Chapter 38
Present
Steam filled the bathroom, clinging to the mirror and walls like a second skin. I stood under the stream until it felt like it could wash away more than just the sweat and grime from the day. Like it could wash away the memory of him.
What happened in the car was stupid. Reckless. Every moment of it.
Every stolen second of his lips on my skin was a mistake I couldn’t undo.
My heart had been pounding so loudly, I was sure he could hear it. And the way he looked at me – dark and knowing, like he was daring me to regret it – had made me hate him even more for how much he still got under my skin.
Or in the guestroom at Francesca’s party two nights ago… God, that was so stupid .
I turned off the water and stepped out, wrapping myself in a soft, white towel. The cool air of the bathroom bit at my damp skin as I tried to pull myself together.
Tonight was about distraction. A blind date Francesca had set up for me. I’d asked for it – a name, a time, anything to get my mind off something .
I needed this. A clean slate. A night that didn’t start and end with him invading my thoughts.
Tip-toeing into the dark bedroom, I let the towel slip. The shadows in the room stretched long, the only light coming from the city glow filtering through the floor-to-ceiling windows. I dropped the towel to my feet as I reached for the pink robe draped across my bed.
“Going somewhere?”
My heart jumped in my throat.
A voice – low and smooth and familiar – cut through the quiet like a blade.
My breath caught, my pulse spiking as I slowly glanced over my naked shoulder.
Trevor lounged in the armchair near the windows, his silhouette outlined against the gold city lights. Effortless composure, one arm resting along the edge of the chair, his legs stretched out in front of him like he owned the room. His other hand covered his jaw, supporting his head.
“How the hell did you get in here?!” I breathed out in exasperation, bending down and clutching the towel to my chest.
He didn’t answer right away, his gaze trailing over me slowly. Deliberately . When his eyes finally met mine, I felt that same pull, that same magnetic force that made it impossible to look away.
“ Trevor ,” I pressed, my voice sharper now, trying to wrest back some control.
He leaned forward slightly, his elbows resting on his knees, his dark eyes never leaving mine. “I could ask you the same thing,” He said softly, his tone deceptively calm. “Blind date, huh?”
My stomach twisted.
Of course, he found out. What didn’t he know?
“It’s none of your business,” I said, gripping the towel tight to my body.
His lips curved into a faint, almost amused smile, but there was no humor in his eyes. “You made it my business when you got on my lap and pushed your tits in my face.”
I gritted my teeth. “ You don’t get to just show up here .”
“ Hm .” He leaned back into the chair, his hum dark and low.
My chest tightened, the air in the room suddenly dropping in temperature.
He was chaos wrapped in calm, a storm just waiting to break.
“ Leave ,” I said firmly, forcing myself to stand my ground, even though I felt anything but steady.
Trevor didn’t move.
He watched me. His gaze steady.
Even when he didn’t say anything, he dominated everything around him.
“You shouldn’t go,” He said finally, his voice low, smooth – like he was stating a fact rather than giving advice.
I crossed my arms over my chest, clutching the towel even tighter to my wet body. “ Excuse me?”
He tilted his head slightly, studying me with those ebony eyes of his that always seemed to see too much inside me. “You won’t like him.” His tone too casual, masking the criminal inside.
I let out an incredulous laugh. “You don’t even know who he is.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Trevor leaned back in the armchair. “He’s not your type.”
Anger flared in my chest, exploding through the tension that had been building since the moment I saw him. “Maybe he is. Maybe I’ll fall right in love .”
His jaw tightened, just for a moment, and I saw the flicker of something behind his eyes – something dark and possessive.
He stood then, nonchalant, and the movement was enough to make my breath catch. Advancing slowly, so I didn’t notice the threat to step away until it was too late. “It wouldn’t be smart of you to go, Natalia.”
The breath hitched in my throat, and for a moment, I couldn’t speak. He was so close now, so close I could feel the heat radiating off him, smell the faint scent of his cologne – clean and dark and intoxicating .
The weight of his words hung between us, heavy and unspoken, and I realized then that he wasn’t just threatening the guy Francesca had set me up with. He was threatening the idea of him. The idea of anyone else.
“ Trevor –” I started, but my voice faltered. I didn’t know what I was going to say anyway.
His jaw clenched tight. “ Don’t. Go .”
His voice was low, controlled, but I could hear the tension beneath it, a thread of something dangerous pulling tighter with every word.
My chest shook, and I felt the emotion rock through me. “ Why , Trevor?”
The silence that followed was deafening. He didn’t move, didn’t blink, but I could feel the shift, the storm brewing behind his calm exterior.
The look in his eyes – a claim – dark and twisted and… Possessive .
His eyes burned into mine, filled with something obsessive and raw. Something that made my stomach flip and my breath falter.
It wasn’t affection. It was something darker, hungrier… That would consume me if I let it.
My heart beat uncontrollably.
This was it.
If he didn’t say something now, if he didn’t confess what he was feeling, then I was done. I wasn’t going to keep wondering where I stood with him.
“ Why ?”
His eyes narrowed, his jaw tightening again.
The tension between us was electric, suffocating, like we were standing on the edge of something we couldn’t come back from.