The contract hung in the air, invisible yet suffocating.
Justina lay awake long after Carson had left her room the night before, staring at the ceiling, her skin still tingling where his hands had held her. Every word he'd spoken looped in her head his threats, his promises, his kiss that had tasted like both punishment and salvation.
She told herself she hated him. And she did. But her body… her body was a traitor, already anticipating the next time he would touch her.
By morning, she had decided on one thing, she would not let him see her break.
The penthouse smelled of roasted coffee and something sweet when she entered the sunlit kitchen. The city stretched out beyond the glass walls, the light painting everything in gold. Nathaniel was at the counter, spooning cereal into his mouth, while Carson stood at the stove.
Yes, Carson. Cooking.
He turned a pancake with fluid precision, his sleeves rolled up, revealing the corded strength of his forearms. The billionaire CEO, the man who'd tied her to his bed, looked like a domestic god.
The sight unmoored her.Nathaniel grinned when he saw her. "Miss Ashes! Sit next to me."
She managed a smile and slid onto the stool. Carson glanced at her, a flicker of amusement in his storm gray eyes, before sliding a plate in front of her.
"Eat," he said.
She lifted her chin. "I don't take orders at the breakfast table."
His smile was wicked, low and private. "No, you take them in bed."
Her cheeks burned, heat flashing through her, and she nearly knocked over her glass of juice. Nathaniel's innocent chatter saved her from responding, but Carson's gaze lingered, pinning her with promises she wasn't ready to admit she wanted.
After breakfast, Carson summoned her to his study.
The room was vast, lined with floor-to-ceiling shelves, the air smelling of leather and old paper. He closed the door behind her, his movements controlled, precise.
"Why didn't you tell me about the shelter?" he asked, voice soft but edged with steel.
She crossed her arms. "Because it wasn't relevant."
He stepped closer, and closer still, until she had to tilt her head back to meet his eyes. "Everything about you is relevant to me now."
Her throat tightened. "You don't own me."
Carson smiled, slow and merciless. "Then why do you tremble every time I touch you?"
Her pulse betrayed her, thundering in her ears. She hated him. She wanted him. And she had no idea which feeling would destroy her first.
The study door clicked shut behind him, the sound final, intimate.
Carson moved closer, one deliberate step at a time, until Justina's back brushed the shelves. His nearness stole her breath, his scent of spice and smoke wrapping around her like invisible chains.
"You're trembling again," he said, low and certain. His hand rose, not touching, but hovering just above her cheek, the warmth of him taunting.
"I'm not," she whispered.
Carson tilted his head, studying her like a puzzle he meant to solve. "You think you can lie to me? That I won't notice the way your pulse jumps when I'm near?"
Her lips pressed into a thin line. "You're used to women melting at your feet. I'm not one of them."
His smile was sin incarnate. "No. You're worse. You melt and fight me at the same time."
Before she could answer, his hand closed gently around her throat,not squeezing, just holding. A touch that was equal parts restraint and promise.
Heat flared through her, sharp and terrifying.
"Let go," she demanded, though her voice betrayed her.
Carson's thumb brushed lazily against her pulse. "You don't want me to."
Her knees weakened, treacherous. His grip shifted, not forceful, but possessive. He wasn't strangling her he was claiming her.
"Do you know what happens," he murmured, lips grazing the edge of her ear, "to women who try to challenge me?"
Her breath caught. "They run?"
His laugh was low, dangerous. "They surrender."
She hated the shiver that rippled through her at the word. Hated how her body leaned into his, desperate for more.
"Say it," he whispered, tightening his hold just enough to make her gasp. "Say you want me."
Her eyes burned with defiance. "Never."
Carson's mouth curved against her skin. "Then I'll make you."
And then his lips claimed hers again ruthless, consuming. His tongue demanded entry, his hand pinning her jaw with practiced ease. She fought him, clawing at his chest, but when he groaned into her mouth, she shattered, kissing him back with fury and fire.
The desk pressed into her hip. His hands explored, mapping her body through the thin fabric of her blouse, each touch calculated to undo her.
"Carson" she gasped, breaking the kiss, her lips swollen.
"Yes," he growled, already tugging at the hem of her blouse.
"I hate you," she whispered.
"I know." His teeth scraped her throat. "That's why it feels so good."
The desk bit into her lower back as Carson pressed her against it, his body a wall of heat and command. His hands slid up her sides, thumbs brushing the swell of her breasts, stealing her breath in one wicked motion.
Her fingers dug into his shoulders. "Stop"
But the word was weak, fractured by the moan that escaped when his lips grazed the hollow of her throat.
"You don't want me to," he murmured against her skin, his mouth branding her with every kiss. "Say you don't, and I'll walk away."
Her silence betrayed her.
Carson's smirk was a sin carved in shadow. He eased her blouse open, exposing lace that matched the blush staining her skin. His knuckles skimmed down her stomach, leaving fire in their wake.
Her breath stuttered. Her body leaned into his, reckless, hungry,while her mind screamed at her to remember why she was here.
"You're mine," Carson whispered, his voice a husky command. "Every part of you knows it."
Her lips parted, a denial trembling on her tongue.
And then…
"Uncle?"
The small voice shattered the spell.
Carson froze. His head turned sharply toward the door. Justina's stomach dropped.
Nathaniel.
The boy stood in the doorway, holding a sketchbook, his wide eyes darting between them. Innocent. Unknowing. But seeing enough.
Carson straightened instantly, his body shielding hers from view, his composure snapping back into place like armor. "Nathaniel," he said smoothly, his voice calm despite the storm raging in his eyes. "Didn't I tell you to knock?"
The boy flushed. "Sorry. I just… I wanted to show you something."
Carson's jaw flexed, but he reached out, ruffling his nephew's hair with a gentleness that cut through Justina's chest. "Later, champ. I'm in the middle of business."
Nathaniel nodded and left, the door clicking shut.
Silence crashed back into the room.
Justina pulled her blouse closed with trembling hands, her heart still racing. The taste of Carson lingered on her lips, the heat of his touch still seared into her skin.
Carson turned back to her, his expression unreadable. Dangerous.
"We'll finish this," he said softly, like a vow. "But not until I decide you've earned it."
And then he left her standing there, shaking, torn between desire and guilt so sharp it could cut her in two.
The silence after Nathaniel's footsteps faded was deafening.
Justina's breath came in uneven pulls, her blouse still gaping where Carson had torn the buttons loose. She scrambled to fix it, fingers trembling, furious at herself for letting him take her so far.
Carson leaned against the edge of the desk, arms folded, watching her with a gaze that stripped her bare more effectively than his hands ever could.
"You think you won something just now," he said quietly, almost conversational. "That the boy saved you."
Her chin lifted, though her heart thundered. "Maybe he did."
Carson's mouth curved, slow and merciless. "No, Justina. He delayed you. That's all. And now you'll spend every moment waiting wondering how far I'll go when we're not interrupted."
Heat shot through her veins, rage and desire tangled beyond reason. She hated him for his arrogance. She hated herself for the pulse between her thighs that throbbed at his words.
"You're a monster," she whispered.
His expression didn't change. "And you're addicted to monsters."
She wanted to slap him. She wanted to kiss him again until they both burned.
Instead, she turned on her heel, her footsteps sharp against the rug. "Stay out of my way."
Carson let her go, but his voice followed her like a leash.
"I don't stay out of anything I want."
The words lodged in her chest, heavy and dangerous, a promise she knew he would keep.
The guest wing of the penthouse was quieter, softer like a secret tucked away from the glittering sharpness of the rest of the place. Justina found herself there by accident, or maybe instinct. She needed distance from Carson. She needed air that wasn't thick with his heat and his promises.
A door stood ajar, spilling faint music into the hall. She hesitated, then peeked inside.
Nathaniel sat at a desk, sketchbook open, a pencil smudging across the page. His tongue poked out in concentration, his knees drawn up on the chair. He looked… normal. A boy, not the ward of one of the world's most ruthless billionaires.
He glanced up and grinned. "Miss Ashes! You came."
Her heart softened despite the storm raging in her chest. She stepped inside. "I thought I'd check on you."
He turned the sketchbook toward her. It was a rough drawing of her, in the kitchen that morning, smiling faintly as she held her coffee cup. The lines weren't perfect, but the care was there.
Something in her chest squeezed tight. "Nathaniel… that's beautiful."
He flushed. "Uncle says drawing is how I make sense of the world." His voice dropped, almost secret. "He doesn't smile much. But when he looks at me, it feels like he wants to. Do you know what I mean?"
Her throat tightened. Yes. I know exactly what you mean.
She sat beside him, her hand brushing lightly over the sketch. "You're talented. Don't let anyone take that away from you."
Nathaniel's eyes brightened. "You sound like you've said that to someone before."
Memories surged faces from the shelter, children clutching crayons and scraps of paper, her whispering encouragement over bowls of soup. She forced a smile. "Maybe I have."
The boy leaned closer, conspiratorial. "Don't tell Uncle, but I'm glad you're here. He's… different when you're around. Softer. Even when he tries to act scary."
Her stomach twisted. Carson, softer? Around her? She wanted to deny it, but Nathaniel's honesty cut deep.
And that was the danger, wasn't it? She couldn't just think of Carson as the man she had to ruin. Not anymore. Not when Nathaniel's eyes looked at her with trust.
She was tangled in more ways than one.
"Thank you, Nathaniel," she whispered, brushing his hair back gently. "You don't know how much that means to me."