"I've imagined this so many times," Abram confesses, his lips trailing up my thigh. "But reality is so much sweeter."

Every inch of my thigh he kisses makes me tremble. A soft moan escapes me as he finds a particularly sensitive spot just next to my panties. "Show me," I whisper, pulling him closer. "Show me everything you've imagined."

He twists a finger through my panties, finding his way inside me. For a brief second, he teases my folds, and then slams a finger into me. My back pushes into the bed, my shoulders lurching up, and a pure, sensational thrill overcomes me.

And when his mouth finds my clit…oh, I’m in heaven already.

Chapter 5 - Abram

I stir awake, my body still humming with the memory of her skin against mine. With eyes still closed, I smile to myself, thinking of how I kissed my way to her voluptuous breasts, the way her body danced when I thrust deep into her. Her moans still fill my ears, hoarse and wet, wordlessly commanding me to go deeper, harder. The way her breath hitched when I angled her just right, her skin flushing under my gaze. The soft mewls of pleasure she tried to stifle, her inhibitions slowly crumbling.

"Abram," she'd gasped, her fingers digging into my shoulders. "I've never… I mean, I don't usually…"

"Shh," I murmured against her neck. "Just feel. Let go for me."

And she did. God, how she did. Her body arched into mine, responding to every touch, every caress.

My eyes flutter open, consciousness creeping in slowly. The silk sheets feel cool against my skin, but something's missing. The warmth that should be pressed against me is gone.

"Zara?" I call out, my voice still rough with sleep. Silence answers me.

I rub my eyes, blinking away the last traces of slumber. "Zara, are you in the bathroom?"

Again, nothing.

An uneasy feeling settles in my chest. Sitting up, I scan the room, noticing the absence of her clothes strewn across the floor, her heels no longer kicked haphazardly by the door. She left. Without a word, without waking me. Her delicate perfume still lingers in the sheets, teasing me to say I just missed her.

I clench my fists, a storm of emotions brewing inside me. Anger, confusion, and something else—something dangerously close to desperation. This isn't how it was supposed to go. Zara was meant to be here when I woke up, her soft curves pressed against me, those innocent eyes looking up at me with wonder.

But she ran. Like a thief in the night, she stole away, taking a piece of me with her.

"Oh, Zara," I whisper to the empty room. "You have no idea what you've started."

I drag a hand over my jaw, a wry chuckle escaping my lips. Did she really think she could slip away so easily? That one night of her in my bed would be enough?

No, this is only the beginning. It wasn’t meaningless… not withher. I've had a taste, and I crave more.

I won't let her relegate me to a one-night stand, a mistake to be forgotten. No, I'll make her face what's between us, the undeniable pull that drew us together like two stars caught in each other's gravity. She can deny it all she wants, but her body sang a different tune last night. The way she melted under my touch, the needy whimpers that escaped her kiss-swollen lips…she craved me just as desperately as I craved her.

I replay the way she looked at me last night, hunger and need blazing in those doe eyes. The way she clung to me, whimpering for more. No, this wasn't just a one-night stand for her. She wanted me as desperately as I wanted her.

***

I force myself into my morning routine, but my mind refuses to cooperate. The scent of her lingers on my skin as I stepinto the shower, and I find myself leaning against the cool tiles, eyes closed, reliving every moment.

"Focus, damn it," I mutter, adjusting the water temperature to ice-cold. It does little to quell the fire in my veins.

As I dress, my phone buzzes incessantly. Work. Always work. But for the first time in forever, I'm reluctant to dive into the day's tasks. My fingers hover over Zara's number, temptation gnawing at me.

"Not yet," I remind myself. "Let her stew a bit."

***

I stride into the boardroom, my expression a mask of stoic composure, though my mind is on a one-track road to Zara. I take my seat at the head of the table and find all my brothers' gazes upon me.

“Late today, Brother? Zara and you must have worked hard to wrap up the interiors at your home last night,” Vladimir, ever the observant one, arches an eyebrow, a knowing glint in his eyes.

I scowl. "Let's get on with it."