Sophia's legs were pinned beneath Ethan's weight.
Her entire body tensed, breath coming in ragged gasps.
"Wait—you're still injured!"
The foreplay stretched like the drizzling rain outside, endless and intoxicating.
Her fingertips turned white from gripping the sheets, carefully avoiding his freshly bandaged back.
Even the slightest pressure could reopen those wounds.
Ethan captured her lips in a searing kiss, devouring her protests.
"I don't care," he growled against her mouth.
Sophia's fingers tangled in his hair involuntarily.
Eyes squeezed shut, she could still trace the path of his tongue with terrifying clarity.
Soft yet demanding.
A relentless invasion.
Unlike their usual frenzied couplings, tonight felt like deliberate entrapment.
Leaving her no room for escape.
In this moment, Sophia realized their fundamental similarity.
Neither would ever submit.
From the elevator confrontation to this heated entanglement, every move had been mutual provocation.
"I'm dangerous," he'd warned.
"So am I," she'd countered.
The more forbidden, the deeper they fell.
Not just Ethan—she was equally complicit in this madness.
Her hair cascaded over them as fingertips skimmed his sculpted chest.
The contrast of her cool touch against his fevered skin drew a shudder.
Every point of contact ignited wildfire.
Consuming them both.
——
Panting, Sophia glimpsed her phone blinking on the nightstand.
She reached for it with trembling fingers.
"Wait... I need to take this."
Ryan's name flashed onscreen.
"Ryan?" she answered, forcing calm into her voice.
"Sophia! Finally!" His strained voice crackled through the speaker.
Bloodshot eyes scanned the chaotic venue as Ryan clutched his phone.
After the competition, he'd searched everywhere—only to learn about the nearby explosion.
Countless unanswered calls until this moment.
"Are you hurt? The police said they couldn't locate you—" His voice broke.
Sophia blinked, softening her tone. "I'm fine. Just had my phone silenced."
As she reassured him, thoughts of Chloe and Liam surfaced.
"Did you handle everything there?"
"It's done. The new assistant and I made sure they won't cause trouble." Dark promise laced his words. "Say the word, and I'll make them disappear."
He'd never let blood stain her hands.
"Death's too merciful. Let them suffer." A thoughtful pause. "Besides, the old man would grieve."
Her words dissolved into a gasp.
"Ah—"
Sophia looked down to see dark hair brushing her chest.
Ethan was marking her inch by inch.
Every word of her conversation reached him.
That single word—"Ryan"—sent possessive fury coursing through his veins.
Sophia yanked his hair in warning.
Had looks could kill, Ethan would be bleeding out.
He responded by tightening his grip on her waist.
A deliberate provocation.
"Sophia? Your voice sounds..." Ryan's concern sharpened.
Keys jingled as he moved.
"I'm coming to you."
Panic flared.
"No! I just need rest." She bit back a moan.
The imminent danger of discovery heightened every sensation.
When Ethan's next move shattered her control, words failed.
Her body melted against him.
Skin flushed with desire.
"Goodnight!" Sophia ended the call abruptly, pressing against Ethan's shoulder.
Fingers closed around his throat.
"Ethan Sullivan," she hissed. "You're dead."