She nods, touches my face once—soft, almost tender—then walks away.
I stand in the dark garden, hard and aching and knowing I just made a deal that's going to gut me.
Two days with Aurora.
Two days to give her everything she wants before she disappears into whatever life she came from.
Two days to pretend she’s mine.
You're so fucked.
I know.
But I can't bring myself to care.
5
AURORA
This is it.
I stand outside the address Axel sent me—a building so tall I have to crane my neck to see the top—and try to remember how to breathe.
Fifty-third floor. Penthouse.
My phone buzzes.
Axel: You coming up or are you going to stand outside all night?
I look up, scan the building. Somewhere up there, he's watching. Waiting.
Me: Checking my options. Maybe I'll just go home.
Axel: Liar.
Me: How do you know?
Axel: Because you want this as badly as I do. Now stop stalling.
He's right. Damn him.
I smooth down my dress—black, simple, the kind that's easy to take off—and walk through the doors.
The lobby's all marble and gold, the kind of expensive that makes you whisper. A doorman nods at me like he was expecting me. The elevator's glass and chrome, and when I punch in the penthouse code, it shoots up so fast my stomach drops.
What am I doing?
I'm about to lose my virginity to a man I've known for three days. A man who just got out of prison.
A man who makes you feel alive for the first time in your life.
The elevator opens directly into his penthouse.
I step out and—
Holy shit.
Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the entire city. Modern furniture that screams wealth. Kitchen with marble countertops. The living room is enormous.
