: Tides of Desire
The days after the kiss between Eva and Alexander were a strange mixture of silence and electric tension.
Every time their eyes met, Eva felt a pulse of something uncontrollable—a longing she couldn't name. Alexander, too, seemed haunted by their shared moment, but he kept his distance, his cold demeanor returning with full force.
She tried to ignore the ache in her chest, the feeling that something was shifting between them, but every time she looked at him, she saw that flicker of desire in his eyes.
Still, she couldn't shake the question that lingered at the back of her mind—was he simply using her to fill the void Olivia had left, or was there something real between them?
The mansion, once a place of isolation, now felt like a battleground. She was constantly on edge, not knowing what would happen next, and yet, she couldn't deny the pull toward him. She had always been drawn to dangerous men, but Alexander… he was different. He was both the cage and the key, the very thing that could either save or destroy her.
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One Evening
Eva sat by the grand windows, looking out at the vast expanse of the estate. The moonlight bathed the grounds in a silver glow, but it only highlighted the emptiness she felt inside. She hadn't seen Alexander in hours, and she found herself wondering if he was avoiding her.
The sound of footsteps echoed in the hall, and her heart leaped in her chest before she could stop herself.
It was him.
Without turning around, she spoke. "I thought you might be hiding from me."
Alexander's voice was low when he answered. "I'm not hiding."
She could hear the tension in his tone. There was something different about him tonight—his usual coldness felt like a mask, one that was slipping just beneath the surface.
He stepped closer, his presence overwhelming. "I don't hide from anything."
Eva turned to face him, meeting his eyes. "Then why have you been avoiding me?"
His jaw tightened, and he took another step forward. The distance between them seemed to close with every heartbeat. "I haven't been avoiding you," he said, though it sounded more like a lie.
"You're a terrible liar, Alexander."
His lips curled into a half-smirk. "Maybe. But that doesn't mean I want to deal with this."
Her heart skipped. "Deal with what?"
The smirk faded, replaced by something far more intense. "With you."
Eva felt her breath hitch in her throat. "With me?"
He moved even closer, his presence like a storm, and for a moment, she couldn't breathe. He was too close. His hand brushed against her arm, sending a wave of heat through her body.
His voice was barely above a whisper. "I don't know what this is, Eva. But I can't stay away from you."
The words hit her like a wave, and her heart began to race. This wasn't the cold, calculating Alexander she had first met. This was something raw, something dangerous—and it made her want him even more.
Before she could respond, he closed the gap between them. His hand cupped her face gently, and for the first time, there was no hardness in his touch. Just something soft, something vulnerable.
"I can't promise you anything," he said, his eyes locking onto hers. "But I can't let you go, either."
Eva's pulse quickened. This was it. The moment she had been waiting for, the moment when everything changed.
With trembling hands, she reached up to touch his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath her fingers. "Then don't let me go."
He leaned down, his lips brushing against hers in a kiss that was nothing like the last one. This time, it was slow, almost tentative, like he was testing the waters. Eva responded without hesitation, her hands sliding up his neck to pull him closer.
The kiss deepened, their bodies pressed together as though they were trying to meld into one. Alexander's arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her against him with a fierce urgency.
Eva couldn't help the moan that escaped her lips as she felt the heat of his body, the tension that had been building between them finally snapping. She had wanted this, wanted him, more than she had ever wanted anything.
But even as she gave herself to him in that moment, the reality of their situation slammed into her mind.
Olivia.
The life she was entangled in, a life she hadn't asked for but could never escape.
But for tonight, for this one moment, it was just them. No mafia ties, no dangerous promises, no past.
Just the two of them.
And Eva, for the first time in a long while, allowed herself to forget everything except the feeling of his lips on hers.