Addie’s sighs and moans had sounded as holy as gossip in a church earlier. Now, in their absence, the quiet felt wrong. Not restored. Hollowed out. Like something had been removed that the penthouse had decided it needed without my permission.
I had slept deeply at first, the heavy, honeyed taste of her still coating my tongue. It had dragged me into a dreamless voidwhen I'd come from her room and rested my head on my pillow. But as the hours ticked by and her scent began to dissipate into the filtered air of the suite, the restlessness returned.
I woke once, then again. My hand reached for a warmth that wasn’t there. The sheets were wrong. Too cool. Too empty.
Her scent clung faintly to me; ghosted into my skin, caught somewhere deeper than the surface. Not enough. Not even close.
The wolf stirred, restless.Go to her,he demanded.
I could map the distance without thinking. Twenty paces. One door. No resistance.
I imagined it—her under the covers, warmth pooled between her thighs, that scent stronger there, richer. Waiting.
My jaw tightened.
I didn’t move.
I wanted to get up. I wanted to walk the twenty paces to her bedroom, throw back the covers, and bury my nose in the crook of her neck until the world went quiet again. Better yet, I wanted to slide back between her thighs and breathe her in until I was intoxicated. I had never craved a woman like this. Not just the friction of her body, but the specific, addictive pheromones that seemed to rewrite my internal chemistry.
I stayed in my bed.
The wolf wanted her, but the man knew better. I couldn't trust her yet. She was still a Vane in a Blackwood’s bed. She had reached out to her brother on a private server, a digital whisper behind my back. And then there was the boy himself.
I’d seen the logs Elias had hacked into. The pup was planning something, some amateur play for leverage or rescue. Whatever it was, I wouldn't let his misplaced heroics hurt my family. Or hers.
I was up before the sun. The sky was a bruised, pre-dawn purple. I showered until the steam cleared the last of Addie's scent from my skin.
I stood under the shower's spray longer than necessary, letting the heat strip her from my skin. It took effort. The scent clung, stubborn. I scrubbed until it gave way. Control restored piece by piece.
By the time I stepped into my closet, I was already rebuilding the man I needed to be. The suit went on like armor. Clean lines. Structure. Distance.
I stopped outside the door before going to the kitchen to speak with Marek, one of the enforcers stationed at the door. "Mrs. Blackwood goes to the Sterling office at nine. You take her there. You bring her back at night. No stops, no side trips."
"Understood, sir."
"Have meals delivered to her from Fang Dynasty for lunch and dinner," I added, the memory of her groan over that choice cut flashing through my mind. "I'll be back late this evening."
Before I grabbed something for the road, I sat at my terminal and fired off the email I’d promised her. It contained the encrypted details for the Western logistics firm; a mess of union disputes and shadow debt that had been a thorn in my side for months.
I might not trust her with my family secrets or the keys to the vault, but my wife had a brilliant, ruthless mind. I would use it to my advantage. If I couldn't have her heart yet, I would have her brilliance.
By the time the elevator hit the lobby, I was already thinking three moves ahead. If Elias wanted to play games with leverage, I’d show him what real power looked like. If Addie wanted to stay behind her walls, I’d just have to make sure the view from my side was too tempting for her to ignore.
CHAPTER THIRTY
ADDIE
Iwoke up with the phantom weight of Vidar’s hands ghosting over my hips. The sheets were cold; the silence of the penthouse was deafening. I didn't let the disappointment settle. Instead, I forged it into armor.
The dress I chose for this morning's assault was a silk slip in a deep, bruised plum that clung to every curve he’d claimed the night before. If he wanted a partner, he was going to have to deal with the distraction of one. I spent twenty minutes on my hair and makeup, painting on a version of myself that looked as untouchable as a diamond. When I stepped into the living area, armed to the teeth, the only person waiting for me was a wall of muscle in a cheap suit.
"Mr. Blackwood left at 5:00 AM, ma'am," the enforcer said. "He won't be back until late this evening. I'm to escort you to the office, oversee your work hours, and ensure your meals are delivered from Fang Dynasty."
A familiar acid burned in my throat. It was exactly like being back under my father’s roof; a gilded cage with a high-speed internet connection and a guard at the door. I didn't argue. I didn't scream. I simply smoothed my silk skirt and gave the wolf in cheap clothing a practiced smile.
"Then we shouldn't keep the markets waiting, should we?"
Inside, I was already mapping the vents and the service elevators of Blackwood Holdings. I would not be a kept prisoner today.
