Page 27 of Dark Obsession

Shit.

“Elena? You up?” A voice calls out from the other side of the door.

Luk,of all fucking people.

Panic shoots through me. I spring out of bed, buck naked and still hard as a rock, grabbing my clothes in a rush. Elena sits up, pulling the sheets over herself, her expression caught somewhere between amusement and panic.

“There’s a window in the bathroom,” she whispers quickly.

I nod, bending down to kiss her one last time, tasting her lips, adrenaline pumping through me. “To be continued,” she says with a sly smile.

My pulse races as I dash into the en suite bathroom. The door shuts behind me just in time, and I’m already scrambling to get dressed.

I yank on my clothes in record time, scanning the bathroom like a man on a mission. The window is my only exit, and the more Luk knocks, the more I realize I’m out of time.

“Elena, you up?” he calls again, his tone impatient.

“I need two minutes to get dressed, damn it!” she replies.

Good girl.

I listen through the door, my ear pressed to the wood. After a moment, I hear Elena give him the all-clear.“Come in.”

Footsteps. Luk enters and I catch another voice—Lev.

Fuck.

I stand frozen for a second, straining to listen.

“What’s the deal, guys?”

“We wanted to talk about last night,” Luk says. “We were thinking that maybe we were a little too hard on you.”

“Yeah,” Lev adds. “You’re smart, Elena, and you’re more than capable. We know that. We just worry about you, especially with this cartel nonsense going on.”

Elena responds, keeping it cool. “Okay, good. Thanks for the apology.”

But they don’t leave. My heart hammers in my chest as Lev speaks again. “We also need to talk about Grigori.”

Shit.

Do they know? Are they onto us?

I tense, ready to bolt, when Lev’s voice drops. “Hold on, I need to use the bathroom first.”

No time. I grip the edge of the window, throw it open, and haul myself through, praying to whatever higher power there is that I don’t make a sound.

I’m out.

I drop down onto the balcony below with a quiet thud, my legs absorbing the impact. From there, I make the final drop to the ground, landing in a low crouch. I scan the area and spot the guards making their rounds, oblivious to the fact that I’m slipping right out from under their noses.

With practiced precision, I give them the slip, weaving through the shadows of the garden’s expanse, moving quickly and quietly between the tall hedges and trees.

The garden is vast, a perfect cover. I stick to the outskirts, keeping low until I hit the perimeter fence. I glance back toward the mansion, a smirk tugging at my lips. I’m sneaking around like some lovestruck teenager.

What the hell am I doing?

I shake my head, unable to deny the heat still simmering beneath my skin. The stress of the escape hasn’t erased the way Elena’s mouth felt on me, the way she teased me just right. Damn, I’m still turned on.

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