Amara deliberately sat near the window, crossing her arms tightly as she looked outside.
Elias watched her quietly for a few seconds.
Then he loosened his tie slightly and leaned back against the seat, his long fingers lazily adjusting the collar of his shirt.
“You know,” he said casually, his deep voice filling the quiet car, “for someone pretending to hate me, you seem very comfortable being trapped alone with me in a closed space.”
Amara turned to stare at him.
“Trapped?” she scoffed. “You used to lock yourself in the bathroom and refuse to come out if I accidentally walked in while you were showering.”
Her eyes narrowed mockingly.
“And now you think I’d be worried about sitting with you in a car?”
A low chuckle escaped Elias’s throat.
His gaze slowly swept over her face before he leaned slightly closer.
“That was before.”
Amara instantly became alert when his fingers moved to the buttons of his shirt.
Elias began unbuttoning his shirt, his eyes never leaving her face.
Every movement was dangerously confident.
Amara instantly stiffened beside the window, her brows pulling together as she looked at him like he had finally lost his mind.
“What exactly are you doing?” she asked cautiously.
Elias ignored the warning in her voice.
Instead, he shifted closer.
The leather seat dipped beneath his weight as he moved over her, one arm bracing beside her shoulder while the other reached for her wrist before she could react.
Amara’s breath caught.
“Elias—”
He ignored the warning in her voice completely.
His fingers wrapped firmly around her hand before he guided it beneath the open collar of his shirt and pressed her palm flat against his bare chest.
Warm skin.
Strong heartbeat.
Amara immediately tried to yank her hand back, but Elias only tightened his grip slightly, his dark eyes fixed on her flushed face.
The intensity in his gaze made heat rush straight to her cheeks.
“You’re insane,” she snapped, avoiding his eyes. “We’re literally on the way to a business dinner.”
A lazy grin spread across Elias’s lips.
“And?”
