<b>Chapter </b><b>54 </b>
“Being mean isn’t something that’s difficult for you” Nivers cled out, voice shaking with Bustration as the cursed him in her had.
“Correction“, Alejandro replied, a half mile ying on his lips and eyes glittering with mischief. “Being mean to you isn’t something that’s dificul
Nivera’s are shot to him, daggers sharpened and ready. Her chest burned with a thousand unspoken words, but the didn’t dare let them out, as she didn’t want to risk ticking him off.
Alejandro let the silence stretch between them for a heartbeat before he spoke. “She seems
A knot twisted in her stomach over his words. Her voice dropped low and brittle as she responded. “She’s not.”
Alejandro leaned back, as if settling in for the story. “Tell me why,” he said quietly, his tone probing but not pushing why don’t you like your mother?”
The more he knew about her, the easier it would be to bring her down, he told himself.
Nivera pressed her lips together for a moment before answering, her voice small but steady: “She hardly ever did anything for m Whenever my dad or my siblings acted badly around me, she never said anything. Never defended me.”
Alejandro nodded, his brows knitting thoughtfully. “So she <b>stayed </b>silent while you suffered.”
“Hmmm, while asionally scolding me. She might not be as bad as the rest of my family, but that doesn’t mean she’s nice “Hmm, understandable,” he muttered. “I’m guessing this was the first time you spoke to her in a while.”
Nivera looked at him, grateful that he understood without judgment. “That’s right. I haven’t spoken to her in over a year”
Never showed
Alejandro hummed, the sound low and contemtive, He brushed a loose strand of hair from his face. “What aplicated family.
It sounded casual enough to sound like <b>he </b>didn’t care, but <b>that </b>wasn’t the case in his head as he <b>was </b>calcting and scheming
Nivera squinted at him sharply, and he <b>caught </b>her gaze.
Suddenly his expression shifted–the teasing light dancing dangerously in his <b>eyes </b><b>as </b>he warned, “if you stare at me like that too much… you might just fall in love with me?
His voice taunted her in a way that left heat sizzling in her veins.
“You’re not that attractive,” she retorted immediately, parsing through the words.
That was a lie. Alejandro had to be the most attractive man she hadid her eyes on, but he didn’t need to know that, not when <b>he </b>already had <b>an </b>Inted go
“Especially when you’re such a… Her voice dropped off into a flustered stammer <b>as </b>Alejandro closed the gap between them–his movement smooth, deliberate.
Before she could protest further, he had pulled her <b>gnto </b><b>his </bp<b>, </b>his firm hands pressed to either side of her hips, securing her weight. The force pinned her down, pulling her into him,
A shocking electric snap of tension <b>ran </b><b>through </b>her body, which made her chest tighten as her heart thudded in her ears.
The voice in her head screamed asher body came alive.
“Kiss him!“T
“Alejandro, what are you doing? She managed <b>to </b>whisper, her cheeks ame.
He let her breath settle against his chest, voice teasing <b>as </b><b>a </b><b>cat</b><b>. </b>“Really? You don’t think I’m attractive enough?”
Her pulse hammered. Her voice trembled. “It’s just… No, I don’t, I’ve seen better looking man.” She swallowed, ing aware of every inch of her every point of connection.
Alejandro leaned forward until his breath ghosted just above her lips. “The redness I see is tring me otherwise,” he smirked in triumph
Hivera clenched her fists in annoyance when the saw that smirk etched across his lips.
There was no way she was going to allow him to win this round. “You know what I think?” She started, and Alejandro gas her his full attention
“think it’s the other way round. You are attracted to me, which is why you’re doing all of this to pet my attention,” she said, and his lips curled in
“You really have… Alejandro started, but Nivera didat
the chance to finish as the closed the gar
Her lips pressed to his in a fierce, desperate kiss. She kissed him to im the high ground, to prove she still controlled herself and definitely not because
she had been itching to do so.
As soon as it began, it ended, breaking away with a soft gasp. Her lips parted, breaths ragged, but shimmering with triumph. She looked at him as a tiny
smile appeared on her lips.
“I rendered you speechless,” she whispered, her voice warm, quiet, triumphant. The space between them crackled like an unseen me
Alejandro’s expression froze; hisughter gone. His gaze fixed on her, intense with something new, and the boldness she had managed to gath dissipated.
As sure as moonlight in water, he lifted his hand to the back of her neck, which made her breath pause.
The electricity between them soared in a single sh of silent acknowledgement
Then his lips brushed against hers, slow and endless.
The kiss was an electric storm as their tongues entwined with tentative <b>fire</b>.
Unlike the gentle kiss she had given him, Alejandro’s <b>was </b>rough, demanding, and toe–curling.
She gasped when he bit her lower lips, and that was the opening he needed as he slid his tongue into her mouth while his fingers wound through her
<b>hair</b>.
Fuck, this had to be the <b>best </b>kiss she had ever had. She was right; Alejandro was a good kisser.
Their bodies pressed together, suspended in a moment that was both gentle and feral,
It felt like being pulled apart and remade all <b>at </b>once.
He kissed like he <b>knew </b>where to push in her tangled edges to unto her from everything she thought she was.
Her hands slid up to his shoulders, feeling the taut muscles underneath the fabric. She wanted to trace every scar, <b>every </b>contour–but at the same time… hold him still..
To keep him there as proof that what just happened was real
Just when she thought the kiss couldn’t get any better, he lifted her and shifted, their lips never breaking contact
A low growl vibrated in his throat <b>as </b>he flipped her onto the sofa behind them, <b>looming </b>over her so suddenly she caught her breath.
He kissed her there, deep and greedy. Her head fell back into the cushions. His hands cupped her face, tipping her head for deeper ess
The world narrowed to the beat of their hearts and the <b>press </b>of their limbs
20:45 Wed, 23 JUL JUG
Chapter <b>54 </b>
Her body trembled under him–absorbing and responding and craving more than she was ever willing to admit earlier.
Soft moans escaped under his touch.
Unable to stop herself, her fingers moved to his hair, and fuck, it was soft.
She felt him his strength, his intention, the way he softened around her curves. He tasted like defiance and danger and all the sweet aftermath of
wanting.
A drop of warmth bloomed where their lips connected, and her pulse shivered like <b>a </b>live wire,
He broke <b>the </b>kiss just enough so she could meet his eyes.
Darkness glistened in them–honesty and rage and longing, all drowning together.
She blinked at him, chest heaving, skin burned, <b>breath </b>catching in tight gasps. Just when she thought he couldn’t get more attractive, he had to look like the kiss they just had was his undoing
He smiled. A devil’s grin, sweet and lethal. “Fuck it,” he whispered, brushing his lips <b>over </b>hers <b>again</b>.
or more–tongue and lips ited together, slow, consuming, undeniable
Then, as if guided by some silentmand, he leaned down and kissed her ance until the world outside ceased to exist.
They clung to each other in throes of soft heat–every second stretching into forever.
Eventually, the need to breathe won, and Alejandro pulled back, but only by inches, foreheads resting together. Her pulse pounded; her fingers still woven in his hair,
That second kiss didn’t need words. Their bodies spoke volumes. The heat in his gaze settled around her like a storm.
They didn’t speak, as they were still high from the kiss. The air around them felt sacred, vulnerable and safe all at once.
Nivera leaned into his chest, feeling the steady earthquake of his heartbeatst, yes, but tethered to hers in ways she never anticipated
He touched her cheek gently, his eyes tender. Her gaze flicked up to his, and the unspoken truth filled the space between them:
Something had changed, and they had crossed a shimmering line
From
animosity to raw connection
From suspicion to want <i>that </i>neither could afford.
Unless Alejandro was a very good actor, she knew the kiss affected him just as much as it affected her.
The softness lingered in the breakdown of their breaths, in the press of her palm to his heart, and in the way she melted when he tucked her hair behind
herear.
Time stretched and for the first time, he didn’t look ready to let go–but neither did she