Chapter 32
Sapphire
Lexhaled heavily and leaned against the door, sliding down until I was sining on the floor. My mind was spinning with thoughts, and I couldn’t shake the hope that Leah might cancel our shopping trip. I didn’t love the energy to fake a smile today. My body feh sluggish, weighed down by an internal battle wasn’t ready to confront.
Ambushing me like that was one thing but I felt like I did good by defending myself. I wondered if I would treat me differently since he couldl
dtreatme
see that I was not his level. It would make me feel bad but what can I do?
After a few minutes of letting my thoughts swirl, I forced myself to stand and moved to my bed, sinking into the comfort of the mattress. I tried to distract myself, letting my eyes wander aimlessly around the room, but the tention growing at me only grew thicker with each passing second.
Suddenly, the door crashed open with a loud bang, crusing nor to jump to my feet. My heart raced as Aragon somed in, his presente like a thundercloud darkening the room. I knew that look, his eyes were black, brimming with anger, and a low, threatening growl rumbled from his
chest
“What was that back there?” be snapped, his voice laced with fury.
My brows furrowed as I tried to process what he was talking about, “What was what!” I replied, playing innocent.
He took a step closer, the beat radiating off him almost suffocating. “Don’t play games with me, Sapphire. You know exactly what I’m talking about.” “I kept my face neutral, pretending not to care even though my heart was pounding “I really don’t, I shot back, feigning confusion.
His eyes narrowed, and his voice dropped dangerously low. “You were flirting with ne
A small, involuntary smirk tugged at my lips. I shrugged nonchalantly. “And in what?”
His eyes widened slightly at my boldness, and I knew I’d struck a nerve. The tension crackled in the air between us, electric and charged. I couldn’t resist pushing him further, watching with a mixture of amusement and satisfaction as his chest rose and fell with the effort of controlling his
Temper
With a taunting look in my eyes, I took a step closer. “What did you expect, Ampon! For me to sit quietly in the shadows while you flaunt your fiancee around You think I’m supposed to just stay single while you pretend I don’t exist”
Π
His eyes followed every move I made, tracking me with the intensity of a predator sizing up its prey. His jaw clenched, and I could see the niggle in hùm, he was right on the edge of losing control. “Shut up.” he hissed “Stop talking inmeme.“
Π
But I only chuckled, delighting in the way his restraint was unraveling. “Oli, does it bother you! Watching me talk to another man while you stand there like you’re nothing more than background noise!”
The snap was instant, like a rubberband stretched too far. In a flash, Argon closed the distance between us, his hands grabbing my armas he showed me against the wall. The impact sent a sliver down my spine, but before I could say a word, his lips crashed against mine,
The kiss was fierce, demanding, and full of everything he’d been holding back. My mind went blank, all the thoughts I’d had earlier vanishing in a haze of heat and adrenaling, I felt his hands tighten on my waist, pulling me closer, and I couldn’t help but respond. My hands found their way to his chest, clutching at the fabric of his shirt as if it was the only thing keeping me grounded.
For a moment, it was just us, but the moment passed as quickly as it came, and I pushed against his chest, breaking the kis
“What the hell, Aragun” gasped, trying to catch my breath. My lips still tingled from the force of it, and I hated how my body was betraying me by
craving more.
His breathing was ragged, and his eyes were still dark with desire, but there was something else there too–guih. You drive me crazy, Sapphire,” he
muntered, almost as if he hated admitting it.
I laughed, the sound bitter and sharp, “Then maybe you should’ve thought of that before getting engaged to someone else. You rejected me so..
He flinched at than, but I didn’t let up. “You can’t have it both ways, Argon. You don’t get to act like you own the while you’re playing house with
someone else.”
en me loosened slightly, and I could see the inner turmoil written across his face. “You don’t understand
His grip on me
“Oh. I understand perfectly,” I cut him off. “You are angry with me for something my father did and want to punish me. I get it. You hate me and want to keep me on the sidelines, just in case. But I’m done with that, if 1 wam to flirt with hac or anyone che, I will.”
He shook his head, frustracion and something close to desperation flickering in his eyes. “It’s not that simple.”
“Isn’t it?” I countered, raising an eyebrow.“You’re the one making complicated, not me.”
For a moment, silence stretched between us, thick with everything left unsaid. Aragon’s gaze bore into mine, and I could see the war raging within lam between what he wanted and what he thought he should do. Finally, he released me, taking a step back as if putting distance between us might
clear his head
“Thated seeing you with him,” he admitted quietly, the anger gone from his voice, leaving behind only a raw, vulnerable edge.
Tar sincerity in his tone caught me off guard, and I felt my own defenses waver for a split second. But I couldn’t afford to let my guard down. Not with him “Then stop pretending you don’t care,” I said softly, though my voice carried the weight of a challenge.
Has eyes locked onto mine, and for a moment, I saw the Aragon Leah or Marcel often praised. The compassionate leader. But then, just as quickly.
Chapter 32
the mask slipped back into place, and he straightened, his expression hardening.
“This has to stop,” he said, though it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself than me.
“Then stop it.” I replied coldly. “You’re the one who started it, remember?”
He stared at me for a long moment, something unreadable flickering in his gaze. But instead of responding, he turned on his heel and walked out of the room, slamning the door shut behind him.
I stood there for a moment, still leaning against the wall trying to calm the racing of my heart. The room felt emptier now, like the air had been sucked out. leaving behind only a hollow ache.
I should feel triumphant, Hold myself. I’d gotten under his skin, made him break that carefully constructed façade he’d been hiding behind. But as I sank back one my bed the smirk that had been playing on my lips faded, replaced by a gnawing sense of unease.
Because no matter how much I pushed him away, a part of me knew that this game we were playing was only pulling us deeper into the very thing we were both trying so hard to avoid.
And I wasn’t sure either of us would come out unscathed.
