Page 144 of His Fury

I was a limp and breathless mess when he moved away from me. His hard cock slid inside me, stretching me, filling me, and making me cry out as he thrust his hips in a slow but steady rhythm.

It wasn’t like the other times; he took his time, his touch gentle but insistent. We made love until the morning light filtered through the room.

I curled into him, letting go of the last of my tension; my body relaxed for the first time since he left me yesterday morning. His arms came around me, drawing me in until my head rested over his heartbeat.

Zayn didn’t speak. He just held me. And I didn’t need anything else because sometimes the softest thing in the world was the most powerful—love that didn’t ask for anything. It didn’t fix, explain, or offer solutions.

It just stayed.

And I let it. Lethim.

I let myself breathe in the quiet of his touch, the safety of his skin, the truth in every inch of space he gave me without saying a word.

Tonight, he was my shelter, and for once, I wasn’t afraid of needing him. There were no secrets. No pressure. No choices were waiting just beyond this room.

There was only us.

By the timeI arrived at The Grand the next afternoon, the adrenaline and exhaustion still hadn’t worn off. It was my own fault; my man was nothing if not thorough when given a task. I smiled at the concierge as I always did, detoured to the conservatory for coffee like I always did, and then carried on to my office.

Routine.

Normal.

Finally,I felt like I could breathe again.I’d barely dropped my coat on my chair when Gerard was at my office door.

“Isla,” Gerard said, his voice clipped. “We need to talk.”

I turned, took one look at his perfectly structured frown, and sighed as I sat behind my desk. “This isn’t about yurts again, is it?”

“No.” He stepped into my office and shut the door behind him. “This is about Elixir.”

I blinked. “What about it?”

“Apparently, you were running things there last night?”

How did he even know that?I straightened slowly, my shoulders tensing. “Is that a problem?”

He looked uncomfortable. “We have long-standing ties with the police, local press—if you’re connected to an establishment that gets flagged for ongoing investigations, that could reflect badly on The Grand.”

I crossed my arms. “So because I helped manage a single event at another venue, suddenly I’m bad for PR?”

Gerard shifted his weight. “You’re a representative of this hotel. Your personal affiliations matter.”

Ah. There it was.

“Just say it,” I said coldly. “You don’t like my relationship with Zayn.”

His silence was all the answer I needed.

“Well, here’s the thing, Gerard.” I leaned forward, meeting his gaze evenly. “I stayed with Zayn last night. I’ve been seeing him for months. And if you think I’m going to apologize for it, you’ve got the wrong woman.”

“You’re a valuable member of this team,” he said carefully, “but we have expectations?—”

“And I have boundaries.” I stood up. “I don’t owe you anexplanation for my personal life. If my work ethics are in question, say it. Otherwise, we’re done.”

He didn’t speak.

I grabbed my tablet from the desk, my voice steady. “If my relationship is a problem, let me make this easy for you—I’ll leave.”

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