Chapter 4 The Woman in Red

Morning sunlight poured through the penthouse windows, splashing warm light across the silk sheets tangled around Lily's legs. Her body ached in all the best ways, still humming from the night before. Every inch of her remembered Alexander Stone, his touch, his mouth, the way he moved inside her like he owned her.

She stirred slowly, the delicious scent of sandalwood and sex still thick in the air, and shifted her bare thigh against the cool sheet. A strong arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her into the heat of a firm, muscular chest.

Alexander.

His breath was warm against the back of her neck, steady and slow. He was still asleep, completely at ease. Unlike her.

Lily stared at the ceiling, heart pounding with too many thoughts. What had she done? Last night hadn't been just sex. It had been electric. Wild. Vulnerable. She'd crossed a line. Not just physically, emotionally. And she had no idea how to uncross it.

She tried to slip out of bed, but his grip tightened.

"Where do you think you're going?" His voice was low, gravelly, still heavy with sleep.

"To get dressed. Maybe run."

He pressed a kiss to her shoulder. "Don't run. Not after that."

She rolled to face him, his gray eyes locking with hers.

"You don't regret it?" she asked.

He smiled, slow and sure. "Only that I didn't have you sooner."

Heat flushed up her neck.

"You always say the right thing, don't you?"

He kissed her again, this time lingering. "Only when I mean it. Come shower with me."

He slid from bed, gloriously naked, giving her a full view of his chiseled back and firm ass as he disappeared into the bathroom. Lily lay there stunned, clutching the sheets to her chest.

Damn it. This man would be the end of her.

She joined him in the shower, unable to resist the pull. Hot water poured over his skin like molten glass. She touched him, worshipped him, let herself be touched. He pressed her against the tile wall, lips devouring hers, hands slick with soap and sin. He lifted her with ease, her back against the cool marble, and thrust into her with a hunger that made her moan his name. Her fingers gripped his shoulders, nails biting into muscle. They moved in sync, bodies colliding in a rhythm of desperate need.

When they came, it was explosive-his name a cry in her throat, hers a whisper on his lips.

She clung to him as the water washed them clean. But inside, she was anything but.

An hour later, she emerged wrapped in one of his oversized robes. Alexander stood in the kitchen, dressed in a sharp charcoal suit, sipping coffee like a man who hadn't just rocked her world in the shower.

She leaned against the doorway. "Back to business already?"

"CEO life waits for no one," he replied with a wink. "But I'd much rather be back in bed with you."

She flushed, hiding her smile.

"You always this charming?"

"Only when I want to keep a woman."

Her smile faded.

Before she could respond, the elevator chimed.

A second later, the penthouse doors burst open.

"Alexander Stone! You bastard!"

Lily froze.

A woman stormed into the living room in red stilettos and a dress that looked painted onto her body. Long dark hair, flawless skin, and eyes like sharpened steel. She was breathtaking.

She was furious.

And clearly, she knew Alexander very, very well.

"Natalia," he muttered under his breath.

Lily's stomach dropped. Natalia.

His ex-fiancée.

Of course.

Natalia's eyes landed on Lily. Her gaze narrowed into something toxic.

"Oh. So this is the replacement? This is who you're fucking now?"

Lily straightened. "Nice to meet you too."

Natalia laughed, mean and musical. "Do you think sleeping with him means anything, sweetie? He does this. He plays hero, sweeps you off your pathetic little feet, and then drops you when you get boring."

Alexander stepped between them. "Enough, Natalia. This is my home. You don't get to storm in and insult her."

"Your home?" she scoffed. "Half of it was designed by me. You forget that? You forget everything?"

"We ended years ago. And I didn't forget what you did."

Lily looked between them. "What *did* she do?"

Natalia arched a brow. "Oh, he didn't tell you? How sweet."

Alexander's jaw clenched. "Get out."

"Gladly. But don't think this little doll will last. She's just the flavor of the month."

Natalia turned on her heel and left, leaving silence in her wake.

Lily's blood boiled.

She turned on Alexander. "What the hell was that?"

"I didn't know she was coming. She just shows up sometimes."

"Why didn't you defend me harder? You let her talk like I'm just some plaything."

"You held your own. You didn't need me to fight for you."

She flinched. "Maybe I wanted you to."

He stepped closer. "You think I don't care? I care too damn much. That's the problem."

She didn't move when he reached for her. Didn't flinch when he gripped her waist and pulled her flush against him.

"Let me show you what you mean to me, Lily. Not with words. With this."

His mouth crushed hers.

She gasped, but he swallowed it, his kiss hard and hungry. He lifted her onto the kitchen island, tugged open her robe, and lowered his head to her breast, his tongue swirling around her nipple until she moaned.

"Alexander"

"You're not a toy. You're not a fling. You're mine."

He spread her thighs, dropped to his knees, and feasted on her like he was starving.

She arched off the counter, crying out his name, her fingers tangled in his hair. The world tilted. Shattered. Rebuilt itself in the shape of his mouth.

And when he stood and entered her right there, her legs wrapped around his waist, she clung to him like he was the only thing keeping her grounded.

They moved together, fast and desperate, like the past didn't exist and the future didn't matter.

Only now. Only this.

Later, breathless and sore, Lily sat curled on the couch, sipping coffee. Alexander sat beside her, staring out the window.

"Who was she to you?" she finally asked.

"She was the first person I thought I loved. And the first person who taught me not to trust it."

Lily didn't respond.

Because she understood that all too well.

And that terrified her.