Chapter 10 #3
His hand tightened against her face while the other arm wrapped around her waist, dragging her fully against his body until there wasn’t even an inch of space left between them.
Amara’s fingers instinctively grabbed onto his shirt.
For a terrifying second, she forgot everything else.
Forgot she was angry. Forgot she hated him at this moment. Forgot every painful thing he had ever done to her.
All she could feel was him.
His mouth.
The heat of his body.
The overwhelming intensity of being kissed by the man she had loved for years.
This was something she had dreamed about for so long.
She had been his wife. She had loved him silently for years. And all she had ever wanted was this—his attention, his touch, one real kiss from him.
And now he was kissing her like his life depended on it.
He tasted intoxicating. He smelled maddeningly good. Everything about him felt overwhelming, consuming, addictive.
But then reality came crashing back.
The memories hit her all at once.
His coldness.
His neglect.
The way he had pushed her away every single time she tried to get close to him.
The loneliness.
The heartbreak.
Suddenly the kiss didn’t feel sweet anymore.
It felt cruel.
Like punishment.
Like he was taking something from her only now that she had finally stopped begging for it.
Amara immediately tried to pull away.
But Elias didn’t let her.
A low sound escaped his throat as his hand slid from her jaw into her hair, fingers tangling tightly at the back of her head to keep her still while he kissed her even harder.
The kiss became messy, desperate, almost reckless.
He kissed her like he couldn’t get enough of her mouth no matter how much he took.
Amara tried turning her head away, but he followed her instantly, his lips chasing hers again and again.
Then suddenly—
She bit down hard on his lower lip.
Elias jerked back immediately.
The kiss broke apart at once.
For the first time since grabbing her, genuine shock crossed his face.
A small drop of blood appeared on his lower lip.
Breathing heavily, Elias lifted one hand slowly and touched the spot. When he pulled his fingers away, there was blood smeared across them.
He stared at it for a second before lifting his eyes back toward her.
“What are you doing?” he asked, sounding genuinely offended.
Amara glared at him, breathing unevenly.
“Don’t bite me,” Elias muttered, almost irritated now. “I’m trying to kiss you.”
Then, unbelievably, he added in a calmer tone, like he was correcting her over a small mistake,
“Just lick my lip, okay?”
Amara stared at him in disbelief.
Elias leaned forward again immediately, clearly intending to kiss her once more.
The second his mouth neared hers, Amara shoved hard against his chest.
“Stop acting like this!” she snapped. “What are you doing? Stop kissing me! Why are you even kissing me?”
Elias looked at her for one heated second.
Then his gaze dropped briefly to her lips again.
“You don’t like that?” he asked roughly.
His thumb brushed against her lower lip before he added in a low voice,
“What do you like then?”
His eyes darkened.
“Should I lick your lower lip more?”
He stepped toward her again, reaching for her waist.
“Come here,” he murmured, already trying to pull her back into another kiss.
His fingers closed tightly around her wrist as he tugged her toward him, his other hand sliding to her waist while he leaned down once more, clearly intending to kiss her again.
Amara’s breath caught when his face lowered toward hers.
Their lips barely brushed for a split second before she shoved hard against his chest.
“No!” she cried out sharply.
Elias froze for a second.
Amara glared at him, anger flashing brightly in her eyes as she pushed harder against his shoulders, forcing space between them. Her chest rose and fell unevenly from both anger and the overwhelming intensity of everything that had just happened.
“Stop acting like this!” she snapped. “You just stole my first kiss!”
Her voice echoed through the living room.
Elias stared at her.
For the briefest second, something shifted across his face.
‘It was my first kiss too!’ The words nearly left his mouth.
But instead, his jaw tightened. “It was always supposed to be mine.”
His voice came out rough and possessive.
His eyes burned into hers as he stepped closer again.
“Who were you saving it for?” he demanded.
There was anger in his expression now. Anger and disbelief, as if the very thought of another man touching her drove him insane.
Then he reached toward her again.
“Come here.”
Amara immediately slapped his hand away.
The sharp sound echoed between them.
“Don’t touch me.”
Her eyes flashed as she glared up at him.
“And don’t forget we’re divorced.” Her voice turned colder. “My kiss is none of your business. And who I kiss is also none of your business.”
Elias’s expression darkened instantly.
Amara continued angrily, years of frustration finally spilling out.
“You know what?” she snapped. “When I wanted this—when I begged you to kiss me—you wouldn’t even look at me.”
Her voice trembled slightly despite how hard she tried to sound cold.
“And now suddenly, when we have nothing to do with each other anymore, you start acting like you are dying without me?”
She glared at him one last time before turning sharply to leave.
But she barely made it two steps.
Elias immediately stepped in front of her again.
Before she could react, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her hard against him.
Amara gasped softly as her body collided with his chest.
His other hand instantly slid to the back of her neck, fingers spreading possessively against her skin while he lowered his head toward her again.
“Eli—”
The words never fully left her mouth.
His lips crashed against hers again.
This kiss was rougher. More aggressive.
And then suddenly—
He bit down on her lower lip.
Amara winced sharply at the sting, a soft sound escaping her throat as pain shot through her mouth. The bite wasn’t enough to make her bleed like he had earlier, but it still hurt enough to leave her breathless.
Her eyes widened in shock as she looked up at him.
Elias stared down at her intensely, his breathing uneven now.
“Don’t piss me off,” he said in a low voice.
His thumb brushed against her swollen lower lip where he had bitten her.
“The only person who gets to know what you taste like is me.”
His eyes darkened further.
“Don’t even think about kissing another man.”
Amara’s jaw tightened instantly.
She shoved against him and tried to pull away, but Elias only tightened his hold around her waist while his grip on her hand refused to loosen.
“Let go of me!” she snapped angrily, struggling harder against him.
But Elias held on stubbornly.
Finally, frustrated beyond control, Amara yanked herself roughly out of his grip.
This time she managed to break free.
She immediately took several steps back, breathing hard while fixing her dress and pushing her hair back in irritation.
Then she looked up at him sharply, forcing herself to calm down.
“What is going on between you and Maverick?” she demanded suddenly.
The question made Elias’s expression shift slightly.
Amara crossed her arms tightly over her chest.
“What were you talking about earlier?” she asked. “And what did you mean when you told him not to come near me?”
Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.
“What’s wrong between you two?”
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
Elias dismissed the topic immediately.
Then, without even giving her time to press further, he stepped closer again.
“What do you want to eat?” he asked suddenly.
Amara blinked at him in disbelief.
Elias continued talking as if the intense argument from seconds ago had never even happened.
“I’ll call Kaya,” he said while already reaching for his phone. “She can have the maids prepare everything you like.”
He began listing dishes one after another, his voice low and oddly focused.
“How about truffle pasta? Grilled salmon, garlic mashed potatoes, and also lemon salad?”
His eyes stayed on her face carefully, watching every tiny reaction she made.
“And cheesecake,” he added. “You always eat cheesecake even when you say you’re full.”
Amara stared at him.
“These are your favorites, right?” he asked quietly. “What else do you want?”
He stepped closer again, completely serious.
“You didn’t eat anything earlier. Coffee can’t fill you up properly.” His gaze moved slowly over her face before settling back on her eyes. “Tell me what you want to eat.”
Amara let out a long, exasperated breath.
The sudden shift in him was so unbelievable that she genuinely didn’t know how to react anymore.
One second he was jealous and furious. The next he was standing here asking what she wanted for dinner like they were still married and nothing between them had ever broken apart.
Unable to deal with him anymore, she turned away instead.
But Elias didn’t let her go far.
The second she moved, he followed after her immediately, staying only a step behind her as she walked through the living room.
Amara’s eyes wandered around the house.
And then, little by little, she began to realize something.
Nothing had changed.
The house still looked almost exactly the same as it had before she left.
Her gaze landed on one of the large framed photographs hanging on the wall.
Then another.
And another.
Pictures of her and Elias together were everywhere.
Some were from before their marriage. Others were from after.
Even their wedding portrait still hung prominently on the wall.
Amara stared at it silently.
She remembered hating that picture back then because she had been injured during the wedding and thought she didn’t look beautiful enough. They had only taken a few proper photographs together that day.
But Elias had still framed them.
Not only framed them—he had hung them all around the house.
Her chest tightened unexpectedly.
A strange warmth spread through her so suddenly that it caught her off guard completely.
Amara slowly looked around again.
Then, without meaning to, a faint smile tugged at the corner of her lips.
“When did you become so cheesy…” she muttered softly under her breath.