Chapter 143

Alexander's lips brushed against hers in a tender kiss before he pulled away abruptly. His hands lingered at her waist, fingers tightening possessively. "I want this," he murmured against her hair. "More than anything, I won't regret this choice."

Evelyn melted into his embrace, her voice barely above a whisper. "I know you won't." She could see the truth shining in his stormy gray eyes - that unshakable resolve that always took her breath away.

His arms encircled her like steel bands as he pressed a kiss to her crown. "Then why are you stopping?" Evelyn's brow furrowed in confusion. Alexander exhaled shakily, resting his forehead against hers. "Because you deserve more than a rushed moment in the dark."

The sincerity in his voice made her heart stutter. He was treating her like something precious, something to be cherished. It was more intoxicating than any perfume she'd ever created.

Evelyn buried her face against his chest, her arms winding around his neck. "I don't care about proper," she confessed. "I only care that it's you."

Alexander's breath hitched. In that moment, nothing else existed - not their pasts, not their titles, not the world outside these four walls. Just this electric connection between them.

They tumbled onto the plush bedding in a tangle of limbs. "Sleep," Alexander commanded, though his gaze burned with barely restrained desire.

Evelyn's answering smile was downright wicked. Before he could react, she surged forward, capturing his lips in a searing kiss that left them both breathless.

Alexander groaned as her teeth grazed his throat. Every nerve ending was on fire. She was everything - his muse, his match, his madness. The way she fit against him felt like destiny.

"Wealth means nothing," Evelyn whispered between kisses. "Power means nothing. As long as I'm the only one in here." Her fingertip tapped over his racing heart.

Dawn's first light found Evelyn awake, watching the sky shift from indigo to pearl. 4:17 AM glowed on the bedside clock. She exhaled in relief - still time to slip away unnoticed.

Turning, she drank in the sight of Alexander asleep beside her. Even in repose, he looked every inch the aristocrat - those sharp cheekbones, that stubborn jaw. The sheet pooled at his waist revealed a landscape of taut muscle that made her fingers itch to explore.

Last night's boldness surprised even her. No regrets, though. Not when every touch had felt like coming home.

A sudden thought chilled her - Victoria would be waking soon. Evelyn moved with practiced silence, gathering her scattered clothes.

"Running away already?" Alexander's sleep-roughened voice stopped her mid-step.

Evelyn turned to find him propped on one elbow, those keen eyes tracking her every movement. "Victoria will be up soon," she explained, fingers fumbling with her blouse buttons. "I should—"

"Stay." The single word held a world of longing. But they both knew she couldn't. Not yet.

The space between them thrummed with everything left unsaid as Evelyn slipped out the door.