Page 11 of Always Been You
I chuckle, though my heart is pounding in my chest. She’s too close, and I know she can feel it. “No, Empress. I have enough to last a lifetime. But let’s add this to your list of reckless decisions for the night.”
Her eyes narrow, playful but questioning. “You know I could just find another guy to do this, right?”
“Maybe,” I say, holding her gaze, letting a dangerous smile slip through. “But I promise you, that man wouldn’t live to tell the tale.”
She rolls her eyes, but there’s a spark of mischief there. “Fine, bring whatever document you want me to sign.”
I don’t waste a second. Keeping my voice steady, I send a quick text to Josh, asking him to bring the prepared documents from my car to the rooftop.
I travel with them wherever I go. These weren’t random papers. I’d been renewing and updating them for years, like some insane dream I never thought would come true. And now, here she is, sitting inches away, asking me to indulge her in one reckless decision. I can barely breathe.
Minutes later, Josh appears, glancing between the two of us with raised brows. He knows what the document contains but even he seems taken aback by my sudden request.
I meet his eyes, giving him a silent nod. “Thanks, Josh,” I say quietly, keeping my tone casual, though I feel anything but.
He hesitates, the documents clutched in his hand. “Are you sure about this?” he asks under his breath, eyeing me with an intensity that suggests he knows exactly what I’m planning but not why.
“Just file them immediately,” I say, keeping my voice steady and low. My grip tightens on the papers as I hand them to Lawliss, who’s watching with a slight smirk, still assuming this is part of the game. She doesn’t even glance at the papers as she takes them, signing her name with a flourish and a laugh, like we’re in on some secret joke.
I watch her, my heart pounding, barely able to believe what just happened. I turn and hand the papers back to Josh, who gives me a look—one that says you’ve finally lost it—before disappearing down the stairs.
Lawliss lets out a soft sigh, leaning back slightly, her gaze steady on mine. “Now that the reckless decision is done,” she says, her voice low and daring, “let’s see what else you’ve got in mind, Ed.”
Her fingers toy with the edge of the glass, which contains the remaining drink. Her lips curve into a faint, almost teasing smile. There’s a challenge in her eyes, a spark that pulls me in, daring me to close the distance.
I can’t hold back anymore. The moment stretches between us, heavy and electric, until finally, I lean forward, my eyes never leaving hers. And before I can second-guess myself, I close the distance between us, crashing my mouth onto hers. The kiss is fierce and possessive, fueled by every pent-up emotion I’ve tried to bury. Her breath hitches against my lips, but she doesn’t pull back. Instead, she melts into me, her hands finding their way to the back of my neck, and then they move up, tangling in my hair.
With my lips barely leaving hers, I guide her backward, my hand firm on her waist, steering her through the rooftop shadows. Thankfully, I know every inch of this place by heart—every hidden passage and private retreat.
We move together, caught in the slow burn of the kiss, her body molding against mine as I lead her toward a discreet door tucked behind a wall. With a quick swipe of my key card, I nudge her into a small, mirrored elevator.
The elevator doors close, enclosing us in a space so small that the world outside seems to disappear. I use my hands to cup her face, my mouth claiming hers with a kind of hunger I’ve kept buried for too long. The ride is quick, but it stretches endlessly in the hazy, electric pull between us.
We arrive in front of a door. Breaking the kiss, I swipe my card again, and a soft chime sounds. The doors slide open to reveal a dimly lit penthouse suite, a place of velvet sofas, crystal decanters, and walls of tinted glass that offer an even more breathtaking view of the city below. The room is perfectly isolated from everything else.
I pull her into the suite, barely pausing to close the door before I press her back against it, deepening the kiss with a passion that has nowhere left to hide.
Chapter Six
Lawliss
We keep kissing passionately as Eddie lifts me, and I wrap my legs around his waist. His tongue dangles in my mouth with an intensity I haven’t experienced before. He moves us toward the bedroom or maybe it’s the private lounge.
Honestly, I don’t know, and right now, I don’t care. I’m just completely wrapped up in the feel of his hands on me, steady, like he’s holding me together. Then, he suddenly pulls away, breaking the kiss, his expression... uncertain.
He skillfully drops me and I miss him instantly, my hand itching to reach him while he moves two steps backward.
Was it because I got distracted for a second? My mind has been all over the place since we started making out, bouncing between memories and reality, all of it tangling up in my head.
I don’t know what came over me to even ask him for this. It wasn’t exactly a well-thought-out plan—maybe that’s the point. I just didn’t expect him to say yes so quickly… but I didn’t really expect him to say no, either.
Honestly, I don’t know what I wanted. But this? This is way more than I’d let myself wish for. Sure, I had a massive crush on Eddie when I was a teenager, sixteen or seventeen, but this, this feels different. He feels different. This Eddie isn’t just some teenage crush. He’s… more.
“Is it too late to advise you against this decision?” he asks, walking towards the minibar in the room. I follow him and stop to stand by the door, taking him in again for the 100th time.
“What decision?”My voice comes out a bit breathless, and I’m praying he won’t back out now. Please don’t back out on me. I need this… need him, even if it’s just for tonight. I will die of embarrassment if he backs out now. I didn’t think I needed this when I initially proposed it, but now I feel this will be the mark of my fresh beginning.
He hesitates, his expression softening, and I catch a hint of something vulnerable in his eyes. “You don’t really want to sleep with me, Lawliss Dua,”. He says my full name like a prayer on his lips, and I bite down on my lower lip.
