Just as Kelsey stepped out of the closet, her bare feet softly pressing into the plush carpet, the door creaked open_ and Lucien appeared.
There was that look again. Serious. Still. A quiet intensity painted across his face like a sculpture carved from desire and restraint. But this time, there was something more behind his obsidian eyes_ something softer beneath the hardness, as if seeing her in his shirt had reached into his chest and gripped his pulse.
His gaze swept over her, slowly, as though his eyes were trying to memorize her in this state. The way her damp hair clung lazily to her shoulders, strands trailing down her collarbone. Her petite frame swallowed up by his shirt, which dipped low at the neckline and stopped high at her thighs_ exposing just enough to tempt the devil. She didn't need to be dressed in silk or lace to steal breath from his lungs. She looked like she belonged to him.
And that was a dangerous thought.
He didn't say anything. He didn't have to. His silence was louder than words. It burned between them, a mixture of admiration, hunger, and something else_ something he couldn't name.
Her heart skipped, and though she tried not to show it, Kelsey had the overwhelming urge to escape under the weight of his stare. Not out of fear_ but because of the way he looked at her, as if he had just discovered his favorite sin and wasn't sure how long he could resist indulging.
Then, without a word, Lucien walked past her and entered the bathroom, the door closing behind him with a gentle click.
She was left alone. Alone in the room that had been both her prison and her sanctuary over the last few hours.
Something stirred within her_ curiosity, perhaps. Or maybe just rebellion. She padded softly to the main door, not really expecting it to budge.
But it did.
The quiet click of the latch echoed like music in her ears.
She blinked. For a moment, she wasn't sure why her heart swelled so suddenly. It was just a door. But no_ it was more than that. It was freedom. The kind she hadn't tasted since she'd woken up in this nightmare.
A faint smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she stepped into the corridor. The house_ or rather, the fortress_ stretched out before her, grand and quiet. Each wall was kissed by art and soft lighting, every corner touched with elegance. Warm hardwood floors beneath her feet. Clean lines. Expensive furniture that whispered money. It felt like walking through the pages of an architectural magazine.
She found herself wondering_ did he ever feel lonely in all this splendor?
Perhaps he didn't. Maybe he had family, or maybe he was the kind who preferred to be alone.
Turning right, she ascended the sleek staircase that curved upwards like a spine toward the upper floor. As she reached the top, she paused_ not in hesitation, but in awe.
A rooftop space stretched open like a secret haven.
To her left and right were two doors, slightly ajar. She peeked into the first_ a private gym, pristine and filled with high-end equipment.The second door revealed a gameroom_ not childish, but mature, filled with classic games, a billiards table, and a shelf stacked with rare books and old records. It was the kind of room that told you a lot about a man_ what he did to relax, how he spent his time when no one else was watching.
But it was the open space ahead that caught her breath.
The rooftop extended into a terrace that offered an uninterrupted view of the city. The breeze brushed her face as she stepped out. Her hands instinctively reached for the balcony rail, her gaze wandering over the skyline. It looked like something out of a painting_ soft golden sun stretching across rooftops, trees swaying gently below.
At the far end, the back side of the house revealed a lush garden. Immaculate. Green. Alive. And just beyond that, a rectangular pool shimmered, reflecting the daylight in soft ripples. It felt like a different world, and for a moment, Kelsey forgot she was locked in one man's obsession.
She stood there, shirt fluttering lightly in the wind, hair tousled and eyes distant. And for a moment… she didn't want to run.She had lingered in the silence of the rooftop, her arms crossed lightly against her chest as the morning breeze kissed her bare legs. The city stretched out in the distance, unaware of the girl standing in borrowed clothes on a tower of wealth and secrets. For a brief second, it was just her and the wind_ and that illusion of peace she hadn't known in a long time.
Her comfortable silence was interrupted by footsteps. She knew it was him but it took her a moment before she could turn around.
Lucien was dressed in black from head to toe_ a tailored designer shirt that hugged his broad frame, dark slacks that moved with quiet authority. The only contrast in his ensemble was a glinting silver watch on his wrist and the silver stud in his left ear_ something she hadn't noticed before.
What caught her off guard, though, were the items in his hands.
Her black shoes. And a belt_ his, not hers. Sturdy, masculine leather. It wasn't meant for her, yet in this moment, it would do. After all, she was still in nothing but his shirt.
He stopped a few feet away from her, the distance between them thin but weighted. His eyes didn't stray_ they studied her with a quiet, unsettling calm.
She was waiting for them to leave, and maybe after that, she would afford to make an escape.. she thought. But as if he could read her mond, he broke the silence,
"Don't think I don't know what runs through that pretty mind of yours, my sweet girl…" His voice was low_ velvet draped in steel. It caressed her ears and wrapped around her nerves. "If you're planning to escape…" _ his eyes darkened just slightly _"…you might want to discard that thought. It will just end with you coming back here, and i can assure you that it wont end well for you, but it will for me."
He hadn't raised his voice. He didn't need to. The weight of his words pressed against her chest like a warning wrapped in affection.
She was too expressive, and he was far too perceptive.
Before she could respond, Lucien stepped closer and then, to her complete surprise, dropped to one knee before her.
She blinked. "What are you_?"
His hand reached out gently, fingers brushing the skin of her ankle_ bare, soft, and startled. She flinched slightly, instinctively leaning forward as he touched her.
"I can do it," she blurted. Her voice rushed, trying to reclaim the power slipping through her fingers like sand.
His lips curled faintly. "I know."
The quiet sincerity in his tone faltered her more than anything else. Because no man_ not once in her life_ had ever knelt before her like this.
She wasn't sure how to feel.
Lucien held her foot delicately as though it were made of glass, slipping the first shoe on with almost reverent care. His hand lingered at her ankle a second longer than necessary. The warmth of his palm, the slow glide of his touch, made her exhale without realizing it.
Before he could repeat the action with the second shoe, Kelsey snatched it from his hand and stood upright, hastily slipping it on herself. The moment had grown too intimate for her virgin heart.
Lucien rose slowly after her, his height towering again, but his eyes no longer carried that sharp edge. Instead, they seemed quietly amused_ and disturbingly patient.
He held the black belt out to her.
"I can help with this if you want." He offered with false innocence that made her throat tighten. There was nothing innocent about this man.
"No," she muttered quickly, taking the belt from him before he could say another word. Her fingers fumbled slightly, but she didn't care. She had to keep her distance.
She turned away from him as she tightened the belt around her waist, cinching the shirt to give it some shape.
"We should go," he said, looking up at her with those unreadable eyes. "We have an apartment to visit."
She nodded, not trusting herself to speak _ because with every moment she spent near him, the walls she'd built were beginning to feel thinner and thinner.