~ Evelyn’s POV ~
The trip abroad had been a necessity, but not for the reasons my board of directors believed.
I didn’t need to oversee the new collaboration with our new partner in person.
I just needed the distance to process everything that had been going on in my personal life.
No thank to Clara, who’s presence has since dismantled my resolve and rendered my heart vulnerable.
But the travel didn’t do what I needed it to do, instead, I spent every waking moment and every late-night meeting thinking about Clara.
I finally came to the conclusion that what I felt for her wasn’t just about being a boss or a protector.
It was deeper than that.
It was a constant, nagging pull toward her that I couldn’t ignore anymore, and it scared me.
Scared me because she had been married to a man…a terrible man yes, but a man nonetheless.
I had no idea if she could ever look at a woman like me and feel anything other than obligation.
And i am stuck wondering if I was falling for someone who could never actually want me back.
After a week away, i arrived back at the mansion well after midnight.
My driver pulled into the underground garage, and the elevator took me straight up to the main floor.
I found her in the living room.
She was asleep on the sofa, curled under a throw blanket.
She looked so beautiful with her eyes close.
Her face looked peaceful in the dim light and so completely unaware of the storm she was causing in my head.
I stood over her for a long time, watching the steady rise and fall of her chest.
Against every instinct telling me to keep my distance, I leaned down.
I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear then pressed a kiss to her forehead.
It was a quiet admission of everything I was too afraid to say out loud.
But then stirred then woke up, I panicked.
Not wanting her to see how much she affected me, I did what I always do, i put the walls back up and acted like I didn’t care.
I told her to go upstairs and started to walk away.
Suddenly, her arms were around my waist, holding onto me from behind with a grip that made me stop in my tracks.
I could feel her shaking against my back, her entire body trembling.
Then came the sound of her crying.
It was a broken, desperate sobbing that made my chest feel tight.
“I’m sorry,” she gasped, her voice thick with tears.
“I’m so sorry, Miss Evelyn.”
Knowing Clara she was probably apologizing for the hotel incident and everything that led up to that.
I felt the heat of her face against my back, and all the coldness I had been trying to maintain just fell away.
I couldn’t be the “Ice Queen” right now, not when she was falling apart right in front of me.
Standing there for a few minutes with my hand hovering over hers, I slowly turned around.
I needed to see her and most importantly needed to stop pretending that I wasn’t just as affected by this as she was.
I took her by the shoulders, my fingers sinking into the soft knit of her sweater.
I wanted her to look at me, but she wouldn’t lift her head.
She just kept sobbing into her hands, her shoulders shaking with every breath.
The room was dark, lit only by the faint, flashes of the storm outside.
In that flickering light, I could see how much this week had taken out of her.
Her eyes were red and swollen, and she looked exhausted from the weight of whatever she’d been carrying. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
“Clara, look at me,” I said, my voice softer than I intended.
She finally looked up, her face wet with tears.
“I didn’t mean to lie to you,” she whispered, her voice cracking.
“I just… I couldn’t let him do it. He showed me the files, Miss Evelyn. He said he was going to destroy everything you’ve worked for. He was going to send you to prison.”
I felt a sharp pang in my chest as I listened to her.
“You should have told me,” I sighed.
“I could have handled Julian. You didn’t have to go there alone.”
“I know,” she sobbed, shaking her head.
“I know you could have handled it. But I couldn’t take the risk. If he had actually done it, if something had happened to you because of me….I would never have forgiven myself”
She stepped even closer, her voice barely a whisper.
“I would rather have anything happen to me than see you hurt Miss Evelyn. I don’t think I could… I don’t think I could keep going if I was the reason your reputation is ruined”
I just stood there, frozen with everything she was saying.
Against every rule I’d ever made for myself, I reached out.
My hand wasn’t as steady as I wanted it to be as I brushed a damp strand of hair away from her face, she didn’t pull away, Instead she leaned into my touch, a small ragged breath escaping her.
I used my thumb to gently wipe a fresh tear from her cheek.
Then cupped her face, feeling the steady beat of her pulse under my fingers.
“I’m not angry at you, Clara,” I whispered, “I was just… terrified that had i been a little late, something bad would have happened to you”
She looked up at me, her eyes searching mine in the dim light.
I felt the air between us change when the only sound heard in the room was our own heavy breathing..
My head was screaming at me to walk away, to go back to the distance I had spent a week building, but my heart was pushing me forward, urging me to take the chance.
I leaned in, my movements slow and deliberate.
When my nose brushed against hers, the last shred of my self-control I’ve been trying to hold onto finally snapped.
I expected her to pull back, to move away from me but she stayed right there, her breath hitching as she mate my gaze
I took that as the only sign I needed and pressed my lips on hers.
It started out soft, almost tentative, as if we were both afraid of what we were starting.
But the moment our mouths touched, the heat flared up between us.
I tasted the salt from her tears and the warmth of her skin.
The kiss deepened, becoming something desperate and intense.
My hands moved to her waist, pulling her closer until there was no space left between us, the kiss deepened as our tongues tangled in a way that made my head spin, while the world around us blurred into nothing but the feel of her in my arms
I was losing it but couldn’t get myself to stop.
The more I felt her against me, the more I wanted to keep going, to let this escalate until there was no turning back
When we finally separated, we pulled back slowly, our foreheads still pressed together as we both struggled to catch our breath.
I could feel the heat radiating off her, the frantic beat of her pulse echoing my own.
Clara’s hand moved then, her fingers trembling slightly as they brushed against my lower lip.
The touch was light, almost accidental, but it sent a fresh jolt of electricity through me.
She looked up at me, her eyes dark and clouded with the same longing I felt.
I couldnt wait, I leaned in again, but this time the kiss was slow and deep, a silent promise that I wasn’t letting her go.
When we finally broke apart for the second time, I held her in my arms, our breaths mingling in the quiet.
I reached down and took her hand, my fingers locking firmly with hers.
“Let’s go,”
I led her up the grand staircase and straight to my own private quaters.
“You’re staying here tonight,” I told her as we stepped into the master suite.
I didn’t want to overwhelm her further, and besides i needed to reset, to calm the fire that was still rushing through my veins.
Leaving her alone i walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower and stepped under the spray while it was still ice-cold.
I stood there for a long time, letting the freezing water pour over me, doing my best to settle my high temperature and bring myself back to a state of control.
When I walked back into the bedroom, I found Clara sitting on the edge of the foot of the bed.
She was staring down at her hands, her fingers twisting together in her lap.
She looked so lost in thought that she didn’t even notice I was there.
I cleared my throat softly and she jumped, her head snapping up as she realized I had returned.
The flush on her face deepened instantly, the red creeping up from her neck to her cheeks.
She looked even shyer now than she had downstairs, her eyes darting away from mine before landing back on her folded hands.
“There’s no need to be nervous, Clara,” I said, my voice low and steady.
I walked over to the side of the bed and pulled back the heavy duvet.
“It’s been a long night for both of us. You need the rest.”
I sat on my side of the bed and looked at her.
“I brought you here because I want to know you’re safe. Nothing else is going to happen tonight unless you want it to. Just come and sleep.”
She hesitated for a second before finally nodding.
She climbed into the other side of the bed, moving carefully as if she were afraid the silk sheets might break.
As soon as she lay down, she turned her back to me, curling into a small ball near the edge.
I couldn’t help but chuckle softly at her reaction.
Even after everything that had just passed between us, she was still the same shy, reserved girl I’d hired.
I was about to reach for the lamp when my phone gave a sharp, persistent ping from the nightstand.
I checked the screen, it was an update from Francis.
He confirmed that Julian was officially in custody and that bail had been denied, just as I had intended.
He also noted that Julian’s father had been calling the office incessantly, trying to beg for a meeting to “discuss” his son’s release before the first court hearing in two days time.
I reached for my tablet on the bedside table and started typing out a response.
I wasn’t interested in a meeting or a plea for mercy; I instructed Francis to make sure every legal door remained locked and to block any attempt at a settlement.
For the thirty minutes, I decided to answer some work related emails and sent instructions to my senior executive, an effectively ignoring all emails sent by the Sterlings’.
By the time I sent the final message and set the tablet aside, the sound of Clara’s breathing had changed.
She had finally fallen asleep.
Moving quietly, i slide out of bed and walk around the bed to her side.
I knelt on the thick carpet beside her, watching her sleep just as I had when I first came home.
In the soft glow of the nightlight, the tension had finally left her face.
She looked even more beautiful.
I reached out and brushed a stray hair from her forehead before leaning down to press a lingering kiss to the top of her head then tucked in the duvet more securely around her shoulders, making sure she was warm, before heading back to my side of the bed.
Closing my eyes for a few minutes I tried to sleep but couldn’t, then i felt the mattress shift.
Clara turned in her sleep, rolling over until she was inches away from me.
She moved closer, her body seeking out my warmth until she was tucked firmly against my side, her hand resting unconsciously against my chest.
“Isn’t that convenient” I let out a small chukle before wrapping my arm around her and pulling her flush against me.
I kissed her hair one last time, breathing in the scent of her, and finally allowed myself to drift off.
And just before I drifted off, i realized that I would love to have her this close every night for the rest of my life.
Though tomorrow, the consequences of this night would catch up to us, but for now, all I wanted to do was just hold her.