Page 20

I should’ve asked for separate rooms from the start, but now it’s too late, and the last thing I wanted was to wander door to door in the middle of the night, risking running into Thalia’s room.

So I came here instead.

After hours downstairs on the terrace, dealing with work emergencies, I made my way to the rooftop, the only place quiet enough to clear my head.

I don’t say a word at first. I just watch her.

I see the exact moment she realizes she’s not alone—the subtle stiffening of her shoulders, the visible hitch in her breath, the way her body goes rigid even as her eyes remain fixed on mine.

That’s what I’ve always admired about her. No matter how rattled she becomes, Thalia always tries to stand tall, to be brave, to fight back with words cold enough to cut.

“Lose something?” I ask at last, my tone edged with irony.

I wait, expecting her to roll her eyes, to throw something just as biting back at me. That’s her.

But she doesn’t.

She just stares, silent and unblinking, as if she hasn’t even heard me.

Then, suddenly, she turns her back to me.

For a second, I think she’s leaving without a word, and the thought hits harder than it should, disappointment tightening my jaw.

But instead of walking away, she stays exactly where she is. Her back remains to me, shoulders lifting faintly as she pulls in a few calming breaths, as if gathering herself.

And then—slowly, deliberately—she turns back.

This time, her eyes are different. No longer wide with surprise, but burning with determination. Focus. Maybe even… desire.

She makes her way toward the jacuzzi, her gaze locked on mine, unwavering. I watch her approach with a calm exterior, though every step she takes lands like a precise strike against my control. She moves like a predator—graceful, slow—her walk more sensual than any runway model I’ve ever seen.

I track her over the rim of my glass, lifting it just enough to take a slow sip of whiskey, the burn doing little to ground me.

And as she draws closer, the truth hits me with brutal clarity—I’m not going to sleep tonight. Not like this. Not with my cock this hard, throbbing with every damn step she takes. I’ll need a release before I can even think about closing my eyes.

She stops at the edge of the jacuzzi, pausing there for several long seconds. Her eyes travel over me from head to toe, teasing and purposeful, before she finally steps down into the water—on the side opposite mine.

In an instant, we’re facing each other, barely three meters apart, locked eye to eye.

Since she ignored my first question, I don’t bother saying anything else. I simply watch her, lifting one eyebrow in a quiet challenge.

I know how much she hates being the full focus of my attention. Thalia always scrambles to say something, to do something—anything—to deflect when I fixate on her like this.

But this time, she won’t get away.

“What are you doing here?” she asks finally, settling against the edge of the jacuzzi. Her voice is controlled, but I catch the subtle bite beneath it, that familiar mix of curiosity and defense she slips into whenever she’s around me.

I don’t answer right away. Instead, I let silence stretch, studying her as steam curls around her skin and the muscles in her shoulders hold a faint tension beneath my gaze.

When I finally speak, my voice is low, calculated.

“Could ask you the same thing.”

She rolls her eyes, absently playing with the bubbles at the surface of the water.

“I just needed some air,” she says.

Did she want to be alone? Did something happen between her and Theo?