Chapter 235
Chapter 235:
Dallas caught her hand. His grip was firm but gentle. He brought her palm to his lips and kissed the center of it, his eyes never leaving hers.
“No regrets?” he asked.
The question hung in the air. It was the question Anson had planted in her mind — the weed that had nearly choked out everything good between them.
“None,” Eliza said. For the first time in weeks, she meant it completely. The insecurity was gone, burned away by his honesty.
Dallas smiled — a rare, genuine expression that softened the hard angles of his face. He pulled her closer, his hand sliding up her back, skin against skin. He leaned in, his lips brushing her jawline, sending a shiver down her spine.
Then a sharp, frantic knocking on the bedroom door shattered the silence. Not a polite tap — a rapid-fire assault on the wood.
Dallas groaned, his forehead dropping against Eliza’s shoulder. The tension in his body shifted instantly from desire to annoyance. “Azalea,” he muttered into her skin. “It has to be p>
“Dad! Emergency! Code Red!” Azalea’s muffled voice screamed through the thick mahogany door. “Open up! It’s a disaster p>
Dallas exhaled — a long, suffering sound. He pulled away from Eliza and sat up on the edge of the bed, running a hand through his hair. The muscles in his back flexed as he stretched, the scars there moving with him.
“Code Red usually means she broke a nail or the Wi-Fi is down,” he said, standing and grabbing a pair of grey sweatpants from the floor.
𝗥оma𝘯с𝗲 n𝘰𝗏𝖾𝗹ѕ о𝗇
Eliza sat up and wrapped the duvet around herself. A chill that had nothing to do with the temperature settled in her stomach. Azalea was dramatic, yes — but there was a pitch to her voice that sounded like genuine panic.
Dallas pulled the door open.
Azalea stood in the hallway in silk pajamas, her hair a bird’s nest of tangles. Her face was pale, her eyes wide and frightened. She was trembling.
“They’re back,” she gasped. “They moved up the timeline to ambush you. The jet just landed at Teterboro. Weston got the security alert p>
Dallas went still. The relaxed lover vanished in a heartbeat. His shoulders squared, his jaw set, and his eyes turned to ice. The CEO was back.
“My parents?” he asked — though his tone said he already knew.
“Your parents,” Azalea confirmed, her voice shaking. “Ferd and Jeannine. And they are furious. Nuclear furious p>
“They saw the news,” Dallas said. “About the marriage registration. About the press conference p>
“They’re demanding a family dinner. Tonight. At the Estate.” Azalea swallowed. “They sent a car. It’s already on the way p>
Eliza stepped out of bed and reached for one of Dallas’s discarded white dress shirts draped over the chair. She buttoned it quickly, her fingers fumbling slightly. The fabric smelled like him — cedar and expensive cologne.
“Are they coming here?” she asked, stepping up beside Dallas.