Chapter 1 You’re Such a Handsome Man #2
Somewhere along the way, Lucius had stopped being a man she was attracted to and become the center of a life she couldn't imagine living without.
She had fallen for him so completely that loving him had begun to feel like drowning.
And then, a year ago, she had finally realized that she could no longer follow his rules.
Not when her feelings had grown far beyond the boundaries of their arrangement. Not when she wanted more from him than he had ever promised to give.
So she had been the one to ask for the breakup.
Even now, she could still remember the moment she had said the words.
She had expected an argument. Perhaps anger. Maybe even an attempt to change her mind.
Instead, Lucius had accepted her decision.
Just like that, it was over.
He had walked out of her life, and Stella had been left behind, struggling to understand how someone who had occupied every corner of her world could disappear from it so easily.
It had felt as though a piece of her had been torn away, leaving a wound that refused to close.
A year had passed since then.
Yet she still hadn't learned how to live with the absence of him.
Stella blinked, and the blurred lights of the city gradually came back into focus.
The memory receded, but the ache it had left behind remained.
She could almost see his face in front of her.
Lucius.
Even when he wasn't there, he had a way of finding her.
He had appeared in her dreams night after night during the months following their breakup. Sometimes, she would wake up convinced that she could still feel his arms around her. Other times, she would reach for him in the darkness before remembering that he was no longer beside her.
The memories of their life together had become a kind of prison.
She wanted to break free of them. Wanted to stop remembering the sound of his voice, the warmth of his touch, and the way he had once looked at her as though she were the only woman in the world.
But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't escape him.
Her chest tightened.
She lowered her gaze, attempting to steady herself, but the world suddenly tilted beneath her feet.
“Shit…”
Before she could take another step, an arm wrapped securely around her waist.
Her breath caught.
A second later, both feet left the ground.
“Hey, careful,” a man's voice murmured.
Stella tried to lift her head, but it felt too heavy. Her eyelids fluttered as she struggled to make sense of what was happening.
Someone was carrying her.
She could feel the steady movement of his steps, the firm arm supporting her back, and the faint sway of her body against his chest.
“Put me down,” she mumbled, though the words came out barely audible.
The man didn't respond.
Or perhaps she was simply too dizzy to hear him.
She tried to open her eyes, but the world remained a blur of shadows and passing lights. Her head lolled against his shoulder, and she instinctively curled closer to the warmth supporting her.
A moment later, she was lowered into a seat.
The soft leather cradled her body as she slumped against it.
Then a familiar scent drifted toward her.
Floral. Clean. Comforting.
It wrapped around her like something she had known for years.
Stella's breathing eased.
Without thinking, she shifted toward the warmth beside her, her cheek brushing against what felt like a solid arm. Her fingers curled loosely into the fabric of a sleeve, and she settled against it.
For the first time that night, she felt safe enough to let her eyes close.
The car began to move.
She had no idea where they were going.
She didn't even know how long she had been asleep when the vehicle finally came to a stop.
The sudden stillness stirred her.
A moment later, something cool brushed against her cheek.
A large hand.
Stella's brows drew together. She shifted against the seat, her lashes fluttering as she struggled to open her eyes.
“Stella.”
The deep voice sent a shiver through her.
Her eyes opened.
Lucius was leaning into the car, his face only inches from hers.
For a moment, she simply stared at him.
The city lights illuminated the sharp lines of his face, while a deep frown settled between his brows. His cold fingers remained against her cheek, his thumb resting just below her eye.
He was looking at her with an expression she knew too well.
She had seen that frown countless times during the three years they had been together.
It was the look he wore whenever he was displeased.
Stella's lips parted.
She blinked once.
Then again.
“Lucius…?”
His gaze swept over her flushed face, lingering on her unfocused eyes.
Stella shifted in her seat, turning her head to look past him.
Her gaze fell on the familiar mansion standing behind him, its grand entrance illuminated by warm lights. The sight made her brows draw together.
He had brought her to his house.
For a moment, she simply stared, unable to decide whether she was dreaming or awake. Everything felt too real, from the cool night air brushing against her skin to the familiar man standing in front of her.
They had been separated for a year.
She hadn't seen him once during that time. And after returning to Manhattan from London just yesterday, she certainly hadn't expected to cross paths with him so soon.
Yet here he was.
Standing in front of her.
Stella's eyes drifted back to his face. She studied the familiar lines of his features, the sharpness of his jaw, and the dark eyes that had once been the first thing she looked for every morning.
Something inside her shifted.
Perhaps it was the alcohol.
Perhaps it was the memories.
Or perhaps it was simply the part of her that had never learned how to stop loving him.
Before she could think better of it, Stella leaned toward him.
Her hand rose instinctively, her fingertips brushing against his cheek. She traced the familiar contour of his jaw, almost as though she needed to make sure he was real.
Lucius went completely still.
His hand, which had been resting against her face, tightened ever so slightly.
“Stella…”
She didn't let him finish.
She reached for him and pressed her lips against his.
Lucius’s hand that was resting against Stella's face tensed slightly, and she felt his fingers tighten around her cheek. For a brief moment, he didn't move, as though he were struggling to decide what to do.
Then he took control.
His mouth covered hers, his kiss deepening as his lips moved against hers with a hunger he had kept buried for far too long. His tongue brushed against her lower lip before he drew it gently into his mouth, sucking on it for a moment before moving to her upper lip.
Stella's breath caught.
He kissed her again, taking everything she willingly offered, his fingers still cradling her face as though he couldn't bring himself to let her go.
The kiss was gentle, yet it awakened something inside her that had been missing for so long that she could barely breathe.
She had missed this.
Missed him.
And as his lips moved against hers, she wanted nothing more than for the moment to last forever.
Lucius finally leaned back into the car, bending toward her as he slipped one arm beneath her knees and the other around her back.
Before Stella could react, he lifted her out of the car.
Her arms instinctively wound around his neck, and her legs curled around his waist as he carried her toward the house.
One of his hands settled firmly against her hip, keeping her secure as she continued kissing him. Every time he tried to pull back, she followed him, her lips finding his again.
“Stella,” he murmured against her mouth.
She only tightened her hold on him.
Lucius exhaled through his nose, his jaw flexing as he carried her through the entrance.
The house was brightly lit despite the late hour, and the moment they stepped inside, the familiar scent of him surrounded her.
It was everywhere.
The clean, expensive fragrance she remembered from their life together, the scent of his clothes, his bedroom, and the home she had once shared with him.
Stella pressed closer, burying her face against his neck for a moment before lifting her head to kiss him again.
She wanted to lose herself in that familiar scent.
In him.
Her arms tightened around his neck as Lucius carried her upstairs toward his bedroom.
He pushed the door open without bothering to close it behind him and carried her inside.
A moment later, he lowered her carefully onto the bed.
But before he could straighten, Stella reached for him, drawing him back down.
Her lips found his again.
Lucius braced one hand against the mattress while the other settled against her waist. He tried to pull away long enough to look at her, but Stella followed him, kissing him again and again, as though she couldn't bear to let the moment end.
Finally, she broke the kiss, drawing in a shaky breath.
Her arms remained wrapped around his neck as she gazed up at him.
A small, dreamy smile appeared on her lips.
She reached up and brushed her fingers along his jaw, studying his face through her alcohol-blurred vision.
“You're such a handsome man,” she mumbled.
Lucius lowered his gaze to her, his expression intense.
Stella’s smile widened. “Even more handsome than my ex-boyfriend.”
Lucius’s jaw tightened, the warmth in his eyes disappearing at once.