Chapter 130 Electric Tension

Estelle’s POV

Zayne stared at me for what felt like an eternity. His electric blue eyes moved from my earrings back to the cufflinks in the box, then to my face again.

The silence made my stomach twist with worry. Had I made a mistake? Were matching accessories too presumptuous for whatever this relationship was between us?

“Zayne?” I whispered, suddenly feeling foolish. “If you don’t like them, I can—”

Then he laughed.

It wasn’t a polite chuckle or a nervous sound. It was genuine, warm laughter that made his eyes crinkle at the corners and transformed his usually serious face completely.

Heat flooded my cheeks. “What is it?”

“Nothing.” He shook his head, still smiling. “I just found you cute.”

My blush deepened. “Cute?”

“Estelle.” His voice was gentle now, all traces of amusement replaced by something softer. “I love the gift.”

Relief washed through me so quickly I felt dizzy. “You do?”

“Help me put them on?” he asked, holding up one of the cufflinks.

I moved closer to him in the basket, my fingers working to remove his current cufflinks and replace them with the new ones. The blue stones caught the starlight perfectly, complementing his eyes just as I’d hoped they would.

“There,” I said, placing his old cufflinks carefully in the velvet box. “Perfect.”

Zayne admired them, turning his wrists to catch the light. “They are.”

When I looked up, he was much closer than I’d expected. So close I could see the individual silver strands in his hair and the way his pupils had dilated slightly in the moonlight.

His hand came up slowly, his fingers gentle as he combed my hair back behind my ear. The simple touch made my entire body go rigid with surprise.

I’d never reacted to anyone like this before. Not even Asher in the early days of our marriage, when I’d still believed we were truly mated.

Zayne’s eyes met mine, and what I saw there made my throat go dry. His gaze was gentle, but underneath that was a hunger and desire that he didn’t bother to hide.

An unexplainable emotion swirled inside my chest, warm and urgent and completely foreign.

“Estelle,” he murmured, my name barely a breath between us.

We were leaning closer. I could feel the warmth radiating from his body and smell the clean and masculine scent that gentle clinged onto him.

Our faces were inches apart now. I could feel his breath against my lips.

Panic suddenly cut through the haze of attraction. I sucked in a sharp breath and pulled back slightly.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “I don’t know what came over me.”

But Zayne didn’t let me retreat. His finger found my chin, tilting my face back toward his with gentle pressure.

“Don’t apologize,” he said softly.

Then he closed the distance between us and kissed me.

The first touch of his lips against mine sent electricity shooting through my entire body. I froze in surprise for just a moment before melting completely into his touch.

I’d been kissed before. Asher had kissed me countless times during our marriage. But this was nothing like those perfunctory, passionless touches.

This kiss made my toes curl in my shoes. My heart raced so fast I worried it might burst. Every point where our bodies connected felt like it was on fire.

Zayne’s hands came up to frame my face as he deepened the kiss. I found myself pressing closer to him, my own hands fisting in the fabric of his shirt.

When we finally broke apart to breathe, my head felt light and dizzy. The basket seemed to be spinning around us, though I knew it was just the effect Zayne was having on me.

I caught a flush of pink across his sharp cheekbones and felt absurdly pleased that I wasn’t the only one so affected by what had just happened between us.

But then I noticed the way he was looking at me. He looked like he was fighting to maintain control. His eyes had started to glow faintly, the sign of a wolf pushing close to the surface.

My mark began to throb in response, a sensation I’d never experienced before. The realization hit me like a physical blow.

I was falling for him. This wasn’t just political convenience anymore. This wasn’t just a marriage of mutual benefit.

The thought terrified me.

What would he say when he eventually noticed my mark? He would eventually realize that I’d been claimed by another man, even if that mark hadn’t been activated yet.

I should tell him now. I should explain about Asher, about the inactive mark, about everything.

But as I glanced around, I realized our balloon ride was slowly coming to an end. We were descending gradually, the ground growing closer with each passing minute.

I couldn’t risk ruining this perfect evening. Not when everything felt so right between us.

Another day, I decided. I’d tell him another day.

***

Third POV

Meanwhile, far below in neutral territory, Asher slumped over his table at Celestial Garden. Empty wine bottles surrounded him like fallen soldiers.

He checked his phone again. Still no response from Estelle.

The waiter approached nervously. “Sir, we’re closing soon.”

Asher waved him away with a sloppy gesture. “She’ll come. She always comes back.”

But as the minutes ticked by, doubt began creeping in. Where was she?

Footsteps approached his table. Asher looked up blearily to see a woman’s silhouette.

“Finally,” he slurred. “I knew you wouldn’t abandon me.”

The woman paused, and a familiar voice reached his ears. However, he couldn’t place it. The woman sighed. “I’ll handle his bill.”

She placed cash on the table and helped him to his feet. Asher leaned heavily against her, his vision too blurred to make out her features clearly. However, he knew that it had to be his Estelle.

Every other time this happened, she had always come for him. Through their marriage, and even before that, she would always come to make sure he made it home safely after a night out drinking.

“See,” he mumbled as she guided him toward the door. “I knew you wouldn’t just leave me alone. I always knew that you would still come for me.”