<b>Chapter </b><b>102 </b>
The morning sun filtered cohly through the curtains, UN
(?sint golden chreaks across the room.
Niver a stined, a yawn escaping her lips. She frowned in her sleep, as she wanted more sleep, but it looked like she wouldn’t be getting it.
She tried to tum but something–ne, someone anchored her in ce.
Hershes fluttered open slowly, and hes pare lended on the figure lying beside her Alejandro
She didn’t panic as she always did–because unlike every other morning, she hadn’t awoken to his presence staring ke he so often did with a sly smirk and a mocking glint in his eyes; this time he was asleep.
He looked peaceful as his chest rose and fell in a slow, measured rhythm. A hand was tucked under the pillow his braves rxed
She took a moment to really look at him, as this was one of the rare opportunities a had to do so without having to hear him makements about.
her falling for him.
His darkshes were longer than she remembered, his cheekbones sharp even in the mellow glow of the morning
There was <b>a </b>certain softness to his features when he wasn’t <b>talking </b>or looking at her like he wanted to ruin her
It was one of those rare times he appeared…human–not the controlling, unpredictable man she hade to know.
Her eyes trailed lower, drinking the faint trace stubble on his <b>jaw </b>and the way the sheet clung to his hips.
Nivera blinked her heart skipped, and then it hit her like a wave of cold water crashing down her back.
The memories came crashing down on her all at once
is mouth traced down her body… his hands, firm and
The tension, the arguing, the way he had counered her, touched her, kissed her,the way hismanding
The way he whispered her name like a prayer and a curse… how she had given <b>in </bpletely, pulled him closer, wanted him deeper… how he’d taken her apart until all that had existed <b>was </b>him.
And then.. the way she had let him.
Her body froze.
She had let him. No<b>–</b>not just let him; she wanted him. She wanted it just as much. And <b>it </b>happened. They’d had sex
Her lips parted in a silent gasp as the full weight of it dawned on her.
She <b>jerked </b>upright with a sudden gasp as <b>her </b>limbs jolted, and she scrambled to get <b>out </b>of bed, only to wince as a sharp ache pulsed between her <b>legs</b><b>. </b>
She stilled for half a second, her knees buckling slightly before she caught hersell. The soreness was unmistakable and unforgiving.
And then she felt it–his gaze.
Her head snapped to him, her breath caught in her throat as she saw Alejandro blinking awake, but those eyes–those dangerously dark eyes–were now wide open, zeroed in on her.
He didn’t look the least bit apologetic.
In fact, there was a shift <b>Araw</b>, unmistakable shift in his expression it looked like hunger, heat, and desire.
Nivera followed his gaze, and realization punched the breath from her lungs.
She waspletely naked,
A panicked try escaped her tips, and she grabbed the dovet with a violent yank
I pulled it around her, practically dipping i
He grmed at the sudden rold, a
Ispily blonming on hit by
“well, good morning to you ton, Caberota, Alejandro marmored, his nice thick with sleep and something else
The nick deepened as fis gaze dropped to her flushed cheeks and then even lower to where the clutched the duve shyst night.”
Her face ignited. “Alejandrol” she snapped.
He raised both hands in surrender, but that stupid glirst in
sid plist in his eyes said he was anything hot sorry
“Just saying,” he drawled, leaning back on his elbows, utterly unbathered. “If you’re going to steal the nket, at est say thank you first. I did keepryde
y warmst night.”
With a strangled sound of mortification, Nivera turned on her heel and bolted into the bathroom, mming the door shut behind her and locking it with trembling fingers.
She leaned against the door, her chest rising and falling in <b>sharp </b>breaths as her heart thundered in her ears.
What the hell had she done?
Steeling herself, she pushed off the door and fade her way to the mirror, clutching the duvet tightly around her body. When she saw her reflection, her breath caught again as she let go of the duvet.
keys everywhere.
There were hickeys
Her neck, her corbote, the swell of her chest, and the faintest one on her inner thigh–red, purple, deep, and stark against her
Her fingers hovered over one of them.
He hadn’t just taken her body. He had devoured it, and she had let him.
More than let–she had begged, clung to him, and whispered his name like it meant salvation. No man had ever touched her like that.
kin. His mark
No man had ever made <b>her </b>feel the way he had. It wasn’t just the pleasure–it was the intensity. The way Alejandro had seen her, wanted her, and consumed her
The way he had kissed her like <b>he’d </b>die without it, touched her like he was desperate, and held her like she belonged to him
This man–he made her insane. He tore down every wall she put up and made her question everything. Last night a line had been crossed. A point of no
retum.
It was proof–undeniable, inescapable proof.
“Oh my God…” She whispered, her voice barely audible.
She looked…wrecked, and she remembered every second of it.
Her stomach twisted, not with shame but with a wild<b>, </b>confusing tangle of emotions.
It hadn’t felt meaningless<b>, </b>and that was the scariest part
Part of her felt…ted Euphoric even. It had been the best sex of her life–there was nopetition,
Her body had never responded like that before. It was like he had memorized every inch of her in a single night, like he knew exactly how to ruin her and
put her back together all in one breath.
But then there was the other part.
The guilt the dread, the fear,
What did this mean
He wasn’t just
mean now?
st any man. The was Alejandro.
trying to regain her fooling in a world where he constantly shifted the ground beneath her feet
She had been t
And now she had willingly stepped deeper into his grasp. This messy, intimate, tangled thing that she couldn’t exin or justify.
She looked down at her reflection again and turned on the tap, sshing cold water on her face in a desperate attempt to cool down, to think clearly
But the problem <b>was </b>she couldn’t. There <b>was </b>no rity, just chaos
How was she supposed to face him now?
Last night, they had fought, they had shed, and they had burnt. And somewhere in the heat of it all, they’d lost control. She had wanted him, and he hadnt held back<b>. </b>
But what did it mean now? Did it mean anything to him?
What if he thought she was just another womh to conquer? Another notch on his belt? What if she’d given him exactly what he wanted, and now he’d discard her like he’d done to others before?
Would he hold it over her now? <b>Use </b>it against her like a weapon? Or worse…
pretend it <b>meant </b>nothing!
Her chest tightened painfully.
She didn’t <b>know </b>how to face him. Not when he looked at her like that. Not when she knew how he tasted. Not when her body still trembled with the memory of him inside her,
“Damn it…” she whispered, her voice cracking
Vet…
She hadn’t seen that version of himst night. Not the cold, cruel Alejandro, <b>No</b>, there had been something more..
There <b>was </b>gentleness, reverence<b>, </b>and obsession.
She bit her bottom lip, staring at her own reflection again. Had something changed between them?
She didn’t know<b>, </b><b>as </b><b>she </b>couldn’t think straight.
Nivera closed her eyes and exhaled before stepping into the shower.
She turned on the shower, stepping carefully into the spray, letting the hot water soothe her aching muscles.
The soreness made her wince, and she leaned against the cold tiles, letting her forehead rest against the wall:
Just forget it ever happened?‘ she muttered to herself. However, she knew this wasn’t something she could just
Her body bore the marks of it, and her heart, was no longer protected
She would face him, she <b>had </b>no choice, she couldn’t stay locked up in there forever, <b>but </b>not now.
22:13 Wed, 23 <b>Jul </b>
Not while her body still burnt with the memory of his touch.
For now, she’d take her time. Breathe–think.
e worst mistake of her life.
And hope God help her–that she hadn’t just made the worst