Chapter 20
RENéE
I woke up warm. Too warm. My arms were wrapped around something solid and firm, and it smelled... so damn good. I nuzzled closer, letting out a soft sigh as my fingers traced over smooth, hard muscle. Wait—since when did pillows have muscles? My hand froze as I registered the firm, very human body beneath my touch. Then there was that unmistakable pressure against my stomach—thick, hard, and... oh God. Shit.
I cracked one eye open, praying this was some bizarre dream. But no, staring back at me, with a smug, all-too-familiar smirk, were a pair of piercing gray eyes. Javier.
“Are you done feeling me up, or should I give you a few more minutes?” His voice was husky, laced with amusement, and it shot straight through me, making every inch of my body tingle in a way I desperately wanted to ignore.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I shoved at his chest, though he didn’t budge an inch.
He cocked an eyebrow, that damn smirk never leaving his face. “Oh, you don’t remember? You were practically begging me to fuck you last night when I brought you home. Or should I remind you?” His words dripped with teasing, and my heart slammed against my ribs.
“Stop making things up,” I snapped, my voice trembling with a mix of panic and something far more dangerous—desire. I could feel it in the air between us, thick and suffocating, and no matter how much I tried to deny it, my body was betraying me. “And how the hell did you know where I live?”
He smirked. “I abused my power,” he said casually, as if it were nothing. “I can find out anything about anyone I want.”
My heart raced, anger and arousal colliding in my chest. “You’re unbelievable,” I muttered, trying to shove him away.
Before I could push him away again, he moved. Fast. Too fast. Pinning me beneath him, his hands wrapped around my wrists, pressing them above my head. His body— all of him—was now flush against mine, and the thick, throbbing heat of his arousal pressed right into my core. I gasped, the sensation sending shockwaves through me.
“You were driving me crazy last night,” he whispered, his lips hovering just over mine, his breath hot against my skin. “Do you feel what you do to me?” He shifted his hips, grinding against me in a slow, deliberate motion. A whimper slipped out before I could stop it, my body reacting to the pressure, the heat.
His eyes darkened, and he leaned closer, his breath hot against my skin. “Be grateful you were high,” he murmured, his voice dripping with raw desire. “Because if you were sober…” He pressed harder, his arousal teasing me, taunting me. “I would’ve fucked you so hard, you wouldn’t be able to walk for a fucking week .”
My breath hitched, my arousal pooling between my thighs at his words. He lingered for a second longer.
Then, just as abruptly, he let me go. I sucked in a shaky breath, heart pounding as he climbed out of bed.
“Where’s the washroom?” he asked, his voice calmer now, but his eyes still burned with that same heat.
I pointed toward the door on the opposite side of the room, unable to speak. He disappeared inside, and the sound of running water filled the silence.
I groaned, burying my face in my hands. Those damn brownies. Why couldn’t I have been sober last night? I swallowed, my heart pounding so loud it drowned out every rational thought. His words, his body, the way he looked at me—it was too much. But not enough. And I hated how badly I wanted him to follow through on every filthy promise he just made.
I had just stepped into my room after showering in Pearl’s bathroom, feeling my skin still cold from the water. Javier was still in the shower, and luckily, Pearl hadn’t come home yet—probably spending the night at her boyfriend’s place. Thank God for small mercies.
But no amount of cold water could cool the heat pulsing through me. Every thought I had was consumed by Javier. I wanted to slam my head against the wall. Why did I touch myself in the shower? The memory burned hot in my mind. He was irresistible, and I knew all too well what he was capable of—the way he could take me higher than I’d ever gone before. That thought alone drove me dangerously close to the edge again.
I grabbed a hoodie from my dresser, hurriedly pulling it over my head when I heard the bathroom door creak open. My heart skipped a beat.
Javier leaned against the doorframe, his gray eyes gleaming with amusement as they roamed over me. His voice was smooth, teasing. “You know,” he said, his gaze dipping to where the hoodie barely covered me, “walking out of the shower to this ? Best view I’ve had all week.”
My fingers fumbled harder with the hoodie, pulling it down like it could shield me from the heat in his eyes.
He took a slow step closer, his tone dropping lower, more dangerous. “You should wear less often, sweetheart. Makes it hard to walk away.”
I swallowed, my pulse pounding in my ears. “You’re impossible,” I muttered, trying to sound unaffected.
But my breath hitched when he moved in even closer, his lips just a breath away from my ear. “And you’re too tempting.” His voice was a rough whisper. “If you keep looking at me like that, I might forget the towel.”
I pressed myself against the dresser, gripping the hem of the hoodie for dear life.
Then, like he hadn’t just set me on fire, he pulled back with that infuriating smirk, reaching past me to grab his pants off the dresser. “Relax,” he said. “I’ll behave… for now.”
He turned away, letting the towel drop to the floor. I froze. His broad, muscled back was on full display, every inch carved and powerful, but what caught me wasn’t just the sheer strength in his body—it was the ink. Dark, intricate tattoos swept across his shoulders and down his back, bold lines and sharp edges blending into symbols I didn’t recognize. He took his time, slipping on his pants slowly, agonizingly slow like he knew exactly what he was doing.
“I can feel your eyes on me, sweetheart,” he glanced over his shoulder, a wicked grin tugging at his lips. “If you want, I can give you a full show. Just say the word.”
I clenched my jaw, willing myself to look away. “No thanks,” I snapped, yanking my hoodie into place and marching out of the room.
This man! Unbelievably hot. Infuriatingly smug. And so damn dangerous for my sanity.
I barely made it out of the room when the front door flew open, and Pearl barged in, practically tripping over herself.
“Where have you been?” I asked.
“I’m so late!” she yelled, ignoring my question as she bolted toward her room.
I felt Javier’s presence right behind me. Without thinking, I shoved him back into my room and quickly shut the door.
In less than ten minutes, Pearl reappeared, now fully dressed, her keys in hand. “Bye!” she called over her shoulder, rushing out of the apartment without so much as a second glance in my direction.
I let out a breath of relief, double-checking the door to make sure she was gone. The last thing I needed was for her to find Javier in my room.
When I stepped into my room, Javier was standing there, fully dressed, his attention locked on a picture frame. My picture. I must’ve been sixteen or seventeen in it, all awkward grins and wild hair. He turned the frame in his hands, then glanced at me and set it down.
“You were always a beauty,” he said.
I scoffed, crossing my arms. “Yeah, well, I could’ve shattered your heart into a million pieces if we’d met like ten years ago.”
He smirked, that infuriatingly confident smirk. “You could still break my heart.” His eyes locked onto mine. “But I’m not giving you the chance.”
I rolled my eyes, fighting the strange twist in my stomach. “Where’s this place?” he asked, nodding toward the photo.
“Tennessee,” I answered.
His brow lifted slightly. “I’m from Tennessee.”
“Really?” My interest piqued. He nodded, and I found myself saying more than I intended. “I went there one summer. My first time visiting the States.”
“Did you like it?”
“I did, as much as anyone can enjoy a trip with two bodyguards breathing down their neck. But... there was this one day.” I hesitated, biting my lip. “I ran off one day. And found this lake. It was beautiful, peaceful, and—” I trailed off, caught in the memory.
“And?” His tone was sharper now, more interested. He straightened up, waiting. “Go on.”
I sighed, feeling the nostalgia hit harder than I expected. “And I met this guy.”
His eyes narrowed. “A guy?”
“Yeah,” I nodded, my lips curving at the memory. This was the first time I was talking about this incident. But it felt right.
“I had dropped my pendant in the lake, and he jumped in to get it for me. Never got his name, though.” The words spilled out like I needed to tell him. “He had these striking gray eyes. Just like yours.”
Javier took a slow step toward me, then another. His expression shifted; his usual smirk replaced by something deeper.
“They were so clear, so full of life,” I continued. “Like staring at the sky after a storm.”
He stopped just inches away. “Hmm.” His eyes softened, his walls lowering for once. “And mine?” he asked, his voice quieter now, almost vulnerable.
“What?”
“When you look at my eyes, what do they remind you of?”
I swallowed, my heart hammering. “Like I’m staring into the eye of a storm,” I murmured. His eyes darkened, intrigued.
“Dangerous. Lethal. Like they could destroy me in a second,” I continued. “But also… like they could lift me up, make me soar, and when the time comes, clear everything standing in my way and bring me back to solid ground.”
A small smile played on my lips. “I like your eyes more.”
For a second, I thought he might smile too. But he didn’t. His jaw tensed, his gaze lingering on my face like he was memorizing every detail.
“See you in the office, Ms. Margot,” he said, his voice clipped, before turning and walking out the door.
And just like that, it felt like he’d driven a knife straight into my heart and twisted it.
JAVIER
I sat in my car, gripping the steering wheel so tight my knuckles went white. The silence in the car felt suffocating, pressing in from all sides. My chest heaved, frustration boiling over until I couldn’t hold it back anymore.
I should have said something. I should have told her. I should have—
“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” I slammed the wheel, each word punctuated by the dull thud of my hand.
What the hell was wrong with me? What in the world was I so afraid of?
I dropped my head back against the seat, staring at the ceiling as if it might have the answers. It didn’t. Of course, it didn’t. The only thing staring back was my reflection in the rearview mirror, eyes shadowed, jaw tight, looking every bit as wrecked as I felt.
Coward. That’s what I saw staring back at me—a damn coward.
My phone buzzed, the shrill sound cutting through the silence like a knife. I glanced at the screen: my assistant. I was late. Of course, I was late. I couldn’t even manage to be on time for a fucking meeting.
I let out a harsh breath and raked a hand through my hair, glaring at the apartment building in front of me. It stood there, quiet and unbothered, as if mocking me. She was in there somewhere, probably oblivious to the storm she’d left in her wake.
“Get it together,” I muttered, slamming the heel of my hand against the wheel one last time before throwing the car into gear.