Act Like You Love Me (Jessica) novel Chapter 214

Chapter 214

Daphne’s POV

When the elevator doors finally slid open, I tried to wrench my arm free.

The gold-plated interior had felt like a cage, but the hallway was no better.

David’s grip was like an iron shackle, unyielding and possessive as he hauled me toward our villa.

‘David, let go! You’re hurting me!” I cried out, my voice echoing against the polished marble walls.

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He didn’t budge. His jaw was set so tight I thought his teeth might shatter, and his eyes were fixed forward with a cold, focused intensity.

The moment we crossed the threshold of the villa, he slammed the door shut, the sound a heavy thud that vibrated through he floorboards.

Before I could even draw a breath to argue, he spun me around and pushed me against the wall.

He didn’t use his full strength, but the suddenness of it stole the air from my lungs.

Only then did face me, his blue eyes searching mine with a look that was half-fury, half-desperation.

‘What the hell were you doing out there?” he demanded, his voice dropping into a rough, dangerous register. “Talking to some random kid?

The hurt I’d been nursing all evening surged back, hot and bitter. I huffed, rolling my eyes as I tried to push against his chest.

Why does it matter who I talk to, David? I’m a grown ass woman. I’m independent. I can talk to whoever I want, whenever I want. You don’t own me.”

You’re mine on this ship,” he growled, leaning in until our noses were almost touching.

Every pair of eyes on this vessel thinks you belong to me. You don’t go around blushing for blonde-haired nobodies.”

‘Oh, that’s rich,” I fired back, my voice trembling with indignation.

You want to talk about who belongs to who? I saw you tonight, David. I saw you on the lower deck with Julie. I saw your hands on her face, the way you were looking at her-with so much tenderness it made me sick. After everything that happened between us the other night… after everything you said… I thought-”

“You thought wrong,” he cut me off, his voice cracking slightly. He didn’t pull away; instead, he stepped closer, his forehead coming to rest against mine.

The heat radiating from him was stifling.

“Julie was having a panic attack, Daphne. She’s not well. She hasn’t been well for a long time. I was trying to calm her down. to keep her from spiraling in front of the entire ship. That’s all. There is nothing between us. There has never been anything but history and obligation.”

I searched his face, desperately looking for a crack in the mask. I wanted to believe him so badly it ached.

Jessica’s story about Aaron and the years they lost to a simple misunderstanding echoed in my mind.

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Chapter 214

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I didn’t want to be the woman who ran away because she was too proud to listen. But the image of him holding her was a stubborn thorn in my side.

David’s hand came up, his palm cupping my cheek.

His thumb brushed away a tear I hadn’t even realized was falling.

“I’m not a liar, Daphne. And I’m certainly not an infidel. What we have… the way I feel when I’m with you… it stopped being a part of the contract days ago. I thought you felt that too.”

I swallowed hard, the flutter in my chest returning with a vengeance.

“I did. I do. But seeing you with her… it didn’t feel like a contract. It felt like my heart was being squeezed.”

He nodded slowly, his eyes dilating until the blue was almost swallowed by black.

“Then let’s stop the guessing. Stop the running. If you’re angry, yell at me. Hit me if you have to. But don’t you ever go looking for comfort in another man’s arms again.”

I looked straight into his eyes, my heart pounding hard against my ribs.

“Because if I see another guy touching you again,” he growled, his gaze darkening, “I won’t be this calm. I’ll remind you exactly who you belong to-right there, right then, until the only name you remember is mine.”

The threat was raw, possessive, and undeniably sexy. It made my knees feel weak and my pulse race in ways I didn’t want to admit.

Before I could find the words to respond, his hand shifted from my cheek to my neck.

His grip was firm, not enough to choke me, but enough to hold me exactly where he wanted me.

He slammed me back against the wall once more and latched his lips onto mine.

The kiss was an explosion of everything we’d been suppressing: jealousy, aggression, and a desperate kind of hunger. It wasn’t gentle. It was a battle for dominance.

He tasted like sin and bottled-up rage, and God help me, it turned me on so badly my clit sang.

reached up, my fingers tangling in his hair, pulling him closer as if I could fuse our bodies together.

He let out a guttural sound against my mouth, then hoisted me up. I wrapped my legs around his waist instinctively as he carried me toward the bed.

He threw me down onto the silk covers, the air leaving my lungs for the second time that night, and followed me down nstantly.

His mouth moved from my lips to the sensitive cord of my neck, his teeth grazing my skin in a way that made me moan his

name.

He was a man possessed, his hands roaming over my body as if he were trying to memorize every curve through the fabric of my dress.

He moved lower, his lips trailing fire down to my chest, then further down across my abdomen.

I gripped his hair, moaning as pleasure sparked through me. Every kiss felt like fire on my skin.

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His lips continued their trail, moving over my abdomen until he reached the edge of my dress.

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He pushed the fabric up, mouth hot against my inner thigh. I arched, breath coming fast, anticipation making me dizzy as he moved closer to my center…..

A sharp knock sounded on the door.

I gasped, my back arching off the bed. “David,” I breathed, my voice a wreck.

He didn’t stop. He ignored the sound, his tongue damp against my skin.

The knock came again, louder this time, followed by the muffled sound of a voice.

“David? David, please open up.”

I froze. I knew that voice. Even through the heavy wood of the door, I could hear the fragile, thin quality of it. Julie.

“David, go check,” I urged, my voice trembling. “It could be important.”

David let out a frustrated groan, burying his face in my stomach for a second before he pushed himself up.

He glared at the door, his eyes so dark they looked like ink.

He shot me one last look-a warning that this wasn’t over-before he smoothed his hair and walked toward the entrance.

He opened the door only a crack, just enough to peek outside.

I sat up on the bed, smoothing my dress down and trying to settle my breathing, listening with a heart that felt like it was nade of lead.

Julie, it’s late,” David said, his voice clipped and professional.

‘I know, I’m sorry,” she whined, and I could practically feel the forced helplessness dripping off her words.

‘I just… I can’t sleep. The panic is coming back. I need you, David. Please, just for a few minutes.”

Something in me snapped. The sadness that had instilled in me for this woman evaporated, replaced by a cold, searing

larity.

Panic attack or not, she was marking her territory. She was trying to pull him away from me in the middle of the night, asing her fragility as a weapon.

I didn’t think. I stood up from the bed, adjusted my dress with a hurried tug, and stormed toward the door.

David looked surprised as I appeared at his shoulder, but he didn’t stop me. I pushed the door open wider, stepping into the rame so Julie could see me clearly.

Her eyes, wide and watery, fixed on me with a flicker of annoyance before she tried to look past me to David.

‘Hi, Julie,” I said, my voice steady despite the adrenaline coursing through my veins.

I kept my tone polite, but there was a razor-sharp edge to every word.

‘I understand that you and David have a long history, and I truly sympathize with your health. But I would really appreciate it if you didn’t interrupt us at this hour. It’s nearly midnight.”

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Julie blinked, her mouth falling open. She tried to ignore me, her gaze darting back to David.

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