Chapter 19

Ledger

"Yes, I do love him," she lies to me. She has to be fucking lying. She doesn't love him. How can she?

There's a fire burning deep inside me, causing a riot in my chest. A fucking war, raging on. It's hard to breathe. I try to catch my breath, and gaze at Posey.

She's so fucking pretty.

And there's something else. Something deeper. I can't explain it, and I definitely can't help myself when I lean in to kiss her.

She accepts my kiss, opening her mouth and peeking out her tongue to meet with mine. Our hands grip each other like it's the most natural thing in the world. My fingers sink into her silky strands, and I tug lightly, angling her mouth so I can get deeper.

My body grows harder as I press myself against her, needing to be as close as possible to her.

I shouldn't be kissing her. I know this. She knows this.

But fuck, sometimes there's things in life where you just can't fucking help yourself. It's not because you're weak, it's because there's something bigger at play. A force you can't quite identify, pushing you closer and closer toward the sin in question. I couldn't not kiss her no matter how hard I try.

She moans, and the sound goes straight to my chest. Like bam. It's embedded there now, her voice. Her sounds. Her sexy being. She's a part of me now.

She doesn't fucking love him.

I move my hand down her body, needing to feel her heat, needing to know if she's wet just for me. I break the kiss as I move my hand under her dress.

"Ledger," she whispers with wide blue eyes, but she doesn't stop me.

"Has anyone ever touched you before?" I ask her, slipping her panties to the side.

She shakes her head quickly as her eyes roll back. "No," she breathes out. "No one."

I run my finger through her slickness, feeling this sense of pride wash over me at being the first man to feel her. I use my thumb against her clit, toying with it as I suck along her neck. "I can get you off better than he ever will," I whisper close to her ear.

Her eyes challenge mine. "Do it," she says, and I blink back at her.

Did I just hear her right?

I don't think long and hard about it, but instead, I get to work, feeling her. Touching her. I need to taste her, but right now, in her bedroom, that'll have to wait.

It may never happen.

All we have is the right here and now. And I'm happy with whatever she gives me.

I continue working her pussy, pushing the tip of my middle finger in. I can barely get it to my knuckle. "Fuck, you're tight," I breathe out.

She grips my shoulders, her leg hitching over my hip. "Ledger," she moans out, and the sound of it turns me on even more.

I grab her leg with one hand, and work her pussy with the other. "You gonna come for me?" I ask her, pushing my finger in and hooking it to reach deep inside her.

She's mewling, moaning, damn near making me want to ravage her against this door, but this is all about her. Not me. I want to get her off. I need to.

I have to prove to myself—to her—that she doesn't love him.

Our lips come together in a passion-frenzied kiss. A life-changing kiss. One that will never be able to tame my heart. I'm burning. I'm fucking on fire.

I keep the pad of my thumb pressed tightly to her clit as I try to push another finger into her tight heat. "You're beautiful," I tell her, loving the way she looks when she's this turned on.

"Ledger," she moans out, her hands tugging at the strands of my hair. "I'm so close," she whispers.

I pull back, just enough that I can watch her go off. But before I can there's a knock at the door, and I freeze.

Posey reaches down to keep my hand moving against her. Her wide blue eyes stare at me, and I can see that she's close. Really, really close to coming undone.

So, I keep going.

The knock pounds again, and Bane's voice sounds from the other side of the thick wood.

"Posey, come downstairs. There's somebody I want you to meet." There's no question about his voice. He's demanding she come do his bidding.

At this moment Posey's body tightens, and then she lets loose, her pussy spasming around my fingers.

"I'm coming," she calls back to Bane, her eyes squeezed shut, and there's something primal that happens deep inside me. Something feral.

My body comes fucking alive.

I feel like at this moment, I own her.

Me.

I'm the one making her unravel.

Not him.

"Hurry up," Bane says, and Posey's eyes crash into mine as her orgasm runs its course.

I want to kiss her. I want to tell her crazy things that I shouldn't even be feeling right now. I want to tell her that I own her—or at least that I want to, but instead I pull my hand from under her dress.

I bring my fingers to my lips and suck her juices off them.

Posey's eyes grow wider as a small smile graces her lips. "How do I taste?"

I lean closer to her, bringing my mouth close to her ear. "You taste like you belong to me." I pull back so I can gaze into her blue eyes, and she doesn't say anything.

We're both breathing heavy, and my body is still rock hard.

Reality sets in for Posey, and she pushes her dress into place as she steps away from me.

"I have to go. You need to wait until I leave and then make your way back down to the party." She points her finger at me. "Without being seen." She mumbles something about how she can't believe we did this, and rushes to a mirror over her dresser as she touches up her hair and makeup.

Before she walks out the door, she turns to face me. "That can't happen again. I'm marrying Bane." She leaves the room, and I'm left reeling over the whole thing.

I can't believe I touched her.

I can't believe how much she enjoyed it.

And now I know she doesn't fucking love him.

As I wait for the right moment to rejoin the party downstairs, I leisurely wander around her room, my curiosity piqued. I"m not entirely certain what I"m searching for, but I find myself drawn to explore every nook and cranny. My fingers dance lightly over the delicate fairy trinkets adorning her dresser, each one seemingly imbued with a story of its own.

Intrigued, I notice a small box nestled among her treasures, containing a handful of jewelry pieces. Among them, a pair of dainty heart-shaped earrings catches my eye; I recognize them from previous occasions, an intimate detail of her personal style.

My attention then shifts to her closet, the door creaking softly as I push it open. Stepping inside, I"m greeted by a kaleidoscope of colors and fabrics—dresses she"s worn on nights out at Club Greed. My gaze wanders upward, landing on a small wooden box perched on the top shelf, seemingly waiting to be discovered.

Despite the nagging sense of intrusion, my curiosity gets the better of me. I reach for the box, the wood cool against my fingertips as I carefully extract it from its perch. Returning to the comfort of her bed, I gingerly lift the lid, revealing its precious contents.

Nestled inside are two journals, their covers decorated with Posey"s personal touches—old photographs, keepsakes, and even pressed flowers. As I thumb through the pages, I can"t help but feel a sense of intimacy, as if I"m glimpsing into a private world she"s carefully curated.

I snap the journals shut. I can't betray her trust like this. If there's anything I want to let Posey know is I'm the man she can count on. Not the man who will continue to send her to a club where she was brutally attacked.

Why would Bane do that?

I return the box to its spot, and notice a pack of post-its on her counter. There's a pen right next to it, and I write her a little note and leave it underneath her pillow, and then I make my way back to the party.

"We were looking for you," Dev says, finding me at the bar.

"I've been around."

Dev raises his brow, obviously not buying whatever I'm laying down. "Right. I see Posey hanging off Bane's arm, and it really makes me think about what she sees in him."

I laugh as I order a whiskey from the bartender. "You and me both."

Dev shrugs. "Love is crazy. I never thought I'd fall in love, but when you meet the right woman, there's really nothing you can do. I tried to fight my feelings for Chloe, but man, love is something you have no chance of winning against."

At that very moment Chloe waltzes up to Dev, and slides her hand along his waist.

"Take me home," she says, gazing up at Dev like he's the man who hung the moon.

He kisses her square on the lips and nods. Then he holds out a hand for me to shake. "I guess we're going to go and relieve your brother and my sister from their night of babysitting."

I shake his hand, and then wrap my arms around Chloe, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you both on Sunday."

My eyes scan the party the minute Dev and Chloe leave. I spot Posey instantly, and her arm is wrapped around Bane.

I know it shouldn't piss me off, but it does. I can't escape these feelings. I swear the more I'm around her, the louder my feelings pound in my chest, wanting to be heard.

It's suffocating.

Her eyes crash into mine, and I lift my drink to her.

Then I bring the glass to my lips and down the whole thing.

I need to get out of here.

Without saying my goodbyes to anyone, I haul ass toward the front door, and I don't even let out a breath until I'm in my Lamborghini and racing back toward my condo.