So she delivered her analysis with utmost seriousness.
But she quickly realized that he wasn't responding.
She turned her head to look at him.
In that exact fraction of a second, his lips crashed over hers.
She froze instantly.
The heavy laptop was still balanced precariously on her lap.
She knew it housed highly classified documents; dropping it was not an option.
That fear paralyzed her completely.
Julian, however, was terrifyingly calm.
He simply reached over, snapped the lid shut, and tossed the expensive machine onto the nightstand.
His large frame shifted, caging her beneath him.
Staring down at her, he commanded hoarsely, "Let's continue."
He obviously wasn't talking about the contract.
He wanted to pick up exactly where they had left off on the living room sofa.
It was as if he was hellbent on obliterating the physical barrier that had stood between them for years.
The raw, unyielding intent radiating from him was unmistakable.
"Relax. Just let me have this," he murmured, his voice a dark caress.
She stared back at him, utterly mute.
He really was breathtakingly handsome, his features sharply defined and aristocratic.
Thanks to his mixed heritage, he possessed a commanding, powerful physique.
Pinned beneath him, she possessed absolutely zero physical leverage.
More importantly, the suffocating guilt chained her down, stealing her will to fight back.
"You don't want this?" he asked softly.
His deep obsession with her meant he was agonizingly attuned to her every micro-expression.
He could feel the rigid resistance locked in her muscles.
She searched his eyes before finally sighing. "Julian... if we sleep together, will it finally rid you of all this resentment?"
The brutal honesty instantly extinguished the heat in his gaze.
"Have I just been far too lenient with you all these years? Is that why Sebastian thinks he can just waltz in and stake his claim?" he demanded bitterly.
He wasn't entirely blaming her.
In his mind, Sebastian was the root of all this toxic destruction.
She had no argument to offer.
It truly was his endless tolerance that had allowed this to fester.
Coupled with her crippling hesitation regarding their marriage.

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