Chapter 56
Chapter 56:
Snap.
A jolt of static electricity, violent and audible, cracked between them. It wasn’t a small spark. It was a sharp, stinging bite that traveled up Aurora’s arm, zipping straight to her heart. She gasped softly, her fingers twitching.
Elias froze.
His pupils dilated, swallowing the grey of his irises for a microsecond. The muscle in his jaw jumped. He looked at their hands, suspended in the air, mere millimeters apart, as if they were magnets repelling and attracting simultaneously. He withdrew his hand abruptly. He clenched it into a fist at his side, burying it in the pocket of his coat.
Sterling, watching from the fireplace, let out a dark chuckle. “See? Even Elias is repulsed by her. He can’t even bring himself to touch her p>
Aurora composed herself, masking the racing of her heart. She looked at Elias, expecting to see the same disdain she saw in Sterling.
But Elias wasn’t looking at her with disgust. He was looking at her with something far more dangerous. He was looking at her like a man who had just touched a live wire and was wondering if the burn was worth the shock.
Elias excused himself immediately. He didn’t offer an explanation; he simply turned on his heel and strode out of the drawing room, heading for the guest washroom down the hall. He locked the door behind him and leaned against the marble sink. His breathing was controlled, rhythmic, but his internal state was chaotic. He turned on the cold water tap, twisting the handle until the stream was a torrent.
He thrust his right hand—the hand that had almost touched her—under the freezing water.
The cold bit into his skin, numbing the nerves, but it couldn’t wash away the phantom sensation. The heat. The vibration. It felt like he had stuck his hand into a furnace. He could still feel the ghost of her skin against his fingertips.
He looked at his reflection in the mirror. His face was composed, the mask of the ascetic billionaire firmly in place. But his eyes betrayed him. They were dark, turbulent.
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He pressed his wet hand against his neck, feeling the rapid thrum of his pulse beneath the skin. It wasn’t just static. Static didn’t linger. Static didn’t make his chest feel tight.
“Physics,” Elias growled low in his throat. “Dry air. Wool carpet. Friction p>
He turned off the tap and dried his hand with a linen towel, scrubbing the skin until it was red. He was Elias Thorne. He practiced restraint. He collected ancient texts and practiced calligraphy to master his mind. He certainly did not lose his composure because of his nephew’s ex-wife.
He adjusted his tie, took a deep breath, and walked back into the fray.
In the dining room, the atmosphere was thick enough to choke on. Sterling had cornered Ashley near the sideboard.
“Did you invite her?” Sterling hissed, his eyes darting toward Aurora, who was being seated by the butler.
“No!” Ashley whispered back, offended. “It was Aunt Beatrice. She’s gone senile p>
Sterling sneered, smoothing his lapel. “She’s trying to climb back in. Did you see her face when I walked in? She’s desperate for my attention. And did you see Elias? He practically ran out of the room. He hates germs. She’s contamination to him p>
“Exactly,” Ashley giggled. “He looked like he wanted to sanitize his hand p>
They took their seats. The table was long, set with crystal and silver. Beatrice sat at the head. Sterling sat to her right. Elias sat to her left.