Once you fall, there's no turning back.
Those who've tasted forbidden fruit always crave more.
Ethan Sullivan knew this better than anyone.
He was supposed to be the one in control of this game.
Yet his carefully laid plans kept unraveling.
Last night, he'd almost asked her:
"Sophia Sullivan, what exactly are we?"
The words had lodged in his throat.
They knew each other too well.
A single glance spoke volumes.
This was just an unspoken game between them.
Sophia never pried into his private affairs.
Yet like taming a wild beast, she drew him deeper.
But this time was different.
They'd indulged with clear minds, entangled before the floor-to-ceiling windows.
The city lights bore witness.
Until they collapsed onto the bed, spent.
In the darkness, Ethan murmured:
"Sophia, I want to keep you by my side."
To make her his alone.
He couldn't tell if it was love or obsession.
Only that she was his undoing.
The man who once scoffed at love.
Now found himself ensnared by it.
Silence answered him.
He thought she was refusing to respond.
"Consider it drunken ramblings."
Still no reply.
Ethan turned to look.
Sophia's steady breathing revealed she'd long fallen asleep.
Staring at the ceiling, he smiled bitterly.
So it had been wishful thinking.
Perhaps her not hearing was fate's mercy.
Sophia was truly exhausted.
Between the gala, the dance, and their passion.
She hadn't even checked The Nexus.
Her sleep had been unusually deep.
Morning light revealed her evening gown in tatters again.
Lingerie still draped over the desk corner.
Last night had been... excessive.
Four condoms littered the bedside.
Yet the room now stood immaculate.
The space beside her empty.
She assumed Ethan had left.
Descending the stairs, an enticing aroma greeted her.
A man stood in the kitchen wearing only an apron.
His shirt had vanished.
Morning light gilded his sculpted back.
"Mr. Sullivan invading my kitchen to expose my cooking incompetence?"
She leaned against the doorframe, teasing.
Her gaze caught the shadows beneath his eyes.
Ethan flipped the skillet without turning.
"Someone mentioned craving meat last night."
Sophia's ears burned.
That had been passion-drunk nonsense.
Yet he'd made breakfast.
"Almost ready."
The slight curve of his lips when he turned.
A rare sight—Sophia at a loss for words.