Part 9:

Danger and desire braided so tightly she couldn’t tell which excited her more. They sat on the off deck as the yacht cut through the Mediterranean. Monaco now just a distant shimmer on the horizon, and silence stretched between them, heavy with unspoken things. Aleandro poured champagne with controlled movements. But Seline noticed the tension in his shoulders, the way his jaw tightened when he thought she wasn’t watching.

“You’re not going to tell me what’s really happening, are you?” she asked quietly. He handed her the glass, his fingers brushing hers in a way that felt deliberate. But not yet. Seline tipped her head, an incredulous, surprised smile touching her mouth as her brows lifted. Why not? Alisandra was quiet for a long moment, his gaze fixed on the endless blue ahead.

That night, 14 years ago, it was the first time I’d ever actually saved someone instead of destroying or controlling. He turned to face her and something in his expression made her chest tighten. A 9-year-old girl looked at me like I was a hero and something in me changed. I started questioning what kind of man I wanted to be.

Selene’s breath caught, her hand rising to touch his face without thinking. Maybe that’s what connects us. Not just coincidence, but something deeper. Her voice dropped to barely above a whisper. From the moment I saw you in that lobby, I haven’t been able to think about anything else. You make me feel scared and safe at the same time.

Is that even possible? Alessandro’s hand covered hers, pressing it against his cheek with surprising gentleness. With you, everything feels possible. His thumb traced along her jaw. You terrify me because you make me want to be the man you think I am, and I’m not sure I know how. Her heart hammered as her fingers trembled, moving to trace his lips with hesitant touch.

Then maybe we’re both terrified. Alessandro’s control shattered, his hand slid into her hair, and he pulled her to him, kissing her with a passion that made thinking impossible, his other hand gripping her waist as he drew her closer across the small space between them. What started as her tentative touch became something consuming, heat building until Seline forgot where they were.

Forgot everything except his mouth on hers and the way his hands held her like she was something precious and necessary all at once. When they finally broke apart, both gasping, Alessandro’s forehead pressed against hers, his breathing as ragged as her own. Stay with me tonight. Just tonight. Let me have you in my world. Selene’s hands trembled where they gripped his shirt, fear and desire tangling until she couldn’t separate one from the other.

“But my father, I’ll handle him,” Allesandro said, his thumb brushing across her swollen lips. “Please, Seline,” his phone rang, sharp and insistent, shattering the moment like breaking glass. Alessandro’s expression went dark as he glanced at the screen, his jaw tightening in a way that made something cold settle in her stomach.

He declined without hesitation and tossed the phone onto the table, his attention returning to her like nothing else existed. Where were we? But Seline had seen his face, had seen something cold and dangerous flicker through his eyes before he’d controlled it. Had seen the name on the screen for just a second. Giani. Who was that? She asked quietly, her voice steadier than she felt.

Alessandro’s hand found hers, lacing their fingers together with possessive certainty. Someone who doesn’t matter right now. He lifted her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. The only person who matters is you. It should have reassured her. Instead, it made her wonder what he wasn’t telling her, and whether trusting him with her heart also meant trusting him with her life.

Aleandro stood, his hand trailing down her arm. Give me 5 minutes. I need to change and make a call. He disappeared into the yacht’s interior, leaving Seline alone on the deck with champagne and the endless Mediterranean stretching in every direction. She sat in the silence. The yacht’s engines a low hum beneath her feet, and something nagged at the edges of her mind.

For a vessel this size, this expensive, there should be staff, stewards, deck hands, someone serving drinks and clearing plates. But she’d seen no one except the captain at the helm when they’d boarded, and even he’d disappeared once they’d left port. The yacht felt too empty, too quiet, unease prickled down her spine.

Selene rose and moved toward the interior, her heels silent on the polished deck. The main cabin was elegant, all dark wood and soft lighting, but still deserted. She moved down a corridor lined with closed doors, following the sound of movement from somewhere ahead. A door stood a jar at the end of the hall, and through it she could see Aleandro with his back to her, shirtless, reaching for a fresh shirt from what looked like a walk-in closet.

She stopped in the doorway, breathcatching. His back was a map of lean muscle and control, shoulders moving with fluid grace, and she couldn’t look away. Couldn’t stop her eyes from tracing the lines of his body with a hunger that should have embarrassed her, but didn’t. Aleandro turned and caught her staring. For a moment, neither of them moved.

The air between them charged with everything unspoken. Seline didn’t say anything, didn’t trust her voice, just crossed the space between them with steps that felt braver than she actually felt. Aleandro’s hands found her waist immediately, pulling her against him with a hunger that made her knees weak. He whispered to her ear, “Seline!” She silenced him with her mouth, and whatever hesitation had been holding him back dissolved as his hands slid up her back, finding the zipper of her dress.

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