There was no reply.
For a moment, she stood frozen, her pulse a deafening roar in her
ears. The coward inside her screamed for retreat–this was her chance
to leave, to slip away before she crossed a line she could never
uncross.
But then, with the last remnants of strength in her trembling limbs,
she pushed the door open.
The room was dark, save for the faint silver glow of moonlight
filtering through the heavy curtains. The bed was unmade, sheets
rumpled, but empty.
Her breath caught in her throat.
Maybe he wasn’t here. Maybe this was fate giving her one last out.
She should turn around. Walk away. Forget this reckless, desperate
impulse.
Then, a soft sound cut through the silence–the distant hiss of water
1/5
Chapter 264
ceasing.
A halo of light spilled from the slightly ajar bathroom door,
illuminating the space with a muted glow. Before she could move,
before she could even breathe, he stepped out.
And suddenly, all thought of escape vanished.
Graham hadn’t noticed her yet. His movements were casual,
unhurried, as he ran a hand through his damp, tousled hair, beads of
water still clinging to his skin. A towel hung low around his hips,
barely secured, drawing her unwilling gaze downward–over the
sculpted ridges of his abdomen, the deep cut of his V–line, and the
dark trail of hair that disappeared beneath the fabric.
She had felt those muscles beneath his shirt before, but now–now,
stripped bare before her–he was something else entirely.
Her mouth went dry.
The glow from the bathroom highlighted the powerful expanse of his
shoulders, the broad plane of his chest, the faint sheen of moisture
still glistening over his skin.
He turned slightly, reaching for something in the walk–in closet, and
the shift in motion made the towel dip just a fraction lower over his
2/5
Chapter 264
hips.
God.
Heat coiled deep inside her, unfamiliar and terrifying.
What was she doing?
She wasn’t ready for this. She needed to leave. Now. Before he saw
her, before she made an utter fool of herself.
The very thing that had drawn her in–that raw, undeniable
masculinity–was now the very thing making her tremble.
She had always admired his sheer size, the way his presence could
command a room, the way his broad shoulders and powerful arms
made her feel both safe and utterly helpless at the same time. But
now, standing in the dim glow of the room, with nothing but a towel
slung dangerously low on his hips, that same largeness, that same
strength, didn’t just make her nervous–it terrified her.
Her pulse pounded erratically as her gaze swept over him. The thick,
sinewy muscle of his chest, the sharp ridges of his abdomen, the deep
grooves leading lower–so much lower.
And then, for the first time, a new fear gripped her.
3/5
Chapter 264
She had read about sex. Seen it in movies. Understood, in theory, how
it worked. But she had never once thought about this–about size,
about scale, about what it would actually mean to take him inside
her.
If the rest of him was this big…
Her breath hitched.
Her stomach clenched, her throat went dry, and her legs turned to
water beneath her.
It wasn’t just nervousness. It was something deeper–raw, instinctual
fear.
She had thought of this as an act of love, of surrender, of giving him a
piece of herself that would remain his forever. But now, all she could
think about was the sheer, impossible reality of it. How could
something that size possibly fit inside her? How could it be anything
but pain?
Panic flickered in her chest. Maybe she wasn’t ready for this. Maybe
she had been wrong to come here. Maybe-
She took an instinctive step back.
4/5
Chapter 264
And that was when Graham finally noticed her.
His head lifted from where he had been rifling through the closet, and
his dark, piercing gaze locked onto hers.
Comments
Write Comments
Bo
✔ SHARE
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
