Chapter 7

Fletcher slowly closed the heavy iron door. The lock clicked shut, sealing them inside the dim, drafty loft.

He turned around and stared at Elodie. She was standing in the middle of his living room, dripping wet, her ruined dress clinging to her body. She looked like a queen who had been dragged through the mud, yet she still held her chin high.

He walked past her, his bare arm brushing against her cold shoulder. He went straight to the kitchen island, opened the rattling refrigerator, and pulled out a bottle of ice water.

"Is this some kind of sick social experiment?" Fletcher asked. He unscrewed the cap and took a long drink. He didn't look at her. "The heiress wants to play poor for the weekend?"

Elodie's hands clenched into fists. She marched over to the kitchen island. She stopped inches away from him, forcing him to look down at her.

"I'm moving in," Elodie said, her voice hard and uncompromising. "And I have one condition. Tomorrow morning, you are going to fire Dani Nieves."

Fletcher's hand froze around the plastic water bottle. The plastic crinkled under his sudden, crushing grip. His eyes narrowed, turning into dark, dangerous slits.

He set the bottle down on the counter with a loud thud.

"You break into my apartment," Fletcher said, his voice dropping an octave, "and you think you can dictate my company's payroll?"

"She is a liar and a snake," Elodie spat, the venom thick in her throat. "She was at my house tonight, Fletcher. She set me up."

A flicker of genuine surprise crossed Fletcher's eyes, but it was gone in an instant. He quickly masked it with a cruel, mocking smile.

"Dani is a hard worker," Fletcher drawled, leaning his hip against the counter. "She actually contributes to society. Unlike some people whose only talent is throwing tantrums when they don't get their way."

The words hit Elodie like a physical slap. The injustice of it all-her father's betrayal, Dani's smirk, Fletcher's blind defense of that girl-boiled over.

She let out a frustrated scream and shoved him. She planted both hands flat against his bare chest and pushed with all her might.

Fletcher didn't move an inch. He was a solid wall of muscle.

Before she could pull her hands back, his hands shot out. He grabbed both of her wrists in a single, crushing grip. He yanked her forward.

Elodie crashed into his chest. The breath was knocked out of her lungs. Her wet clothes pressed against his hot skin.

Fletcher looked down at her. His chest heaved against hers. His eyes dropped to the ugly, swollen bruise on her cheek. The mocking smile vanished from his face.

Slowly, he released one of her wrists. He lifted his large, rough hand. His thumb gently, almost reverently, traced the edge of the bruise. His touch was feather-light, a shocking contrast to his violent grip moments before.

A violent shiver ripped through Elodie's spine. Tears pricked her eyes at the sudden, confusing tenderness.

She jerked her head away, breaking the contact. "Fire her," she whispered, her voice breaking.

Fletcher didn't answer. His eyes darkened until they were entirely black.

Suddenly, he bent down. He wrapped his arm around the back of her knees and hoisted her up.

Elodie shrieked as the world flipped upside down. She was thrown over his broad shoulder like a sack of flour.

"Put me down! You bastard!" Elodie screamed, kicking her legs wildly. She pounded her fists against his bare back.

Fletcher ignored her. He carried her across the loft and kicked the bedroom door open. He walked over to the large mattress on the floor and tossed her onto it.

Elodie bounced on the springs. Before she could scramble away, Fletcher was on top of her. He pinned her wrists to the mattress above her head. He caged her in with his body.

"You're in my house now," Fletcher growled, his face inches from hers. His hot breath fanned across her lips. "You don't give the orders here."

Elodie glared up at him, her chest heaving. "You're a coward," she hissed.

Fletcher's jaw locked. He lowered his head and crushed his mouth against hers.

It was a punishing, desperate kiss. It was filled with anger, confusion, and a terrifying, undeniable hunger. He swallowed her protests, his tongue invading her mouth, demanding complete surrender. Elodie fought him for exactly three seconds before her body betrayed her. Her hands uncurled, her fingers digging into his thick hair as she kissed him back with equal ferocity.

The next morning, Elodie woke up. The bed was empty. The sheets beside her were cold.

She sat up, her muscles aching. She looked at the nightstand.

There was a glass of water, and a small tube of expensive arnica swelling ointment. Underneath the tube was a yellow sticky note.

Stay in the apartment. Don't go anywhere. - F.

Elodie stared at the note. A small, triumphant smile touched her lips. The ointment was an olive branch. He had listened to her. He was going to fix it.

She reached for her phone. She opened the LinkedIn app. She typed in the name of Fletcher's startup. She clicked on the employee roster.

Her smile vanished. Her stomach plummeted into a bottomless pit.

There, right at the top of the company's recent updates feed, was a brand-new team photo. It was a post celebrating the beta launch. Dani was standing directly beside Fletcher, smiling brightly, their shoulders brushing. The caption underneath praised Dani for her "outstanding contribution and late-night dedication" to the project.

He hadn't fired her. He had used his body to shut Elodie up, and he had lied to her.