Chapter 15: The Point of No Return (18+)

Chapter 15: Chapter 15: The Point of No Return (18+)

The city lights blurred into streaks of gold beyond the tinted windows as the sleek black Rolls-Royce Ghost glided through the streets with barely a whisper.

It was less like riding in a car and more like floating inside a private lounge. The seats were wrapped in butter-soft cream leather, polished walnut wood stretched across the doors, and tiny fiber-optic lights shimmered across the ceiling like a sky full of stars.

At first, Iris had found herself running her fingertips over the stitching in the seat, trying not to look too impressed. She was trying and failing at it which Alexander noticed. He had been watching her ever since she’d leaned across the seat and kissed him when they were still parked outside Obsidian.

He was trying so hard to control himself and not scare her away. His beast, fighting to be let free and claim it’s mate.

Even with several minutes between them, his gaze hadn’t left her for more than a few seconds. Like he was trying to memorize every tiny expression she made.

Finally, Iris laughed softly, unable to ignore it any longer. "What?"

Alexander tilted his head slightly. "What makes you think something’s wrong?"

"You’ve been staring at me for the last ten minutes." Iris said. And just like that, Alexander also leaned across the seat and captured her lips in an intense kiss, and he never stopped.

The car ride felt both endless and far too short. Alexander’s hands never left her....one tangled in her hair, the other splayed possessively across her thigh, his thumb tracing maddening circles against her bare skin where the dress had ridden up. Every touch sent electricity racing through her veins, building a need so intense it bordered on pain.

Iris wondered why she’s feeling this way with him...a stranger. She never felt all these when she was being kissed by Jason in the past. So all these feelings emboldened her, and made her press herself flush against him.

When the car finally stopped, Iris barely registered the building they’d arrived at...all glass and steel reaching toward the sky, the kind of place that screamed wealth and power.

Alexander helped her out, his hand firm at the small of her back, and guided her through a private entrance where a doorman nodded respectfully without making eye contact.

He led her toward a private elevator hidden behind bronze doors, and Iris found that there wasn’t a single button inside. Instead, Alexander rested his thumb against a small glass panel.

A soft chime echoed and the doors slid shut, silence settled around them. Floor-to-ceiling mirrors reflected them from every angle, and Iris caught sight of herself in the mirror as they ascended.

Her dark hair was slightly tousled all thanks to Alexander, her lipstick had faded from earlier and looked swollen from his kisses earlier, and her cheeks still carried the warmth she’d been trying so hard to hide. In all, she looked wild and desperate, her eyes dark with need.....the intense need to be with this man.

Alexander stood beside her, tall and commanding in his perfectly tailored suit, he had one hand tucked casually into his trouser pocket.

He looked impossibly composed, until she looked at his reflection. His eyes were fixed entirely on her and she swallowed. Then he moved and he came and he stood behind her, one arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her back against his chest.

She could feel the hard length of him pressed against her, and the knowledge that he wanted her just as badly made her knees weak.

"Look at yourself," he murmured against her ear, his breath hot on her neck. "Look at how beautiful you are when you let go."

She met his eyes in the mirror...those impossibly blue eyes that seemed to see straight through her...and watched as his hand slid up her body, over her ribs, to cup her breast through the thin fabric of her dress. Her breath hitched, and she arched into his touch.

Alexander was breathless now, he loved the feeling of her in his hand, so he cupped both of her breasts with his two hands, palming and fondling to his hearts content. Her breast fitting his large hands perfectly.

"That’s it," he praised, his thumb brushing over her nipple until it hardened beneath his palm. "Don’t hide from me. I want to see everything."

Iris gasped at the foreign feelings she was having under his hands. Her hand involuntarily lifted and ruffled his hair, Alexander leaning on her, and kissed her neck... lingering there more than necessary.

The elevator doors opened directly into his apartment, and Iris’s breath caught. Immediately she stepped into the penthouse....she stopped walking. The apartment wasn’t simply luxurious...it was breathtaking.

Walls of glass stretched from floor to ceiling, revealing the glittering city far below as though the entire skyline belonged to the apartment itself.

Rich floors reflected warm recessed lighting, while enormous abstract paintings decorated the walls. A grand piano overlooked the city, a marble fireplace flickered softly despite the season, and furniture that looked custom-made sat perfectly arranged without a single unnecessary detail.

Everything whispered elegance instead of shouting wealth. The lights twinkled in the darkness, and for a moment, Iris felt like they were floating above the world, untouchable and infinite.

She slowly turned in a circle. "This..." She laughed softly in disbelief. "This isn’t a penthouse."

Alexander slipped one hand into his pocket. "No? What is it then?"

"It’s a palace suspended in the sky. It’s beautiful," she breathed.

"Yes," Alexander agreed, but when she glanced at him, he wasn’t looking at the view. He was looking at her. "You are."

He watched her with quiet amusement as she turned and wandered toward the windows. "I don’t even know what to say."

"You don’t have to."

She looked back at him. "Alexander..." Her eyes swept across the apartment once more. "...exactly how rich are you?"

A grin spread across his face. The kind of smile that somehow made an already impossibly handsome man even more dangerous.

"I stopped checking a long time ago."

She blinked, shocked by his reply. "You... what?"

"When numbers become difficult to remember, there’s not much point keeping score."

She stared at him speechless. "That’s the most ’am fucking rich’ answer I’ve ever heard."

"So I’ve been told." Alexander replied with a grin.

She shook her head, laughing under her breath. "I don’t think I even want to imagine your bank account."

"You’d probably get bored halfway through the zeros."

She pointed at him accusingly. "See? That’s exactly the kind of answer I’m talking about."

He laughed...a genuine laugh this time...and the sound was unexpectedly warm. Then his expression grew thoughtful.

"There is something I’ve been wondering."

"What?" Iris asked still staring at the view.

"You haven’t asked me who I am."

She frowned slightly and turned to face him. "You introduced yourself earlier, at the nightclub."

"I mean..." His gaze held hers. "You haven’t asked what I do. How I built any of this. Why people seem to know me everywhere we go."

She hesitated to answer, the truth lingered on the tip of her tongue. She hadn’t asked because she wasn’t planning on staying.

Because asking those questions would make tomorrow matter, because tonight was only supposed to be one unforgettable night before they returned to their separate lives. Especially after he’d made it very clear that he wasn’t interested in one night stands.

Instead, she smiled. "I figured those questions could wait." She took another step toward him. "Until breakfast tomorrow."

One dark eyebrow lifted. "Breakfast?"

"Oh yes. I’d rather enjoy tonight." Her voice softened. "And leave tomorrow’s questions for tomorrow morning."

For a moment, Alexander simply looked at her, then that devastating smile returned. The slow, knowing, and dangerously handsome smile.

"Iris..." He crossed the remaining distance between them. "I think," he murmured, gently brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, "I can live with that, the idea of having breakfast together."

Before she could respond, he was on her, backing her against the cool glass of the window, his mouth claiming hers with a hunger that made her previous kisses seem tame.

His hands were everywhere...sliding up her thighs, gripping her hips, pulling her against him until she could feel every hard plane of his body.

"I’ve been waiting for you," he said against her lips, and there was something in his voice....something ancient and desperate....that made her shiver.

"So long, Iris. So.... fucking.... long."

She didn’t understand what he meant, but she didn’t care. All she cared about was the way his hands felt on her skin, the way his mouth moved down her throat, the way his teeth scraped against her pulse point with just enough pressure to make her gasp.

"Alexander," she moaned, her fingers tangling in his hair. "Please."

"Please what?" He pulled back just enough to look at her, his eyes blazing with dark fire. "Tell me what you want."

"You. I want you. All of you."

Something feral flashed across his face....satisfaction and possession and something that looked almost like relief. In one smooth motion, he lifted her, and she wrapped her legs around his waist instinctively. He carried her through the apartment as if she weighed nothing, his strength effortless and somehow inhuman, until they reached his bedroom.

The room was dominated by a massive bed with dark sheets that looked like liquid silk. More windows offered views of the glittering city, and the ambient light cast everything in shades of silver and shadow.

Alexander set her down at the edge of the bed, and for a moment, he just looked at her....his gaze traveling over her body with such intensity that she felt it like a physical touch.

"Turn around," he commanded softly.

She obeyed, turning to face away from him, and felt his fingers find the zipper at the back of her dress. He drew it down slowly, deliberately, his knuckles brushing against her spine with each inch of revealed skin.

When the dress finally pooled at her feet, leaving her in nothing but black lace panties and heels, she heard him make a sound that was almost a growl.

"Fucking perfect," he breathed, his hands skimming up her sides, over her ribs, cupping her breasts. "Every inch of you."

He turned her to face him again, and the look in his eyes made her core clench with need. He shrugged out of his jacket, loosened his tie, and began unbuttoning his shirt with maddening slowness.

Iris watched, transfixed, as each button revealed more of his body....smooth, tanned skin stretched over defined muscle, a dusting of dark hair across his chest that trailed down his abdomen and disappeared beneath his belt.

When he finally stood before her shirtless, Iris reached out to touch him, her fingers tracing the hard planes of his chest, the ridges of his abs. His skin was warm beneath her palms, and she could feel his heart racing....proof that he was just as affected as she was.