Chapter 8 Pushed past breaking points

Sienna.

I had barely ended the call with Belinda when the elevator doors slid open with a quiet chime, revealing a foyer so sleek, so meticulously curated, that it almost felt like paradise. Zane's Manor was nothing short of breathtaking. The white marble floors that gleamed under the chandelier lighting screamed wealth and precision. It should have felt like a home. Instead, it felt like a trap. I crossed my arms, shifting on my feet as Zane stepped inside behind me, his towering presence pressing against my already frayed nerves. The storm outside hadn't let up, thunder rumbling through the sky as rain lashed against the windows. The world beyond was chaos, but inside these walls, the tension was sharp. I shouldn't have come here with him not after the intense moment we shared in the car. I should have fought harder and ignored the way my body had betrayed me when he had pulled me into his arms and invaded my body, yet I couldn't block out my response, the way I kept moaning like touch was nothing more than a command I couldn't refuse. I hated how his touch erased years of running, how it made me want to stay and even if it meant burning with with. I took a step forward, my boot felt sturdy against the marble. "I'm not staying here with you Zane." Zane didn't move. "You don't have a choice." I turned, glaring. "You don't get to decide that." His blue eyes met mine, yet it was impassively unreadable. "Until I figure out who the hell is after you, I do. And perhaps we may get to finish what we started earlier while at it" My fingers curled into fists as a grasp escaped my mouth. "This isn't your fight." He took a sharp step toward me. It was deliberate and calculated. "Isn't it?" I refused to back down, even as every nerve in my body screamed at me to run. But not because I was scared of him. Because I was scared of this pull he had over me. The magnetic sexual force that had been there from the moment I stepped into his office, from the moment his sharp, calculating gaze had landed on me like he already knew every secret I was trying to keep buried, even the secret corners of my body. "You think hiding me away in your penthouse is going to solve anything?" I lashed out, desperate to keep my voice steady. "You think that locking me in here makes you my hero?" "I'm no hero, Sienna." His voice was quiet, but the weight of it sent shivers down my spine. "And don't make the mistake of thinking I'm doing this for you." I swallowed hard. "Then why are you doing this?" He exhaled slowly, dragging a hand through his perfectly styled hair. For the first time, he looked...frustrated. "Because I don't like loose ends." I laughed, but it was hollow, brittle. "That's what I am to you? A loose end?" He didn't answer. I turned away, my pulse hammering in my ears as I walked toward the windows, wrapping my arms around myself. The city pulsed with life, oblivious to the storm that my entire world had been flipped upside down in a matter of days since stepping into Atlas. I felt him before I heard him, the heat of his body at my back, the subtle shift in the air as he closed the space between us. Every vein in my body screamed for his attentive touch, just like earlier in the car. "You don't trust me," he said, his voice low, almost a murmur. I let out a soft, bitter laugh. "Should I?" I turned to face him, regretting it instantly. He was too close, his presence too overwhelming and consuming. "Let me go, Zane." My voice was softer this time, almost pleading. His gaze flicked to my lips before meeting my eyes again, and something inside me clenched. "I can't." Those two goddamn words that felt like chains tightening around my ribs. I exhaled sharply, pushing at his chest, but he didn't move. Not even an inch. "Move," I said through gritted teeth. He didn't. "Zane" His hands shot out, gripping my wrists, pinning them against the cool glass behind me. I sucked in a sharp breath. I should have been furious and slapped him, kneed him, or done something from my self-defense class other than stand there, heart hammering against my ribs as his grip tightened firm, but not painful. His head dipped slightly, his breath fanning across my cheek. "You don't want me to move. We already established that." A shiver raced down my spine, but I forced myself to meet his gaze, to pretend that he didn't affect me. "You think you know what I want?" A faint smirk touched his lips. "I think you hate that I do." He was right. "Let. Me. Go." I enunciated each word, hoping he couldn't hear the tremor in my voice. His jaw tightened, something flashing behind those ice-blue eyes, something I didn't understand. Then, just as suddenly as he'd grabbed me, he let go. I exhaled sharply, dragging in a breath as I stepped away from him, my back pressing against the glass. His hands curled into fists at his sides, his control barely tethered. "You're staying here. End of discussion." I lifted my chin, forcing steel into my voice. "You don't own me." The corner of his mouth lifted in something that wasn't quite a smirk. "No. But right now, I'm the only thing standing between you and whoever the hell wants you dead." A chill settled over me, knowing he was right, and that terrified me more than anything. **** I pulled the soft and oversized shirt tighter around my body and sank against the pillows. Sleep. That's all I wanted. But my mind wouldn't shut off. It wasn't the raging storm muffled by the thick walls of the building that was keeping me awake, but Zane Calloway and the way his kiss had made my blood pressure spike. I touched a finger to my lips, which were still swollen from his suckings, reliving the moment in the car. If only the car behind us hadn't ruined the moment. I blew out a warm breath and rolled onto my side, staring at the sleekly designed interiors of the expensively decorated guest room hoping to distract myself from imagining what he would have done to me if we hadn't stopped. The faint scent of leather and spice still clung to the air, a reminder of the man who owned this place and the fact that I was trapped here under his rules. Because apparently, keeping me alive also meant controlling every single move I made. My phone buzzed on the nightstand. The screen lit up with the caller's picture and my heart squeezed in my chest. Belinda. I grabbed the phone and swiped the call. "Hey, Belinda." My voice came out softer than I wanted, but exhaustion did that to me. "Okay, spill. What the hell is going on, Sienna?" Belinda's voice was sharp, but there was an undertone of worry. "I expected you back in the apartment hours ago. Instead, I get a vague text saying you won't be home. Are you in trouble?" I swallowed hard. If only she knew how much trouble. "It's complicated." "No kidding. Is it him?" Her voice softened. "The boss-man? Zane Calloway?" I rubbed my forehead. "He's not exactly giving me a choice, but he's actually keeping me safe" And doing more than that to my body. "Sienna, you know how this sounds, right?" she said quietly. "A man like that doesn't just force someone to stay in his place unless he has an agenda." I bit my lip, staring at the ceiling. "It's not like that. There was an... incident. He says it isn't safe for me to go home." "And you believe him?" Zane wasn't exactly the type to care about anyone but himself. But the look in his eyes that night when he dragged me back here? That wasn't just about control at play. "For now," I admitted. "And it's not like I have better options." Belinda sighed. "I don't like this. And you're not exactly filling me with confidence here." I managed a weak laugh. "I don't have much to give." I wanted to tell her about the kiss, but knowing Belinda, she would blow it out of proportion. Her voice turned lighter when she spoke again. "Well, while you're playing captive in a billionaire's lair, guess what happened to me?" I smiled despite the ache in my chest. "Let me guess. Another workplace scandal?" "Even better," she said, practically giddy. "Travis. Remember the hot new guy in marketing? He asked me to dinner. And before you say it, yes, I know dating someone from work is risky. But come on, Sienna. He looks like a walking thirst trap." "I'm pretty sure HR would not approve of that description," I teased. "First it was the IT guy, then the legal and now Marketing. You girl are on a streak. "HR can bite me." She snorted. "Anyway, I said yes. So, if I mysteriously disappear, know that I either died of excitement or he turned out to be a serial killer." I chuckled softly, grateful for the distraction. "I'm happy for you. Seriously. You deserve someone who isn't a total jackass." "And you deserve to be somewhere safe," she shot back. "Promise me you'll be careful?" The knot in my stomach twisted tighter. "I promise." "Good. Because if that boss of yours crosses any lines, I will personally murder him. Capisce?" I smiled faintly. "Capisce." We chatted a little longer, mostly about her wardrobe crisis and how she was torn between the red dress that screamed "sexy confidence" and the black one that said "I might let you kiss me if you're lucky." And for a few minutes, it almost felt normal. But normal was a distant memory. When I finally hung up, the silence of the penthouse felt suffocating. The kind of quiet that made me hear my heartbeat. I turned on my side, pulling up the blanket. And that's when my stomach growled. Loud. Of course, it did. Nothing was worse than starving at two in the morning in a stranger's fancy home. I shoved the covers off and padded barefoot into the hallway.