The CEO's Match

Caught in the Fire

Alexander's pov

It was dangerous, this thing between us. A wildfire that we'd been pretending we could control, but now the flames were everywhere, licking at the edges of our sanity. I couldn't tear myself away from her. The way she felt in my arms, the taste of her still on my lips-it was everything I never knew I needed.

But I couldn't let this moment slip away. I didn't want her to think this was just some passing desire, some reckless impulse. It wasn't. It was something deeper, something that had been building between us for years, something I couldn't ignore anymore.

I wanted her. That much was obvious. But it wasn't just about the physical attraction, the way her body pressed against mine, soft in all the right places, driving me to the edge. It was more than that. It was the way she challenged me, the way she never backed down, the way she saw through all the layers I hid behind and called me out on my bullshit. She was different. She was mine.

Even if she didn't realize it yet.

Her breath was hot against my neck, her body tense in my lap as she tried to convince herself that this wasn't real, that this wouldn't change anything. But I knew better. I could see it in her eyes, feel it in the way she clung to me even as she tried to push me away. She wanted this as much as I did. Maybe more.

But I had to be careful. The last thing I wanted was for her to think I was using her, that this was just about satisfying some primal urge. I needed to show her that she was more than that to me, that whatever this was, it wasn't just a fleeting moment.

I leaned back slightly, my hand lifting her chin, forcing her to meet my gaze. Her eyes were wide, her pupils dilated, and I could see the war going on inside her, the struggle between what she wanted and what she thought was right. She was trying so hard to hold on to her control, but it was slipping, and I wasn't going to let her regain it.

"Nova," I murmured, my voice low, dangerous, "you're lying to yourself if you think this doesn't mean anything."

She opened her mouth to protest, but I didn't give her the chance. I tilted her head to the side, exposing the delicate curve of her neck, and I bit down, harder this time, making sure she'd wake up with the proof of this night. A mark, a reminder that she was mine, even if she was too stubborn to admit it.

She gasped, her hands tightening on my shoulders, her body arching against me as I sucked on the sensitive skin, leaving my claim. Her breath hitched, and I could feel the heat between us intensify, the tension pulling us tighter together, until it felt like we were the only two people in the world.

She was trying so hard to hold on to her resolve, but I could feel it slipping away with every touch, every kiss. She wanted this. She wanted me. And I wasn't going to let her forget that.

I pulled back just enough to look at her, my eyes locking onto hers, searching for any sign that I'd gone too far. But all I saw was desire, raw and unfiltered, mixed with the frustration of wanting something she couldn't quite admit to herself.

"Don't stand too close to me, Nova," I whispered, echoing my earlier warning, but this time, the words carried a different meaning. A plea, almost, for her to recognize what was happening between us, to stop pretending like this was just some mistake.

But even as I said it, I knew I didn't want her to pull away. I wanted her closer, wanted to feel every inch of her against me, wanted to lose myself in her completely. But I couldn't rush this. Not yet. I had to be patient, had to make sure she understood that this wasn't just about physical attraction, that I was serious about whatever this was.

She was panting now, her chest rising and falling rapidly, and I could see the conflict in her eyes, the way she was trying to reconcile the woman she'd been with the woman she was becoming. The truth was, I didn't have all the answers. I didn't know where this was going, or what would happen when the fire between us finally burned out. But I knew I wasn't ready to let her go. Not yet. Not ever.

I leaned in again, pressing my lips to hers, softer this time, more controlled, letting her know that I wasn't in a rush, that we had time to figure this out. She responded, hesitantly at first, but then with a hunger that matched my own, her hands sliding up to tangle in my hair, pulling me closer, deeper into the kiss.

My heart pounded in my chest, and I could feel the last vestiges of my control slipping away. This was dangerous, playing with fire like this, but I didn't care. I wanted her, and I was willing to risk everything to have her.

When we finally pulled apart, both of us breathing hard, I looked at her, really looked at her, and I knew. Whatever happened next, whatever this was, I wasn't going to let her go. She was mine. And I was hers.

Even if it destroyed us both.