Chapter 109
Chapter 109:
He went still. The smooth curve of her spine, her skin exposed and vulnerable to the cool air — he didn’t look away.
Instead of stepping back, he pressed a kiss to her shoulder blade.
Eliza gasped. “Dallas p>
“You were perfect tonight,” he murmured against her skin. His hands moved to her waist, his thumbs tracing slow circles against her hips.
He turned her around. The dress had slipped from her shoulders, held in place only by her hands clutching the front.
He looked at her. There was hunger in his eyes — raw, unmasked hunger. Beneath it lay a possessiveness that both frightened and thrilled her.
“We should go home,” she said, her resolve dissolving.
“Which home?” he asked. “Hyde Manor p>
The reality came crashing back. The spell of the evening broke.
“Yes,” she said. “I have to finish the week. Two more days p>
𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗻
Dallas exhaled — a sound of deep, barely contained frustration. He pulled her dress back up, his hands lingering on her skin as if reluctant to let go. “Two more days,” he agreed. “Then you are mine completely. No more games. No more separate houses p>
He zipped her up.
The silence that followed was charged, almost unbearable.
They walked to the car without a word. The drive was smooth, the city lights blurring past the windows like streaks of fire.
In the back seat of the Maybach, Dallas reached for her hand. He turned it over slowly, playing with the silver wedding band on her finger, twisting it round and round.
“By the way,” he said, still looking out the window, “I have a surprise for you on Monday. Something to get the air of this place out of your lungs p>
“Another room?” she joked, trying to lighten the mood.
“Something like that,” he said, a quiet, mysterious smile crossing his face. “A new beginning p>
Eliza squeezed his hand and looked out at the passing lights of the city.
Two days. She just had to survive two more days.
Monday morning arrived with a sky the color of bruised slate. Eliza stood on the steps of Hyde Manor, her bag slung over her shoulder, the damp air clinging to her skin. This was it — the final morning. The weekend had been a blur of Victoria’s passive-aggressive sighs and Anson’s oppressive silence. She felt like a diver holding her breath, waiting to break the surface.
A low rumble announced his arrival. It wasn’t the sleek, silent Maybach. A black SUV, massive and imposing, crunched up the gravel drive.
The window rolled down. Dallas sat behind the wheel in aviator sunglasses and a navy polo shirt that stretched tight across his chest. He looked less like a CEO and more like something dangerous and capable.
“Get in,” he said. His tone left no room for argument.
Eliza hesitated, glancing back at the house. “Victoria has a physical therapy session at ten. I told her I’d be here to settle the final nursing invoice p>