Chapter 153
Chapter 153
VENUS
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The grip on my arm was like iron, fingers digging deep into my skin as the flashbulbs seared into my eyes. The shouting blurred into a roar, and for a moment, I couldn’t even breathe. The cameras weren’t recording a glamorous exit anymore, they were recording my abduction.
And then Aaron’s voice cracked through the chaos.
“Let. Her. Go p>
It wasn’t shouted. It was roared, deep and guttural, carrying enough force to rip through the cacophony. In the split second it took for my captor to falter, Aaron was already there, his hand seizing the reporter’s wrist, his body slamming into the fray like a storm made flesh.
The world tilted as I was wrenched back into his arms, my lungs dragging in oxygen as though I’d been drowning. My vision blurred, but I caught it-the sheer fury in his eyes.
Aaron shoved the man back, his voice a blade that sliced the air. “Find out who the hell he works for. Now p>
His team moved instantly. Two of his security detail closed in, dragging the struggling reporter from the crush of paparazzi like he weighed nothing. Cameras still flashed wildly, feeding on scandal, but Aaron’s focus never left me. His grip on me was unyielding, almost desperate, like if he let go, the earth itself might swallow
“You’re safe,” he said, though the fire in his voice betrayed the violence simmering beneath. His thumb brushed over the mark the stranger had left, and I felt the tremor in his hand even as he tried to steady me.
I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. My throat was raw with shock. So instead, I only nodded.
Aaron’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t press. His hand stayed firm at my back as he shielded me all the way into the waiting car.
The ride was silent, the city bleeding past the tinted windows in streaks of neon and shadow. Aaron sat close, his hand still on me, but he didn’t ask questions-not yet. He watched me like a man ready to fight the world if I broke.
I stared out the window, my silence a brittle shield. My pulse hadn’t slowed. My skin still buzzed where that man had touched me, where Aaron had pulled me back. My lips parted, but still, no words came. I swallowed them whole and kept quiet.
When we finally reached his penthouse, I moved first. Straight to the cabinet. The crystal decanters glimmered in the low light, amber liquid catching on the glass. I poured myself a drink-the strongest one in reach-my hands steady only because I forced them to be.
Aaron was behind me in an instant. “Venus.” His voice was low, warning.
I didn’t pause. I poured another and shoved it toward him. “Drink with me p>
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Chapter 153
B
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He hesitated. Just long enough for me to see the flicker of resistance. But then his eyes narrowed, and he took it. Not because he wanted to, but because he understood.
We clinked glasses without ceremony. I downed mine in one go, the burn tearing down my throat and setting fire to the storm inside me. Aaron sipped slower, but his eyes never left mine.
Silence stretched. Heavy, suffocating. Until finally, I broke it.
“Tonight was something.” My words were thick, uneven.
Aaron nodded once. “It was p>
The drink warmed me, but it didn’t dull the truth pressing against my ribs. It wanted out. No, it demanded
out.
“I think…” My voice wavered. I steadied it. “I think-no. I know I’m in love with you p>
Aaron froze. Glass still in his hand, his body went utterly still. “Venus p>
“It’s not the alcohol speaking.” I cut him off, my words tumbling out faster, sharper. “I’m not tipsy p>
A smile tugged at my lips, but it was fragile, trembling. “I’ve been in love with you for the longest time, Aaron. Before London. Before Gerald.” My voice wavered at the end “But I was scared p>
My voice cracked. I laughed bitterly. “You warned me. You told me it was casual. You said don’t catch feelings. But I went ahead and did it anyway. I kept denying it, shoving it down, telling myself it was wrong but it’s the truth p>
I set the empty glass down hard on the counter, the sound sharp in the quiet. “I am utterly in love with you, Aaron Sinclair. When you told me you were in love with me in the hospital, I freaked out. I p>
His name fell from my lips like confession, like prayer.
For a moment, he said nothing. The silence stretched until I thought it might break me.
Then, slowly, he set his own glass down. His gaze locked on mine, raw and unguarded in a way I had never
seen.
“I was a fool,” he said, voice rougher than I’d ever heard. “I felt something for you then, too. But I thought keeping my distance would protect us both. That letting you close would ruin everything p>
He stepped closer, his hand brushing a tear I hadn’t even realized had slipped down my cheek. “But I love you, Venus. You came into my life and turned it upside down. Altered my routine. My stance on everything. Permanently. I only realized that after you were gone. It felt like my world fell apart. Like life wasn’t worth living p>
He exhaled, the tension unraveling from his shoulders in a breath that sounded like surrender. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you. If you’d have me p>
My vision blurred again, but this time with tears I couldn’t stop. I nodded, my voice breaking. “Of course p>
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Chapter 153
His lips crashed into mine before the words even settled in the air.
The kiss was fire and gravity all at once-hungry, desperate, but grounding. I melted into him, my hands clutching at his shirt like he was the only solid thing in the world. And he was.
When he finally pulled back, his forehead rested against mine, his breath ragged.
“So no more pretend?” I whispered.
“No more pretend.” His voice was firm, absolute.
The second kiss came harder, deeper, and this time, nothing held us back.
Aaron’s hands gripped my waist, pulling me flush against him as he guided us toward the bedroom. Each step felt inevitable, like the world itself was pushing us there.
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In the dim light of his room, he broke away just long enough to reach into a drawer. A crisp paper landed in my hands.
The marriage contract.
That damned paper that had bound us, he same one that pushed me into the vile hands of Gerald.
I looked at it, then back at him. His eyes burned into mine. No words were needed.
With a grin that trembled at the edges, I tore it in half. The sound was sharp, final. Pieces fluttered to the floor like ashes.
The pieces of the contract were still fluttering to the floor when Aaron’s mouth crashed into mine. The kiss wasn’t gentle; it was an onslaught, years of restraint burning away in seconds. His teeth dragged over my lower lip, and I gasped into him, my fingers clutching at his shirt like I could anchor myself against the force of him.
“You’re mine,” he growled against my mouth. It wasn’t a question. It was law.
“Yes,” I breathed, dizzy with how right it felt. “Yours p>
That single word seemed to snap something inside him. His hands-always so steady, always in control- were rough now, decisive. One tangled in my hair, yanking my head back so my throat was bared to him. His mouth traced the line of it, hot kisses punctuated with sharp bites that would bloom purple by morning. My
skin sang
with every mark he left, as if he were writing his claim in bruises and fire.
The straps of my gown slid down, silk pooling at my feet in a whisper. His gaze raked over me, slow and unrelenting, and the sound he made-a guttural, low curse-sent a tremor down my spine.
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Ruby Walker
Ruby Walker is a rising voice in the world of romance and spicy fiction. With a gift for weaving deep emotions, sizzling chemistry, and unexpected twists, her stories are a blend of passion and drama that captivate readers from start to finish. Ruby’s writing style is bold and irresistible—perfect for those who crave intense, addictive love stories.