Chapter 4 #2
“Cut the small talk, Thal,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest. It was unsettling to see him standing here in my living room, my bare skin covered by the thin silk of my short robe.
A thread of intimacy between us was undeniable and shook me to my core. It had been a long time since we’d been alone together. Now that we were, the emotions surged inside me like an unexpected tornado, sudden, powerful, and oh so confusing.
“Are you going to answer my question, or are you just going to stand there and stare at me?”
I realized I was acting incredibly rude, but it was the only way to stay guarded. If I slipped, he might think he had the upper hand.
“I was hoping you’d reconsider my offer.”
I rolled my eyes and then asked, “Why would I do that?”
“Because it’s the smart thing to do.”
“Are you implying that I’m unintelligent, Thal?” I asked, raising a brow.
“I’d never do that. Quite the opposite, in fact. You’re wildly intelligent, Daphne. That’s how I know you wouldn’t dismiss this opportunity without giving it the deep consideration it deserves.”
“You make a lot of assumptions.”
“I see you clearly,” he said, his eyes lingering on mine, probing, as if trying to read every unspoken thought.
“Yeah, you said that before too.”
I struggled to look away, desperate to hide the storm of emotion raging inside me.
Yet, his unwavering gaze kept me captivated, an irresistible hold that made resisting impossible.
Inside, I felt my defenses weaken as the intensity of his eyes sent a fiery wave of desire through my veins, causing my knees to buckle.
Taking a deep, steady breath, I broke free from his stare and moved toward the window, yearning to escape the magnetic pull.
The faint sound of his footsteps on the floor betrayed that he had followed, but the lingering heat radiating from his body told me he was too close.
I dared not turn around, knowing he was inches away, lips tempting me. The memory of his earlier kiss still lingered in my mind, making it impossible to resist the urge to feel him again.
“Can’t we at least talk about it, Daphne?” His breath ghosted against my ear, sending a shiver of longing through me.
I trembled, craving more.
“No!” I pushed past him, seeking space between our bodies, the kind that let breath escape and thoughts to settle, space to understand what the right choice truly was.
The defiance in his eyes drew me in, made me want to understand him better, even as his relentless grip frayed my nerves.
“Why not?” he pressed, his voice a low murmur that somehow made my skin tingle.
His persistence was a maddening contrast to his calm exterior, and yet, it stirred something deeper within me, an uneasy fascination.
I wanted to push him away, but part of me longed to stay, to feel the heat of his gaze and the weight of his words.
“Why can’t you leave me alone, Thal?” I demanded, my voice trembling with a mixture of frustration and something more molten.
“Why should I?” he countered, a slow smile curling at his lips, challenging me to slip further into the web he spun.
“You want to know why I won’t consider your offer, Thal? If I tell you, will you leave me alone, once and for all?”
Every part of me, every bone and fiber, rebelled at my words. The last thing I truly desired was for Thal to walk away. Still, I clenched my jaw tight, determined he wouldn’t see that flicker of vulnerability.
“Perhaps…” He shrugged with unhurried ease, as if the tension between us was nothing more than a game.
I groaned, shaking my head as a whirlwind of emotions swirled inside, each vying for control, desire, defiance, and confusion, all blending into a tangled dance I couldn’t escape.
“Fine. I don’t trust you, to be blunt.”
“Okay, that’s something I can work with.”
“I highly doubt that.”
“Tell me why you don’t trust me.”
I hesitated. Showing him my cards wasn’t something I was sure I wanted to do. On the other hand, maybe confronting him with the information I’d uncovered would prompt him to reveal even more. It was a calculated risk, but one I felt confident taking.
I turned the laptop screen toward him, the green lines of the decrypted syndicate ping reflected in his dark eyes.
“I did some digging, Thal. You’ve been pinging Rhea’s private server every night at 2:00 AM. That’s a very specific time to be infiltrating. So, are you going to lie to me, or admit you’re exactly the kind of traitor Zeno warned me about?”
He didn't step back. He didn't even flinch. Instead, he leaned against the foyer wall, his broad shoulders blocking the only path to the rest of my suite. He watched me with the cold, predatory patience of a man who had already anticipated my next move.
“The word you’re looking for is ‘infiltration,’ Daphne,” he rumbled, his voice dropping to a dangerous, velvety low. “I don't work for them. I’m the one who decides whether they live or die.”
“That doesn’t sound like a denial,” I countered, though my voice lacked the steel I’d hoped for.
“I’ve spent years navigating the Olympus,” I said, with a defensive hiss. “Just because I’m in bed with Zeno’s organization doesn't mean I belong to him.”
“Well, it’s all in the vocabulary, isn’t it?
” Thal pushed off the wall, closing the distance between us until I had to tilt my head back just to keep his eyes in view.
He loomed over me, his scent, sandalwood and something dangerously metallic, filling my senses. “What exactly do you mean by ‘in bed’?”
I lifted my chin, my heart hammering against my ribs. “I’m not talking about fucking, if that’s what you’re asking.”
He didn't laugh. The amusement in his eyes darkened, becoming something much darker, much more primal. He reached out, his thumb slow and deliberate as it grazed the silk lapel of my robe, just inches from the frantic pulse at my throat.
“It wasn’t,” he whispered, his breath a scorching ghost against my ear. “But if you’re so concerned about who I’m in bed with, maybe you should make sure the spot next to me is already taken. By you.”
I tried to ignore how my skin set on fire at his touch.
I tried to ignore the flex of muscle in his forearm as he braced a hand against the wall behind my head, caging me in.
The space inside my apartment vanished. There was only the scent of him, whiskey, cold rain, and the heat radiating off his body in waves.
“Zeno doesn’t deserve this kind of loyalty,” he growled, his gaze dropping to my lips.
He wrapped his fingers into the strands, a gentle but firm grip that forced me to look at him.
“He doesn't see a woman when he looks at you, Daphne. He sees a tool. A yes-girl. Is that really all you want to be? A shadow in a dead man’s house?”
Fuck.
The question hit me harder than the physical proximity.
Every accusation he threw at Zeno felt like a mirror being held up to my life.
I’d given up everything to stay in the Olympus.
I’d traded my dreams for a gilded leash.
And as Thal loomed over me, looking like a man who wanted to set me on fire just to watch me burn, I realized I was terrifyingly close to letting him.
“Don’t ever believe I think you’re stupid, Daphne. That’s never how I see you. I think you’re too clever to let Zeno manipulate you like this.”
His words made my heart race.
Torn between the urge to make him stop and the sinking feeling that he might be right, I looked up at him, my eyes searching his. I had prayed for a sign right before he knocked on the door. Was he it?
His eyes flicked down to my lips, igniting a torrent of desire that clenched tight in my stomach.
Thal was an extraordinary kisser and an even more remarkable lover, something I was well aware of, and that knowledge made the proximity almost unbearable.
I saw the vein throbbing on his right temple, pounding with a rapid rhythm.
As I wondered if being so close affected him, he suddenly lowered his head and pressed his lips to mine, sealing a moment filled with unspoken longing.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
The word echoed in my mind like a neon warning light.
My breath caught in my throat as the tension between us flared and swirled with a tornado of need, transforming into a wave of passion so intense and wild that I couldn’t resist.
My arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer as I parted my lips, inviting his tongue to meet mine in a passionate duel.
My breasts pressed against his chest, and my nipples instantly grew more sensitive, pebbling into sharp, hard peaks.
A deep, resonant moan escaped his throat, vibrating through me and awakening a stir in my core, a powerful, soulful connection that words could never fully express.
It took precisely twenty seconds for me to regain clarity. Thal’s electrifying kisses seemed to drain my common sense. Why did I continue to allow this? Once more, I pushed firmly against his chest.
“No! We aren’t doing this again, Thal," I snapped, my eyes locking onto his.
I couldn’t grasp how he failed to see the darkness in this, or perhaps that was the whole point.
Was I merely some forbidden prize to be claimed and flaunted, then discarded? I refused to be a pawn, not for him, not for Zeno.
With deliberate purpose, I strode to the front door and yanked it open with a force that echoed my resolve. Turning to face him, I fixed him with a piercing glare.
"Get out.”
A knowing look flickered in his eyes that stirred my frustration. With measured, deliberate steps, he approached, each movement quiet and purposeful, until he stood in front of the door.
“I’ll leave. I am a gentleman, after all,” he whispered. He reached up, cupping my cheek with a gentle touch, and I fought to suppress the shiver that rippled through my body. “But, eventually, Daphne, you’re going to have to choose a side. And when you do, make sure it’s the right one.”
He turned away and walked out. I slammed the door behind him, leaning against it and sliding to the floor, trembling.
Everything felt like it was spinning out of control, as if the rug had been pulled out from beneath me.
Everything I believed I knew was now in question.
My place in the world, my alliances, my decisions.
The very foundation I had built my identity on seemed to be shaking violently.
I touched my lips, Thal’s kiss still lingering on my skin. The fact that I wanted more left me even more confused. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was on the verge of irreversibly changing my life, and it scared me.
Was Thal truly offering me a way to freedom? Deep down, I had always wanted to break free from Zeno’s grip. Still, my sense of loyalty, the debt I felt I owed him, kept me tethered.
Could I do this on my own? Maybe with Thal’s help, it was possible.
Perhaps he was right. Or was that just wild desire whispering in my ear?
Every time I moved closer to him, my clarity of mind slipped away.
Even now, after his footsteps had faded into the night, a shiver of longing still coursed through me.
Thal's charm was undeniable, but so was a hint of danger.
I wondered if the risk he posed was greater than the danger of staying with Zeno. Would remaining in that suffocating sea of familiarity slowly drown my spirit, leaving me a shadow of myself?
Conflicting emotions raged inside me, swirling chaos that made me feel lost, confused, and completely out of control. I dropped my head into my hands, my frustration growing, heart and mind overwhelmed.
“I can’t lose it now, not for him,” I whispered into the silence, my voice trembling with unspoken fears and desperate hope.