The kiss wasn't rushed, but the way he pulled my hair carried a quiet kind of authority—like the promise of a storm about to break.
He didn't ask for permission; he simply took it.
The only thing that kept me from protesting was how my body reacted treacherous and hungry.
The alcohol in my system made the world spin, but his kiss was the center of gravity holding everything together.
His lips were firm yet soft, tasting faintly of mint and whiskey, and something else that could only be danger.
He moved against my mouth slowly, but with a purpose, as if marking me.
His hand tightened on my waist, pressing me against the cold edge of the counter, and a muffled sigh escaped me.
My hands rose hesitant, lost before clutching at his shirt.
The linen beneath my fingers was warm, and I could feel the hard lines of his chest beneath it.
He pulled back just enough for me to breathe, his amber eyes burning brighter under the dim lights of the bar.
"I warned you there were other ways to forget," he murmured, his voice rough, almost a purr.
Shame tangled with a spark of desire that refused to fade.
"And what's your plan, Master of Forgetting?" I tried to sound sarcastic, but it came out as a breathy whisper.
He smiled faintly a small, devastating curve of his lips that shattered what was left of my defenses.
"Kael. But I don't mind Master of Forgetting," he said, laughing softly, one eyebrow arched.
Embarrassed, I pretended to clear my throat.
I had just kissed a stranger whose name I hadn't even known.
"Elara," I whispered, earning a broader smile from him.
"Then, Elara," he said, "my plan is for you to forget the idiot, the bar, and the poison you just tried to order."
His hand slid from my waist to my hip, his thumb brushing the bare skin where my dress ended.
The touch was electric, searing.
"And how exactly do you plan to do that?" I asked, eyes fixed on his hand. That touch made me far too aware of him.
"I'd rather show you," he replied easily, glancing over my shoulder. "Your admirer is still watching. I think it's time to leave."
Before I could answer, he took my hand and led me away from the counter.
It was so sudden I stumbled, but his arm caught me protective and possessive all at once.
The crowd was still dense, yet somehow he guided us through with impossible ease.
Maybe it was the alcohol, but no one seemed to get in his way. It was as if they moved instinctively aside.
"Where are we going?" I asked, the cool air outside brushing my face.
He stopped, turning to face me.
Under the neon lights and the thin mist of the night, his features looked sharper, his eyes impossibly intense.
"Somewhere you can forget the man who hurt you," he said, his tone making my stomach twist. "The Solarium."
My body tensed. It was the last place on earth I wanted to go.
"No. Absolutely not."
He stepped closer, closing the space between us.
His hand rose to my chin, gently lifting my face until I met his gaze.
"Oh? Why not?"
I thought of Riven and looked away, guilt gnawing at me.
"I can't go there," I said quietly, my voice trembling with humiliation.
"Why? Afraid of running into your ex?"
I didn't answer, but my silence gave him all the confirmation he needed.
"Even better then, Elara. You don't have to hide. You've got the perfect chance to make him regret it."
The alcohol clouded my thoughts, and whatever was left of my reason slipped away.
Anger started to rise, burning through the sorrow.
"And what do I get out of it besides revenge?"
He released my chin, his hand trailing up to the side of my neck, thumb tracing small circles along my jaw.
"You get a night where the only thing you'll remember is my touch. The scent of betrayal replaced by the scent of luxury and pleasure. Do you want him wondering who's with you, or do you want to keep shrinking in the dark?"
Adrenaline and the hunger for payback hit like a rush.
The wounded voice inside me answered before I could stop it.
"I want him to regret it."
A slow, almost lazy smile spread across Kael's lips.
"I can guarantee that. I'll take you to the most expensive suite in the Solarium. And we'll make enough noise that, if he's on the same floor, he won't sleep a second. I'll make sure the only thing you feel in that place is me."
My heart skipped. My lips curved into a reckless smile wild, sharp, full of vengeance.
"Then let's go, Kael."
He gestured toward a sleek black car that pulled up to the curb.
Before I could second-guess myself, his hand pressed against my back, guiding me inside, and he followed, closing the door with a muted click.
I only realized we had arrived when the car slowed, turning into an underground garage.
Through the tinted window, the neon glow reflected in his eyes, turning them into molten amber.
Sensing my gaze, he turned to me with that same faint smile.
"Why are you doing this?" I couldn't help asking, clarity flickering for a second. "What do you get out of it?"
"What do I get?" The question seemed to amuse him. "Your full attention. From now on, the only body that matters is mine. The only pleasure that matters is yours. Are you willing to pay that price, Elara?"
I hesitated, then reached out, my palm against his chest, feeling the quick rhythm beneath the fabric.
I just wanted to forget what I'd seen and he looked like someone who could make that happen.
"Will you make me forget?"
"Oh, yes. We will," his voice came as a dark whisper, seductive and dangerous. "You came to forget, Elara and I'm here to give you something better to remember."
His words stole my breath.
Pressed against the leather seat, surrounded by the scent of luxury and his presence, I felt the alcohol give way to a heady mix of adrenaline and desire.
He looked back at me, those amber eyes gleaming in the car's dim light.
And before it even started to move, he leaned in and kissed me again.
This time, it wasn't rushed.
It was slow and deep a silent promise that in the Solarium Hotel, the only things burning that night would be the two of us.