Chapter 4

The raw promise in his words sent a fresh wave of heat through me, pooling low in my belly. My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic butterfly trapped in a cage. He said that. The stoic, untouchable Graham Odonnell, who had always seemed carved from ice, had just uttered something so raw, so carnal. I couldn' t believe it.

My ears burned, a hot flush creeping down my neck. I tried to push back against his chest, a feeble attempt to create some distance, some air.

He chuckled, a low, rumbling sound that vibrated through my body. Instead of releasing me, he leaned in, his lips brushing my earlobe, sending shivers down my spine. "Someone's coming," he whispered, his voice laced with amusement.

Panic flared. My eyes darted to the window. Brendan and Kasey were walking back towards the car, their figures growing larger, closer. My heart leaped into my throat.

I shoved at Graham's chest with renewed urgency. He let me go, a slow, deliberate release. I scrambled away, pressing myself against the far door, trying to look as innocent and inconspicuous as possible. I closed my eyes, pretending to be asleep, my breathing shallow.

My lips still tingled, a phantom warmth that refused to fade. It felt swollen, bruised, a silent testament to what had just happened. My fingers instinctively went to my mouth. I needed to check.

Fumbling in my bag, I pulled out my compact mirror. My reflection stared back at me, wide-eyed and flushed. My lipstick was a smudged mess, smeared across my chin. And my lips. They were definitely redder, plumper. Suspiciously so. Anyone would notice.

I glared at Graham, who was now calmly adjusting his glasses, his face completely composed. "My lips," I mouthed, my voice a silent accusation. "They're swollen."

He offered no response, simply pushed his glasses up his nose, his expression returning to its usual detached professionalism. But a muscle in his jaw twitched, a tiny, almost invisible tell. My heart gave an illicit flutter.

The car doors opened. Kasey' s voice, bright and chirpy, cut through the tense silence. "We're back! Alexia's still asleep? Oh, she's such a heavy sleeper, isn't she, Brendan?" She giggled, then sniffed the air, her nose twitching. "Hmm, what's that smell? Smells a little... intense in here." Her eyes, sharp and calculating, darted around the confined space. "Almost like... ozone."

My breath hitched. Ozone? Was she serious? My face burned even hotter. I immediately turned my head, pressing my cheek against the window, trying to hide my mouth, to hide everything.

Graham, however, was unfazed. His voice, cool and steady, filled the car. "That would be the scent of two boisterous people returning from a loud bathroom break, Kasey. Would you mind not being so... disruptive? Some of us are trying to rest." His tone was polite, but utterly dismissive.

Brendan instantly deflated. "Sorry, Graham. Didn't mean to wake you." He glanced at Kasey, a silent warning in his eyes.

Then, Brendan looked at me. "Are you alright, Alexia? Your face is a little flushed. Are you getting a fever?" His brow furrowed with a semblance of concern.

I kept my face pressed against the window, my voice muffled. "Just warm in here, Brendan. The sun." My excuse was weak, barely believable, even to my own ears.

Through the rearview mirror, I caught Graham' s eye. A faint, almost imperceptible curve of his lips. A silent, knowing smirk. He had seen it all. I quickly looked away, my heart pounding a frantic rhythm.

I rested my head against the cool glass of the window, letting the vibration of the car hum through me. Kasey started chattering again, her voice a distant drone. I didn't listen. My mind was a whirlwind of sensations: the lingering burn on my lips, the ghost of Graham' s hand on my thigh, the silent promise he had made.

Every bump in the road, every sway of the car, brought back the memory of our bodies pressed together, the dizzying rush of his kiss. "I'll make sure you're thoroughly 'satisfied' later." His voice, husky and low, echoed in my mind.

I was breaking all the rules. The rules of my relationship with Brendan, the rules of propriety, the rules of my own carefully constructed life. And I felt... nothing but a strange, exhilarating sense of freedom. No guilt. No remorse. Just a reckless abandon.

The Odonnells. The Britts. Two powerful families, intertwined by history and commerce. The Odonnells, with their old, quiet money, their immense legal and social power, commanded a respect that the Britts, with their flashier, newer wealth, constantly strived to emulate. Brendan might be a real estate heir, but Graham was a titan. And I, Alexia Hull, a junior event planner, was nothing but a pawn in their elaborate game. Or so I thought. I didn' t care anymore.