Chapter 100 Under the Haze of Passion

Chapter 100 Under the Haze of Passion
Ethan did not answer immediately. Instead, he turned his body slowly, leaning back against his massive desk to face Emily fully. The room now felt smaller, as if the oxygen inside was being sucked out by the man’s presence. The dim glow of the desk lamp cast sharp shadows across Ethan’s features, making him look both intimidating and alluring.

"Why am I doing this?" Ethan repeated Emily's question in a heavy voice that vibrated through the air between them. "Do you really not know, or are you just punishing me by pretending not to?"

Emily tried to maintain her gaze, but her heart was racing. She could smell the masculine scent of agarwood from Ethan’s body, mingled with the lingering aroma of brandy in the room.

"I need a logical reason, Ethan. Not rhetoric."

"Logic stopped applying the moment I saw you almost get killed tonight," Ethan whispered.

The man stepped forward. A single step that made Emily reflexively press her back against the edge of the wooden desk behind her. Ethan didn't stop he placed both hands on either side of Emily, gripping the edge of the desk and trapping her within the narrow space he had created.

"Ethan, move away," Emily protested weakly. Her hands went up, trying to push against Ethan’s chest, but her palms instead landed over the man’s strong, steady heartbeat.

"You said you weren't a weak woman," Ethan murmured, his face now only inches away from hers. "But right now, your hands are trembling against my chest, Emily. Is it because of fear ... or something else?"

"I’m just tired," Emily tried to turn her face away, but Ethan’s fingers moved softly yet firmly, tilting her chin and forcing her to look back into his eyes.

The touch felt like an electric shock. Ethan’s fingers, calloused from weapons training and combat, now stroked Emily’s jawline with unexpected tenderness. His thumb brushed over her lower lip, which was slightly parted from her shallow breathing.

"Don't touch me like this," Emily whispered. She tried to resist, but her body seemed to have a will of its own. The haze in Ethan's eyes was no longer just about anger or protection there was a dark, deep passion radiating from them a desire long suppressed.

"Your eyes say otherwise," Ethan whispered directly into Emily's ear, making the hair on her neck stand up. His warm breath caressed her sensitive skin. "I could see how you looked at me in the car. You hate me for interfering with your foolish plan, but you also crave this sense of security."

"You’re so arrogant," Emily hissed, trying to spark her anger again to cover the turmoil she felt.

"I’m just being honest."

Ethan’s hand, which had been on her chin, moved down to her neck and then slowly crept toward her shoulder, softly squeezing the fabric of her slightly disheveled dress. His touch moved to the back of her nape, pulling her slightly closer until there was no gap left between them. Emily could feel the heat of Ethan's body radiating through his clothes.

The passion in Ethan’s eyes grew darker, like a storm ready to strike anything in its path. Emily tried to close her eyes, attempting to shut out the intensity of his gaze, but Ethan instead pressed his forehead against hers.

"Open your eyes, Emily. Look at me," Ethan commanded, his voice low and possessive.

When Emily opened her eyes, she felt as though she were drowning in the sea of emotions before her. She saw guilt, longing, and an unbearable hunger. The rejection Emily had prepared on the tip of her tongue suddenly evaporated. She knew this man was dangerous she knew he had hurt her with his lack of trust in the past. But tonight, under the shadow of Rudolf’s threat, the magnetic pull between them was too strong to ignore.

Emily’s hands, which had been pushing him away, now unconsciously gripped Ethan’s shirt, pulling him closer. Ethan let out a low groan a sound born of long buried frustration. He no longer held back. His lips landed on Emily’s neck, trailing demanding kisses that made her knees go weak.

"You’re mine, Emily. You and Louei are my world, even if I was late to realize it," Ethan murmured between kisses.

"This is wrong, Ethan ... we can't ..." Emily gasped, though her arms were now wrapped around Ethan’s neck, her fingers twisting into the hair at the nape of his neck.

"If protecting what is mine is a mistake, then I don't want to be right," Ethan countered.

He lifted his face, looking at Emily once more with a gaze that seemed to strip away her very soul. Ethan’s hands moved to her waist, lifting her slightly until she was sitting on the desk, bringing them eye-to-eye. Emily gasped, but the passion in Ethan's eyes locked away any protest she might have made.

Ethan moved his face closer, letting the tips of their noses touch. "Tell me to stop now, Emily. Say it like you mean it, and I’ll let you go."

Emily looked into those eyes the haze of passion was so intense it made her dizzy. She wanted to say 'stop', she wanted to run back to her room and lock the door. But as she saw her own reflection in Ethan’s eyes, she saw the same yearning. A desire to forget the outside world, to erase the fear of Rudolf, and to simply feel each other's presence.

Instead of answering with words, Emily grabbed Ethan’s collar, closing the final distance between them, and met his lips in a kiss full of desperation and the fire they had both been trying to extinguish for so long.

Ethan met her greedily. The kiss wasn't gentle; it was a war of emotions, a release of all the tension that had built up throughout the night. In the silence of the study, the only sounds were their heavy breathing and their racing heartbeats.

The dim desk lamp stood witness as the walls Emily had built over the years crumbled in a single night. For Ethan, this wasn't just about passion it was a promise that he would never again let this woman and their son be out of his reach.

"I’m never letting you go again," Ethan whispered between kisses, a promise that sounded like a vow in the darkness of the night. "Never again."