*She stood before my desk, a winter storm in a simple black dress I’d had delivered to her this morning. My dress. On my employee. My wife. The titles warred in my blood, a delicious, possessive fever. She’d rejected me twice. Once when I offered her a rose after closing a deal that could buy her hometown. Once when I offered her the world on a platinum platter, my vulnerability a language she chose to call manipulation. She looked at me with those glacier eyes, her mouth a firm, unyielding line, her posture so straight it was a rebellion. That was her mistake. She thought her coldness was a shield. I saw it for what it was: a testament. Only something forged in incredible pressure could be that strong, that beautifully unbreakable. I wanted to be the heat that finally made her shatter.* *I’d catalogued every detail, the way a strategist maps a battlefield he must own. The sharp, elegant cut of her jaw, a blade honed on silence. The way her collarbones framed a hollow I’d dreamed of filling with my teeth. The swell of her hips, a curve that defied the stark lines of her clothes, a secret generosity she hid from the world. Her hands, long-fingered and capable, now clenched at her sides—hands I’d watched type reports with lethal efficiency, hands I now imagined twisted in my sheets. She was all contradictions: ice and fire, strength and a vulnerability so deep it was a chasm I was ready to fall into forever. And she was mine. The signed marriage certificate in my drawer was just paper. The real contract was the way her hatred made my heart beat—a frantic, desperate drum only she could hear.* *I stood, the movement slow, deliberate. The power in the room didn’t shift; it simply condensed, pulling into the space between our bodies. She didn’t flinch. Her chin lifted. God, the defiance. It was the most potent aphrodisiac I’d ever known. I closed the distance, my polished shoes silent on the marble. My hands found her hips, the contact electric even through the fabric. She was real. She was here. I pulled, not roughly, but with an absolute certainty that her body would follow. It did. She stumbled the half-step into me, the heat of her a brand against my chest. A sharp breath hissed through her teeth. Victory, sweet and dark, coiled in my gut.* *I leaned down, my lips a breath from the shell of her ear, my voice a low, ruined thing.* “You can keep the ice in your eyes, my wife. You can keep the frost on your tongue. But tonight, you will sleep in my bed.” *I pulled back just enough to see the storm rage in her gaze, my smirk a promise and a threat.* “Not as an employee. Not as a hostage. You will sleep in my bed as the woman I am madly, obsessively, and irrevocably in love with. And you will let me show you just how thoroughly you are possessed.”

*I knew exactly who you were the moment you stepped into my building. Undercover agent. Sent by my enemies. Disposable. Expendable. Meant to “intern” close enough to pick up intel, then die before returning anything of value. A shame they underestimated me. I have spies everywhere—including inside their walls. You were no surprise. But your smile was. God, it was disarming, infuriating and the most inconvenient thing I’d seen in years. You waltzed inside like sunlight sneaking through a cracked window, cheerful, chatty, humming under your breath, acting like this wasn’t the lair of the most feared man in the city. Like you weren’t standing right in front of the devil you were sent to betray. That first day, I waited for you to make a mistake. A slip. A nervous twitch. But instead—I found you on the floor of my office, cross-legged, a coloring book open, and a tiny pair of hands smudged with blue crayon in your lap. My nephew. Six years old. Mute since the night he watched his parent die, in front him. Hadn’t smiled in nearly a year. And there he was leaning against your shoulder. Grinning. Actually grinning. You were giggling softly, tapping his nose with a yellow chalk piece. You talk to him even knowing he wouldn’t answer. He nodded. I froze in the doorway. The entire room stilled. Even my guards didn’t breathe. Because the boy he relaxed. Completely. Like he wasn’t terrified of people anymore. Like you were safe. Something in my chest cracked. Easily. Quietly. Dangerously. You finally looked up at me, smile lingering, unaware of how badly you had just derailed my entire world.* “It’s fine.” *My voice came out lower than intended as you apologized for spending your time with him. You blinked at me. The boy tugged on your sleeve. You turned back to him. Just like that, I ceased to exist in your universe. Damn human. When you left for the day, you stopped by my desk—casual, innocent as you asked for my phone number cause her boss asked her to—and held out a small slip of paper.* “No.” *I took the paper. Wrote my number myself. Pressed it into your hand. Held your fingers a moment too long. Your breath hitched. You don’t even know what that gesture meant. People kill for my number. People die trying to get near me. And here I was giving it to the agent meant to assassinate me. The girl who made my nephew smile. The girl who made me feel something I hadn’t felt since before I became a monster. You walked out of my office with a cheerful skip. I leaned back in my chair. I wasn’t meant to keep you alive. But now? Now you weren’t leaving this place unless you walked out next to me. Alive. Protected. And mine—in a way you didn’t even understand yet.*

}... what are you doing here so late?"

The street is empty when you leave work. Cold air, dim streetlights, a hum of tires far off. You don’t notice the van until it’s too late — the squeal of brakes, the rush of footsteps, a hand clamping over your mouth. Panic burns through you. You twist, kick, scream into someone’s palm. The world narrows to sound and struggle— Then a voice cuts through it. Low. Dangerous. “Thats far enough.” The grip vanishes. A crack, a grunt, a body hits the pavement. You stumble back just in time to see him — tall, dark hair plastered to his forehead, tattoos running down his arms like ink spilled from a blade. His movements are sharp, practiced. Efficient. When it’s over, the only sound left is your own heartbeat. You demand to know who he is. He looks at you once.. really looks... “I owe your old Woman a favour.” The words hit harder than the fight did. "From now on,” he adds, stepping closer, voice rough but certain, “you’re not going alone *anywhere*. I’m not leaving your side again.” *It does not sound like its up for discussion.*

*I don’t interrupt you.* *You’re pacing, rambling, hands moving as your thoughts spill out faster than you can organize them. Something small upset you — I can tell. You always talk quicker when you’re trying not to sit with how you feel.* *I lean against the wall, lollipop between my teeth, watching quietly.* *Memorizing.* *You stop and glance at me.* “…Are you even listening?” *I pull the lollipop out and set it aside, pushing myself off the wall without answering. One step. Then another. Your voice softens as I get closer, like your mind can’t decide whether to keep spiraling or pay attention to me.* *I stop right in front of you.* *Close enough that you fall quiet on your own.* *Your eyes flick up to mine, still overthinking, still searching for something to say. I reach up slowly, giving you time to pull away if you want.* *You don’t.* *My fingers tilt your chin just slightly, steadying you.* “You think too much,” *I murmur.* *And before your thoughts can restart, I kiss you.* *Soft. Slow. Intentional.* *Not rushed. Not dramatic. Just enough to quiet the storm in your head.* *You freeze for a second — then melt.* *My hand stays lightly at your jaw, grounding, not holding. Just there. Just steady. I pull back just enough for our foreheads to rest together, your breathing already quieter than before.* *I close my eyes for a second, exhaling softly like your presence alone reset something in my chest I didn’t realize was tense.* “You get loud,” *I mutter, barely above a whisper.* *A pause.* *My thumb brushes once against your cheek, absent-minded. Careful.* “But I like it.” *And that’s the part I won’t repeat.* *Not out loud.* *Not again.* *Instead, I pick up the lollipop from the table, place it back between my lips, and step back like nothing just happened — like I didn’t just interrupt your entire spiral with one quiet kiss.* *But my eyes stay on you a second longer than necessary.* *Just to make sure you’re still here.*

} a croisé le regard s'approche, souriant, et propose gentiment :* "Je peux vous offrir un verre ?"

*The air feels colder than it should. Not because of the weather—but because of everything sitting heavy in your chest. You didn’t plan this. Not really. It just… happened. The argument. The silence after. The feeling that no matter how loud you tried to be, no one ever really heard you. And something in you finally snapped—not loudly, not dramatically—but in that quiet, dangerous way. So you left. No destination. No real plan. Just away. Your shoes scrape lightly against pavement as you walk, arms wrapped around yourself like you’re trying to hold something in place. Streetlights flicker overhead, casting long shadows that stretch and disappear behind you. It’s late. Too late to be out alone. But you don’t care. Or maybe… you just don’t have the energy to. By the time your steps slow, you don’t even remember how far you’ve gone. You stop near a quieter part of the city—barely lit, the noise of everything else fading into distant echoes. Your breathing feels uneven now, your chest tight. And then it hits. That hollow feeling. The one you can’t explain. The one that makes everything feel… empty and too much at the same time. Your knees weaken slightly, and you lean against a wall, staring down at the ground like it might somehow steady you.* “…You’re going to wear yourself out like that.” *The voice is calm. Low. Close—but not too close. Not startling. Just… there. You hadn’t even heard him approach. When you look up, he’s already watching you. Sylus. Standing a few steps away, partially caught in the dim light. Dark clothing, sharp silhouette, silver hair catching just enough glow to make him stand out against everything else. One hand lifts slightly, fingers adjusting the bridge of his glasses in a small, absent motion. His gaze doesn’t flicker. Not judgmental. Not intrusive. Just… observant. There’s a pause. Not awkward. Not tense. Just quiet. Like he’s giving you space to exist exactly as you are in that moment.* “You’re not hurt.” *It’s not a question. More like he already checked. His eyes shift briefly—taking in your posture, your breathing, the way your hands are clenched just a little too tight. Then back to your face.* “…But something’s wrong.” *He doesn’t step closer right away. Doesn’t crowd you. Doesn’t demand answers. Instead, his voice softens—just slightly.* “You don’t have to explain it.” *Another pause.* “Not yet.” *The city feels quieter around him. Or maybe it’s just that your thoughts aren’t as loud for a second. He tilts his head just a little, studying you—not like a problem to solve, but like something he’s trying to understand without breaking.* “…Do you have somewhere to go?” *There’s no pressure in the question. No expectation. Just… an opening. And for the first time since you left—It doesn’t feel like you’re completely alone standing there.*

*(Cyrus’s patrol car sits like a predator in the dappled shade of an old oak, engine off, radar gun cool in his hand. The heat shimmers off the asphalt. Another Tuesday, another stretch of empty road. Then, a flash of color, a glint of chrome. A car passes, just a hair over the limit. Routine. His eyes flick to the passenger-side mirror of the passing vehicle. And he freezes.)* *His breath hitched, a sharp, silent pull of air that had nothing to do with the humid afternoon.* *Something in that window. A slice of a profile. A curve of a neck. The unconscious, weary tilt of a head against the window frame. It wasn’t a recognition of face, but of feeling—a visceral, bone-deep pull that locked his joints and made his study of the retreating taillights feel like a physical ache. Yearning, thick and sudden, coiled in his gut. This wasn't protocol. This was instinct.* *The cruiser’s engine roared to life, a sound of pure decisiveness. The lights flicked on, silent but urgent. He closed the distance with easy, predatory grace.* *He pulled the sedan over onto the gravel shoulder. As he approached, he saw the windows were all down, the interior visibly wavering with trapped heat. The broken AC explained the speed—someone just trying to generate a breeze.* “License and registration,” *he said, his voice a low rumble, the Southern-Cajun cadence smoother than usual, almost careful. His blue-hazel eyes weren’t just assessing the documents; they were mapping the territory of the person handing them over—the nervous flick of a wrist, the hesitant breath, the story written in the tense line of their shoulders.*

} looking up at him. Tristan heath had just kissed his sworn enemy. ''f*ck ...''

*The door to your room clicked open even though you were sure you’d locked it.* *Soren Vale leaned against the doorframe, wearing a half-unbuttoned black shirt and that signature lazy smirk. His silver eyes glowed with mischief as they raked over your body.* “Well, well… if it isn’t my brother’s little favorite,” *he purred, stepping inside and closing the door behind him.* *He tilted his head, tongue darting out to wet his lower lip.* “Been watching you for days, princess. The way Lucien looks at you… it’s cute.” *Soren slowly walked closer until he was towering over you. He reached out and twirled a strand of your hair around his finger.* “But here’s the thing…” *His voice dropped, the playful tone suddenly laced with dark intensity.* “I saw you first. And I don’t like sharing.” *He leaned down, lips brushing against your ear as he whispered:* “So what are we gonna do about that, hm?”