Chapter 7 Crossing Boundaries #2
Sophia immediately turned her head away, refusing to meet his gaze. A strand of hair slipped across her cheek as she hurriedly looked down at her bag, clearly trying to ignore him.
She dug through it frantically.
Her fingers finally found her phone, and she pulled it out—
Only to freeze.
The screen was completely black.
Her thumb pressed the power button once.
Then again.
Nothing.
The battery was dead.
Annoyance and a flicker of panic rose in her chest as she slowly lifted her gaze back toward him.
“Where’s your phone?” she demanded sharply. “You should call someone to get us out of here!”
Magnus’s smirk widened slightly.
His eyes were fixed on her as if he were enjoying every second of her growing frustration. The dim light of the room cast faint shadows across his face, making the intensity in his gaze even darker.
He tilted his head slightly, still watching her struggle.
“My phone?” he repeated casually.
Magnus looked straight into her eyes for a moment. Then he lifted his hand and pointed toward the floor.
Sophia followed his gesture.
Her gaze landed on the phone she had thrown earlier. It lay on the ground in several broken pieces, the screen cracked, the casing half detached.
“This,” Magnus said calmly, nodding toward it, “is what you did to my phone.”
He shrugged lightly, his tone completely nonchalant. “How exactly am I supposed to call anyone now?”
There was another phone sitting quietly in his pocket. He always carried two phones—one for business and one personal. His personal phone was still safely in his pocket, but he made no move to take it out.
Sophia let out a frustrated sigh. She ran a hand through her hair and looked around the dim room, her eyes trying to adjust to the darkness.
There was nothing useful. No window. No visible switch.
Just walls and shadows.
Before she could even think of another idea—
Suddenly Magnus moved.
His arm slipped behind her back while the other went beneath her legs, lifting her effortlessly.
In one swift motion, he lifted her off the floor.
Sophia gasped.
Her body reacted instinctively. She instinctively wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
“What are you doing?” she snapped, startled. “Put me down!”
She pushed at his shoulders, but Magnus didn’t stop. He simply carried her deeper into the room toward a large desk standing in the center.
A second later, he set her down on the edge of it, forcing her to sit.
Before she could slide off, Magnus stepped between her legs and placed both of his hands on the desk beside her hips, leaning in and trapping her there.
He moved closer, his face only inches from hers.
“Why are you so desperate to get out?” he muttered. “It’s not like you’ll get sick from staying in a dark room with me.”
His eyes searched her face slowly.
“Just look at my face,” he added in a teasing murmur. “And you’ll forget everything.”
Sophia glared at him—but despite herself, her gaze lingered on his face.
Magnus was unfairly handsome.
Sharp features. Grey eyes. A face to die for.
But what made him even more dangerous was the intensity hidden behind that face. There was a storm in his gaze—something darker, deeper than anything she had ever seen in another man.
Her heart started beating faster despite herself. For a moment, neither of them moved. Then Magnus suddenly closed the distance.
His lips crashed against hers.
The sound of the kiss echoed faintly in the quiet room. Sophia stiffened instantly. Her hands flew to his shoulders as she tried to push him away.
But Magnus didn’t stop.
He kissed her again, harder this time, refusing to let her pull back. Her breathing grew uneven. Her chest rose and fell quickly as she struggled against him. Her body trembled slightly.
Still, Magnus didn’t let go.
After a moment, his lips slid away from hers, moving down to her jaw, then lower to her neck.
Sophia grabbed at his shirt, trying to push him back, but he caught both of her wrists in one hand and pinned them behind her against the desk.
Her back arched slightly as she struggled.
Magnus held her firmly against him, his body pressing close. His mouth moved along the side of her neck, then up toward her ear before trailing down again.
His kisses were rough, hungry.
Sophia’s breathing was uneven, her hands still resting against his chest as if she couldn’t decide whether to push him away… or hold onto him.
Two years had passed since they had been this close.
Two long years.
After leaving him, Sophia had never allowed another man near her. Physical closeness had become something distant—almost forgotten.
Yet now, standing this close to Magnus again, the memories of his touch returned far too easily.
The warmth of his breath.
The pressure of his lips.
The way his hands held her.
Magnus movements carried a raw urgency, like someone starved for far too long.
His mouth moved across her neck again, kissing and biting lightly as if he couldn’t get enough. One moment near her ear, the next along her throat.
His hand tightened around her wrists as he held her steady against him.
He lowered his head again, pressing another rough kiss against the side of her neck before moving lower.
A faint scent surrounded her, something strangely familiar. He had noticed it before, but he could never figure out where he had encountered it. Now, standing this close to her again, the scent only made him lose control further.
It felt dangerously familiar—like a forgotten craving returning all at once.
He couldn’t understand why.
But the more he felt it, the more his restraint slipped.
His lips moved along her neck again, rough and urgent, his teeth grazing lightly against her skin. Sophia shivered as his breath brushed her throat, her body arching slightly despite herself.
“Magnus…” she breathed, her voice shaking.
She tried to lean back, trying to create distance, but it was impossible with him standing so close, his body pressing her against the desk.
“M-Magnus…” she breathed shakily.
But he wasn’t listening.
His control was slipping.
The frustration and emotions that had been building between them for so long seemed to explode all at once.
Sophia’s breathing became uneven.
His hand slid down her back, reaching the zipper of her strapless dress.
Before Sophia could react—
The sound of the zipper sliding down echoed softly in the quiet room.
Her dress loosened and slipped down from her chest. Magnus froze for half a second. His gaze dropped to her bare chest.
The hunger in his eyes was unmistakable, dark and intense. The look alone made Sophia’s heart pound wildly.
Embarrassment flashed across her face. She immediately tried to cover herself, grabbing the fabric of the dress to pull it back up.
But Magnus was faster.
His hand caught her wrist before she could move.
In the next second, he leaned forward again, pressing heated kisses against her neck, his breath impatient and hungry.
The room felt hotter, the air heavier.
Sophia’s breathing grew faster, her chest rising and falling rapidly as the tension between them spiraled out of control.
Finally, gathering what little strength she had left, she shoved both hands against his shoulders.
“Stop.”
Her voice came out breathless.
Magnus staggered back half a step from the push.
Sophia quickly pulled her dress back into place, adjusting it with trembling hands as she tried to steady her breathing.
Magnus instinctively stepped forward again, clearly intending to pull her back into another kiss.
But Sophia raised her hand and pressed it firmly against his chest.
“Stop,” she snapped again.
Magnus halted.
He was breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling as he looked down at her. His lips were slightly parted, his expression still filled with heat and hunger.
But when he saw the look in her eyes—
He slowly stepped back, running a hand through his hair as he tried to steady his breathing. After a moment, he gave a small nod, silently acknowledging her words.
But before either of them could say anything else, Sophia suddenly doubled over.
A sudden, stabbing pain shot through her stomach.
“Ah—!”
She grabbed her stomach, her fingers tightening against the fabric of her dress as the pain spread through her body.
Magnus’s expression changed instantly.
“What’s wrong?” he asked quickly, stepping forward.
Sophia didn’t answer. She remained seated on the desk, her hand pressing hard against her stomach as another wave of pain struck.
Her breathing became uneven.
Magnus crouched slightly in front of her and placed his hand over hers.
“What is it?” he asked again, his voice tight with worry. “Is it your stomach?”
Sophia could only manage a faint nod.
Before Magnus could say anything else, her vision blurred. Darkness crept into the edges of her sight.
And then—
Her body went limp.
“Sylvia?”
Magnus caught her instantly before she could fall.
He grabbed her shoulders, shaking her slightly.
“Sylvia? Wake up!”
But she didn’t respond.
The panic on his face grew. The heated emotions from moments earlier vanished completely, replaced by worry.
He quickly wrapped his arms around her to hold her steady while pulling his phone from his pocket.
He quickly dialed a number.
The moment the call connected, his voice turned sharp and commanding.
“Brent, get to the auction hall right now,” he barked. “I’m in one of the side rooms near the north corner of the main hall. Come quickly.”
He ended the call immediately.
Holding Sophia tightly in his arms, Magnus waited, his heart pounding painfully in his chest as the seconds crawled by.
***
Sophia groaned softly as she slowly opened her eyes.
The room around her came back into focus.
She was lying on a bed, her body feeling weak but far more relaxed than before. The sharp pain in her stomach had mostly faded.
Carefully, she pushed herself up into a sitting position.
Just as she started to stand, the door suddenly opened.
Magnus walked into the room.