CHAPTER 43

ELLA'S POV

I lay in bed, feeling the sheets beneath me, observing the first beams of morning sunlight filter through the curtains. I had just pulled on my dress, but I really didn't feel like moving quite yet. My mind was still lost in the haze of last night. His touch remained on my skin, the possessive grip, the ease with which he took control-so naturally.

A small smile teased at my lips until it quickly fell away with the emergence of a voice-a female voice-from the hallway. I frowned at the sound that invaded my thoughts. I strained to listen more intently, and what I heard was the sharp, cutting sound of her voice cutting through the air.

It sounded too familiar.

Then it clicked. Claudia.

I sprang upright, the memory of her stinging words at the party flashing through my mind. I slipped off the bed, then moved silently toward the door, just out of sight but close enough to hear their conversation clearly.

"Xavier, I don't understand. Why are you wasting your time with her?" Cla