Chapter 13
I couldn’t move.
I stood frozen in Karl’s doorway, eyes wide, heart pounding, unable to tear my gaze away from the very private moment I had just crashed into
He didn’t cover himself or flinch. My eyes flinched to his hand still wrapped his cock and I almost thought I was seeing things with his huge he was.
He simply looked at me, calm and composed, as if being caught like that meant absolutely nothing to him, “my eyes are up here,” he reminded me and I almost wanted the ground to consume me.
My throat went dry. I managed a sharp inhale, and finally spun on my heel.
“I’m so sorry.” I choked, backing out and slamming the door shut behind me.
My cheeks were on fire, heart racing like I’d run a marathon. I made it to the lobby and sat down on the edge of the velvet bench, legs bouncing
What the hell was that?
Why didn’t he stop?
Why wasn’t he even embarrassed!
And more importantly, why couldn’t I stop thinking about the way he looked? The image had burned into my brain, the sheer size of him, the way his chest flexed, his jaw clenched, the smooth confidence of it all.
I rubbed my temples and waited.
Ten minutes i
passed and then the elevator chimed.
I looked up and there he was shirtless
His hair was still damp, a towel tossed over his shoulder, his jeans hanging low on his hips. He didn’t say a word as he walked toward me. slow and casual, like I hadn’t just walked in on something so intimate I’d never forget it.
My eyes flicked to his chest, then away, then back again.
He didn’t stop until he was right in front of me, towering above, the heat of him wrapping around my body like smoke. My breath hitched.
“I I just wanted to-“I started, voice barely above a whisper.
He leaned down, one hand braced against the wall beside my head, the other tucked gently under my chin, tilting my face up.
“Knock,” he said, his voice low and thick, “next time.”
My throat tightened, I could barely breathe, barely blink. His body was so close I could feel every inch of his skin radiating heat. I could see every line of muscle, every flicker of tension in his jaw.
“I…I came to ask you something.” I said, trying to collect the air left in my lungs.
He didn’t move.
I cleared my throat, “there’s a reunion, a high school one, they just invited me, probably because they saw us in the press. It’s this weekend. L wanted to ask if you could come.”
His brows lifted just slightly, then he pulled back, exhaling through his nose as he reached for the towel over his shoulder.
“I’m busy,” he said, not even looking at me now,
“I know, I just thought-” I swallowed, “it’s not a big thing, just a couple of hours. You don’t even have to talk to anyone if you don’t want to. I just=”
He turned, slowly.
“Tylon’t have time for pointless nostalgia, Ellen. For some reason, the way he said my name, the way it slipped off his tongue made me feel a weird shiver down my spine.
His voice wasn’t angry, just…final.
“I have meetings, contracts, staff relying on me. I don’t go to events to reminisce with people I barely remember from school” he said the last word
Chapter 13
like mockery.
I stared at him, lips parted, but no words came. Something in my chest tightened, just a little.
“Right.” I said softly. “I understand.”
My heart sank just a little, watching as he disappeared into the bedroom again
That night, I barely slept.
1 kept seeing flashes of him. The stillness in his face, the deep voice in my ear, the size of him, the confidence. It was distracting Impossible to forget.
The next morning, the staff came to prepare me for the reunion. They treated it like it was a gala, bringing in dresses, heels, stylists. I didn’t fight it.
If I was going to walk into a room full of people who never invited me to sit at their tables, never remembered my name back then. I was going to make sure they never forgot me this time.
The car dropped me off at the hall.
It was decorated in gold, draped in nostalgia. Balloons, photo collages, banners with Reunited Again!” in bold letters.
stepped inside, dress hugging me perfectly, heels clicking on the marble, hair pinned back with just enough loose curls to look effortless.
The room was full with familiar faces, most of them paired off with spouses or business partners, all clearly here to show off
A few heads turned. I caught whispers.
“Is that Ellen Harrison?”
“She’s the one who married that billionaire, right?”
I walked slowly through the room, smiling politely. I kept my shoulders back, my chin lifted. I didn’t look at anyone too long. I just let them look at
me
1 moved slowly through the crowd, feeling the eyes on me, not openly hostile, not quite friendly either and then I saw her, Layla.
She stood near the bar, surrounded by a small group of familiar faces, people who used to ignore me entirely in high school. Now, they were laughing at something she said, all glazed over her like she was the center of the room.
Her dress was short, shimmering. Her smile was wide and practiced and the moment her eyes landed on me, that smile turned mocking.
Sine tilted her head, ran a slow gaze from my heels to my hair, then leaned in to whisper something to the girl next to her. They both laughed. But then the room stilled and every head turned not toward me, but behind me,
I felt it first, the heat, the presence and then, his hand, fingers slid into mine, firm and steady.
I turned slightly, startled.
Karl
Perfectly dressed with his hand tightening around mine.
He leaned down, close enough for only me to hear.
“I came.”
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