<b>Chapter </b><b>87 </b>
The room was quiet, but her mind wasn’t.
Neveray t on her back, her eyes wide open, staring up at the ceiling like it held all the answers she refused to ask
The soft hum of the air conditioning blended with the faint rustling of the trees outside that made her restlessness worse,
She hadn’t even bothered turning off themp on the nightstand,
She was overheating, even though the air conditioning was on.
It was him.
Alejandro
Her thick
thighs still tingled. Her core still pulsed as the heat he’d stirred inside her refused to fade.
His scent lingered on her skin, despite the quick wash she’d done the moment she entered the room. She’d scrubbed with soap until her hands were ra as if she could erase him from her body. But he wasn’t just on her skin.
He was in her head.
In her thoughts
In her bones.
And that was the problem.
With a groan, she turned onto her side, yanking the pillow over her face in frustration
“This is stupid,” she muttered into the cotton fabric. “So stupid.”
She hated him.
She hated his smug smile. His infuriating confidence, his irritating<b>, </b>teasing remarks that made her <b>want </b>to smack him one minute and climb onto <b>his </b><bp </b>
the next.
But most of all, she hated how easily he could make here undone
Her body still remembered. Every stroke, every press of his mouth, every <b>whispered </b>taunt<b>, </b><b>and </b>this made her squeeze her legs together.
“No,” she snapped at herself and kicked the nket off, as if overheating was the cause of her turmoil.
<b>She </b>sat up, the silk of her nightdress clinging to her body. Her hair was slightly damp at the roots, her skin flushed.
Sleep was like a foreign country she couldn’t ess.
What the hell <b>was </b>wrong with her?
Her body knew what it wanted. Her mind tried to remind her that <b>Alejandro </b>was thest man she should fall for. Dangerous, Twisted. Controlling. He had her passport. Her money. Her freedom.
s name like it <b>was </b><b>a </b>sacred prayer.
And yet… she’d let him part her legs like it was nothing. She’d gripped his hair. She’d meaned his r
“Ugh,” she <b>groaned </b>again, flipping onto her back.
I <b>had </b>just been a moment. A heated, reckless, inexcusable moment.
And yes, okay, maybe it had felt… Incredible. Maybe she hadn’te like that in years. Maybe she’d nevere like that before.
Her checks buined at the memory. She buried her face in birds
“It didn’t mean anythin
he whispered. “It can’t mean anything”
Mejandro was not senseone to fall for. He was vtile, Dangerous, Astorm wearing a smile
She’?d seen the darkness in him the first night they met. The way he looked at people, like he was calcting their worth. The way he opened her with charms and menace tangled into one
Still, he’d helped her. Still, he was the reason she hadn’t brokenpletely in that damned mansion, Still, he’d held his mother
hurt by her and said, “You didn’t fail ine?
He <b>was </b>a puzzle that was hard to crack
She turned over again, pressing her face into the cool side of the pillow.
But the silence in the toom betrayed her
She could still hear him. Still feel the weight of his stare. The maddening confidence in his voice
“Are you falling in love with me, Nivera?”
She winced as she thought about it.
“No,” she whispered aloud, like answering him in the dark would shut the memory down.
You don’t do love, and neither do L
Then why did it hurt?
Why did it sting li
like <b>a </b>wound that shouldn’t be there?
She sat <b>up </b>again, running a hand through her hair, dishevelled and wild from tossing.
How had she let herself get here? How had she gone from the girl with a <b>n</b>, the girl with leverage, the girl who didn’t need anyone, to this?
And why, why, did it feel like she wanted him to do it again?
Her head dropped back against the headboard.
There was no point pretending anymore,
He had gotten under her skin.
She could feel the ache of it in her chest, in the curl of her toes, and in the <b>heat </b>still simmering low in her stomach.
She grabbed her pillow and screamed into it.
Then silence again.
Nothing but her own pulse thudding in her ears. Unable to sleep, she checked her phone.
3:47 AM
<b>Great </b>Fantastic. Just wonderful
It was almost morning, and her mind was still reying what happened.
“I’m losing it,” she whispered aloud to the empty nom.
The <b>sky </b>was still dark but lighter than it had been. She sensed the tiniest glimmer of down.
Somewhere, a bird chirped, and she cursed it for being so chipper.
Still, she refused to close her eyes.
Because if she did, she’d see him.
Frel him.
Smell him
And not even sleep would give her peace.
But eventually, despite the mental war, the emotional tug–of–war, and the residual pleasure dancing along her skin…
Her eyes fluttered shut as the exhaustion caught up with her. The warmth of the sheets, the fading adrenaline, and the hum of early morning lulled her into submission.
She didn’t remember falling asleep. One second she was tossing and turning; the next, her mind drifted into that slow, peaceful void.
The world turned soft and shapeless
Until…
She felt a shift and <b>a </b>weight beside her, after which she heard a soft click
Nivera stirred. Her eyelids fluttered.
At first, she thought she was still dreaming. The bed was warm beside her. Too warm,
She turned slowly, her body still heavy with sleep <b>as </b>her eyes slowly fluttered open.
And there he was, Alejandro, lying on her bed, stretched beside her like it was the most natural thing in the world.
One arm propped behind his head, the other holding a sleek ck tablet. The light from the screen <b>cast </b><b>a </b>faint glow across his chiselled features.
He <b>was </b>reading something, and his brows slightly furrowed, Unbothered. Like he had every right to be there.
“What the hell?” she croaked, voice raspy from sleep,
Meanwhile, he didn’t even nce at her. He simply just kept scrolling.
“Morning, sleeping beauty.”
“How did
d <b>you </b>get in here?”
“The door wasn’t <b>locked</b><b>.</b><b>” </b>
Afrown appeared on her face, as she was <b>sure </b>she had locked the door<b>, </b>and it was due to this very reason
“You’re <b>a </b>creep!” She hissed in annoyance. She had <b>spent </b>the night thinking about him. Thest thing she needed was his <b>face </b>to start the morning,
He finally looked over. “You were asleep. I didn’t want to <b>wake </b>you
20:5
<b>So </b>you crawled into <b>my </b>bed and deckled to do morning emails?”
<b>Alejandro </b>shrugged casually, “Your room has better light,”
“It’s barely morning”
“It’s actually eleven o’clock.”
“What?” A frown appeared on her face as she moved to grab her phone.
True to his word, it was past eleven. She pushed herself upright, nket clutched to her chest. “You’re a lunatic”
Alejandro locked at her again, this time slower, more deliberate.
His eyes dragged over her sleep–mussed hair, the flush still lingering on her cheeks, and the thin strap of her nightdress that had slid slightly off her
shoulder.
This made his mouth twitch.
“You look like you barely slept.”
She scowled. “Gee, I wonder why.”
“Was it because I ate you out?” He asked bluntly, which immediately turned her red and sent her off the bed.
“You’re such an infuriating…….”
“Careful how you finish that sentence,” he squinted his eyes <b>at </b>her. “Who knows, I might be forced to finish what I started.”
Nivera red at him in response, but she didn’t dare poke him, as one, she was sure he wasn’t joking, and two, she knew she didn’t have it in her to stop
him
Wise choice, Caberota,” Alejandro grinned, “Now, need I remind you that you gave a meeting in less than an <b>hour</b>?” He raised an eyebrow, and his words made her reach <b>for </b>her <b>phone </b>to check the date.
Shit, the meeting that could get her career back was today, in less than an hour, and she had totally forgotten about it.
“Why didn’t you wake me up?!” She yelled in annoyance.
“Idid, Alejandro replied casually.
“You could have woken me up much sooner!”
“I could have, but I wasn’t in the mood,” he shrugged. “Besides, you’re only wasting your time in having this argument with me!”
“Argh!” Nivera groaned as she turned and rushed into the bathroom to get ready