Chapter 16

Laura's POV

I barely registered the sound of my own footsteps as I sprinted back toward the house, my heart pounding, not just from the run, but from the sudden awareness of what had just happened.

The easy laughter, the lightness I had felt, the way I had let my guard slip with that stranger.

What the hell was I thinking?

I burst through the front door, breathing heavily, and made a beeline for my room, ignoring everything and everyone. I needed a moment. Just one moment to make sense of what had happened.

The second I stepped inside, I shut the door behind me and leaned against it, dragging in deep, uneven breaths. My mind was a mess of emotions, confusion, guilt, and something dangerously close to excitement.

But before I could sort through any of it, a cold shiver ran down my spine.

I wasn’t alone.

The air in the room felt different, charged, heavy, suffocating. My instincts screamed at me before I even turned around.

I already knew who it was.

Slowly, I turned, my pulse thudding in my ears.

He was right there sitting in the chair by the window, one leg crossed over the other, his elbow resting on the armrest, fingers idly tapping against his knee. His dark eyes locked onto mine, unreadable as ever, but there was something different about him.

Something dangerous. He emitted a dark aura.

I swallowed hard. “What are you doing in my room?”

The words barely left my mouth before he stood up, too fast, too smooth.

Then he rushed toward me.

I barely had time to react.

My breath hitched as he closed the distance in an instant, stopping right in front of me, so close I could feel the heat radiating from his body. His presence was overwhelming, suffocating, the sheer intensity in his gaze making my throat go dry.

My back pressed against the door instinctively, my fingers curling against the wood. My heart was a frantic drumbeat in my chest.

“What…” My voice came out hoarse. “Kelvin, what are you.. ”

“Who was he?”

The words were quiet, yet sharp enough to cut through the air between us.

I blinked, thrown off. “What?”

His jaw tightened, his eyes darkening further. “The man you were with.”

I inhaled sharply. He had seen.

A slow, sinking realization settled in my stomach.

Kelvin had been watching me.

I shook my head, forcing myself to breathe. “He was just…”

“Just what?” he interrupted, his voice deceptively calm. “A stranger? A friend? A fuck buddy?”

The accusation in his tone sent a shiver down my spine.

I clenched my fists, refusing to let him intimidate me. “That’s none of your business.”

I knew I was in trouble because that was the wrong answer.

His expression darkened, his entire body going rigid.

Then, before I could react, his hands slammed against the door on either side of my head, caging me in.

I sucked in a sharp breath. I was trapped.

Kelvin leaned in, his face mere inches from mine, his scent, clean, crisp, intoxicating filling my lungs.

My heart pounded so hard I was sure he could hear it.

“Everything about you,” he murmured, his voice low and dangerous, “is my business.”

His gaze burned into mine, filled with something raw and possessive.

I swallowed hard, my breath hitching as Kelvin’s words sank in.

Everything about you is my business.

His eyes bore into mine, dark and unreadable, his breath warm against my lips.

No.

I wasn’t going to let him control me.

I pressed my hands against his chest, shoving hard, but he barely budged. It was like pushing against a wall, solid, unmoving, and unbothered.

“Move,” I hissed.

He didn’t. Instead, his lips curled into a smirk, one that sent a shiver down my spine.

And then, before I could say another word, he did the wildest thing I never thought possible.

Kelvin Aldoracco bit my lip. He bit my lip.

Not gently. Not teasingly.

A sharp, possessive bite.

A gasp tore from my throat, my body going rigid. But before I could react, his tongue flicked over the spot he had bitten, soothing the sting with an agonizing slowness that sent heat pooling in my stomach.

I was stunned.

My mind blanked, my body betraying me as a wave of something foreign, something dangerous, coursed through me.

The bastard had the audacity to smirk again, as if he knew exactly what he was doing to me.

Oh, fuck me. I could feel the wetness pooling in between my legs and I knew I was in trouble.

A fire ignited in me, snapping me out of my shock. I wasn’t going to let him have the upper hand.

Before he could pull away, I grabbed the collar of his shirt, yanked him closer, and sank my teeth into his bottom lip.

Hard.

A low, sharp hiss escaped him, but he didn’t pull back.

The taste of blood hit my tongue, and for some insane reason, I didn’t stop.

I licked it.

Kelvin’s entire body tensed against mine, his fingers twitching against the door.

Then something inside him seemed to snap.

A guttural sound rumbled from his chest, and the next second, his lips crashed against mine.

It wasn’t soft. It wasn’t sweet. It was hard and violent, just like him.

His hands slid down, gripping my waist, pulling me flush against him as his tongue pushed into my mouth, claiming me in a way that sent my senses spiraling.

I met him head-on, fingers tangling into his hair as I fought back, taking as much as I gave.

The kiss was raw, desperate, and filled with something I couldn’t name.

Heat coiled in my stomach, spreading like wildfire through my veins.

I should stop.

I should push him away.

But I didn’t.

I couldn’t.

And from the way Kelvin devoured me, neither could he. His kisses were cruel and overwhelming, crashing into me like a wave at sea. I could feel that my lips were terribly swollen from his maneuvering.

Almost against my will, I started to undress for him, but then, he pulled away. Just as fast as it started, fiery and hot, it ended.

He looked just as disheveled but his eyes were dilated and he bit on his injured lower lip while smirking down at me. He lifted my chin and whispered in my face.

Kelvin’s fingers tilted my chin up, forcing me to meet his gaze. His dark eyes gleamed with something wicked, something possessive.

His lips, swollen from our brutal kiss, curved into that infuriating smirk.

“You forget something, wife,” he murmured, his voice a low rasp against my lips.

My breath hitched, my mind still spinning from what had just happened.

Wife.

The word sent a jolt through me, snapping me back to reality.

The contract.

I clenched my jaw, my chest heaving. He was using it to remind me that no matter what, I was bound to him.

As if reading my mind, his smirk deepened. “As long as our contract stands, you are mine.”

His fingers traced a slow path down my jaw, making my skin prickle.

“Clause seven,” he continued, his voice dripping with satisfaction. “You are not allowed to entertain any other man, physically, emotionally, or intimately. Any violation…” His thumb brushed over my bottom lip, the touch deceptively gentle. “And you already know the consequences.”

I swallowed, my nails digging into my palms. Of course, I knew.

I had signed that contract myself.

He leaned in closer, his breath warm against my skin. “So tell me, wife, should I remind you why you belong to me?”

My stomach twisted at the threat laced in his words.

I stayed in my room.

For hours.

Too mortified to go outside. Too shaken to even look at myself in the mirror.

My lips still tingled from Kelvin’s brutal kiss, swollen and bruised. Every time I swallowed, I felt the sting of his bite. And worst of all…I could still feel his touch, his breath, the way his voice had wrapped around me like a noose, binding me in ways I couldn’t escape.

“As long as our contract stands, you are mine.”

The words echoed in my head, taunting me.

I curled into myself on the bed, knees drawn to my chest, staring blankly at the ceiling. The room was dim, the curtains drawn shut. I didn’t want to see the world outside. I didn’t want to face him.

My body still thrummed with the aftermath of whatever that had been. Lust? Anger? A dangerous mix of both?

It didn’t matter.

What mattered was that I had let it happen.

I had kissed him back.

I had fought him, bit him, tasted him.

And I hated that I didn’t regret it as much as I should have.

A sharp knock at the door jolted me.

I stiffened. My breath caught in my throat.

No.

I wasn’t ready to face him. Not yet. Maybe not ever.

I squeezed my eyes shut, willing the person to go away.

Another knock.

More insistent this time.

I clenched my fists. Ignore it. Maybe they’ll leave.

Silence stretched for a moment, and I let out a quiet breath.

But the door creaked open.

I tensed, every nerve in my body on edge.

Whoever it was hadn’t waited for permission.

Heavy footsteps crossed the threshold. The air in the room shifted, thickening with an unspoken tension.

I didn’t need to look. I knew it was him.

My pulse hammered, but I didn’t move. I couldn’t.

He came closer, each step sounding like my death sentence. The scent of him filled the space between us.

I forced myself to sit up, back rigid, hands gripping the sheets.

“What do you want?” I said, my voice hoarse, betraying the storm inside me.

Silence.

Then, the mattress dipped.

He was sitting on the edge of my bed.

Too close.

I bit my lip, immediately regretting it when pain shot through the tender flesh.

A deep chuckle rumbled from him. “Does it hurt?”

I glared at him, swallowing my embarrassment. “Why are you here?”

Kelvin didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he reached out, his fingers brushing over my jaw, tilting my face toward him.

I jerked back. “Don’t touch me.”

His lips curled slightly, as if amused. “You didn’t seem to mind earlier.”

My cheeks burned. “You’re an asshole.”

He hummed as if considering it, then leaned in slightly. “You should see yourself right now, wife.”

The way he said it, wife, sent an unwanted shiver down my spine.

“Go away,” I muttered, turning my face away.

He didn’t move.

Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out something, placing it on the nightstand.

A tube of lip balm.

I blinked at it, caught off guard.

“For the damage,” he said casually.

I stared at the small object, then at him. Was he being… considerate? No. Kelvin Aldoracco didn’t do kindness.

I scoffed, crossing my arms. “Do I look like I’d accept gifts from you?”

He smirked. “You look like you need it.”

I wanted to throw the damn thing at his face, but instead, I just exhaled sharply and turned away.

“You can leave now.”

Kelvin didn’t move for a long moment. I felt his gaze linger on me, heavy and unreadable. Then, finally, he stood.

“I’ll see you at dinner.”

It wasn’t a question. It was an order.

I clenched my jaw but didn’t respond.

As he reached the door, he paused, glancing back. “Don’t make me come get you.”

And with that, he was gone.

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.

Damn him.

Damn him for always getting under my skin.