reach the doors. Tense under his gaze, I call the elevator, which arrives quickly.

Thank God.

I step in as soon as the doors open.

Pressing the first floor button, I take a deep breath before turning to him.

"So… bye."

"See you soon, Evangeline," he says, and stays there watching me as the doors close, with that look.