CHAPTER 75: HER WARMTH*

[Alexander’s Penthouse]

The elevator ride up felt too long.

Evelyn stood rigidly with her fingers twisting the strap of her bag and her heart pounding against her ribs.

She owed him an apology and she owed him an explanation. She had spent the entire drive rehearsing what to say but the moment the doors slid open into the Alexander’s penthouse, everything inside her went silent.

The space was dimly lit and the warm golden light spilled across polished floors.

Her eyes searched the space until they found what they were looking for, Alexander.

He was leaning against the edge of the kitchen counter with his sleeves rolled up, tie loose and hair slightly mussed like he had been running his hand through it repeatedly.

He looked exhausted and tense but also breathtaking.

His eyes lifted the moment she stepped in and froze.

"Evelyn," he said softly.

Her throat tightened. "Hi." It was a single word but her voice cracked.

He straightened immediately, tension radiating through him. "Are you okay?"

"No," she whispered and her eyes stung. She tried to fight back the tears but they started spilling down her cheeks anyway.

He moved instinctively and quickly but then he stopped halfway, unsure if it was the right move.

Evelyn took a trembling breath. "I came to apologize. I shouldn’t have yelled at you and I shouldn’t have—"

"You had every right," Alexander cut in. "I should’ve handled it differently. I should have told you the moment my grandmother told me about the shares. I should have—"

"Stop—" She stepped closer. "You didn’t deserve what I said."

"And you didn’t deserve what happened today," he countered.

Silence hummed between them. It was heavy, emotional and fragile.

Her eyes glistened. "I just—I felt like everyone was making decisions about my life. I felt angry and lost and—"

Before she could finish, Alexander closed the remaining distance slowly, cautiously, like he was approaching something precious and breakable.

"Evelyn," he whispered.

His hand rose, hesitating for a split second, then gently brushed her cheek.

She inhaled sharply. His touch was warm and soft but also devastating.

"I hate seeing you cry," he murmured, brushing his thumb against her cheek.

Her pulse fluttered wildly when his fingertips slid along her jaw, down to her neck. Every nerve in her body sharpened and was drawn toward him with a magnetic pull she could no longer resist.

"Evelyn—" His voice dipped, deep and slow. "Tell me to stop."

She couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t think and she definitely didn’t want him to stop.

"Don’t stop."

Her voice was barely above a whisper but he had heard it loud and clear and something inside him snapped. It was not in rage but in restraint.

He stepped closer, closing the final inches between them, brushing his forehead hers. Their breaths mingled, warm and uneven.

"Then I am done holding back," he whispered.

And he kissed her.

It wasn’t gentle.

It was years of longing, weeks of tension, days of fear, all crashing into one earth-shattering moment.

Evelyn gasped as his mouth claimed hers with desperate hunger but she melted into him instantly.

Her hands fisted into his shirt, pulling him closer as his arm slid around her waist, drawing her flush against his body.

He deepened the kiss and she felt it everywhere. She could feel the warmth spreading down her spine, the heat curling low in her stomach and her knees weakening beneath her.

Alexander broke the kiss only to breathe her name against her lips, voice trembling with something raw.

She pulled him back in, kissing him harder and sliding her fingers up into his hair.

Alexander groaned, a deep, low sound that made her stomach twist.

He then lifted her effortlessly and her feet left the floor for a second before he set her against the wall.

Their breaths mingled and their heartbeats matched.

His lips trailed down her jaw and then her neck, sending sparks through every inch of her body.

"God, Evelyn," he whispered against her skin. "You drive me insane."

Their eyes met each other’s for a brief second before he kissed her again, slower and deeper this time like he wanted to memorize every second.

When they finally broke apart, both were panting, foreheads pressed together and neither of them moved.

Neither wanted to.

They had kissed. It wasn’t just a hesitant brush of lips or an accident. It was a kiss that shook something loose between them, something buried and undeniable.

He simply held her face gently, as if she is something that must be treated tenderly even when he wants her fiercely.

And Evelyn sees it, that restrained hunger, that silent devotion and that ’I have wanted this for years’ kind of longing.

She steps back first. Her cheeks still flushed and heart was racing.

"I should—" she whispers but she doesn’t know the end of that sentence.

Alexander watches her with a look that could unravel her.

"You should what?" he asked.

"I don’t know," she admits in a shaky exhale. "Everything is happening too fast."

Alexander softens and takes her hand in his. "Then we will slow down."

He wasn’t just saying it, he meant it and that reassurance hits her harder than the kiss.

He gestures for her to sit on the couch but he doesn’t sit next to her, he sits across from her, giving her space with his hands clasped together as if he is physically restraining himself.

And then the tension shifts from sexual to emotional.

A long silence follows before Evelyn breaks it.

"Today was overwhelming. My father, the shares, the marriage ultimatum and then you—" her face heats, "and the kiss."

Alexander tilts his head. "Do you regret it?"

"No." It slips out too fast than she had intended and it was too honest.

His eyes darken for a second with satisfaction, relief and desire but he hides it quickly.

"I just—" she continues, "I don’t want our relationship to be rushed or built on pressure."

Alexander nods once. "I don’t want that either. I want you because it’s you and not because your father and my grandmother had a talk and definitely not because I am the convenient option."

"Alexander—"

He cuts her off gently. "I want us to make decisions together. Slowly, if that’s what you need."

That word ’together’ made her chest tighten.

He leans forward slightly.

"I won’t touch you again unless you want me to," he says softly. "But Evelyn, I want you to understand one thing clearly."

His voice deepens as he continues. "I am not walking away from you, not now or ever."

Her breath catches and her eyes start welling up again.

He softens again and adds, "But I will move at your pace or whatever that is and whatever you want.."

"Why are you like this?" Evelyn whispered

He gave a small reassuring smile. "Because this time, I am not ruining my chance."

The room went quiet again and Evelyn’s heart started pounding so hard that she wanted to curse him for existing.

She stands and Alexander rises too but keeps his distance as promised.

Their eyes lock and a silent agreement forms between them.

"I should go home before my father sends a search party."

Alexander nods and steps closer. He then lifts her coat and places it on her shoulders.

His fingers brush her skin just lightly enough to make her shiver.

"Evelyn," he murmurs. "When you are ready to talk about everything, I will be here."

Her voice is barely there. "Okay."

He walks her to the door but he does not touch her or pull her back for another kiss, no matter how much he wants to feel her warmth again.

Just before she steps out, she glances back. And he is standing there with that look again, the one that says she is becoming the centre of his world.

"I will see you tomorrow?" she asks softly.

He answers instantly, "Anytime you want."

.....