Reborn at Eighteen The Billionaire's Second Chance novel Chapter 156

Chapter 156

Elara

I should have refused. Should have pulled away and called a car and

gone back to my tiny room in the Bronx where I could fall apart in

private. But I was so tired, so completely exhausted by everything–by

Marcus’s betrayal, by my own desperation, by the constant weight of

trying to survive in a world that seemed determined to crush me.

So I let him lead me out through the restaurant’s back entrance, past the kitchen staff who carefully avoided looking at us, and into the waiting Maybach where Atlas sat behind the wheel with his usual

impassive expression.

“My apartment.”

Julian’s voice was clipped, and I was too numb to protest as the car pulled away from the curb. We rode in silence, the city lights blurring past the tinted windows while I stared at my hands in my lap, trying not to think about what had just happened, about how completely I’d

failed.

The car pulled into the underground garage of Julian’s building, and I followed him mechanically to the elevator, through the penthouse door, into the gleaming space that I’d been in too many times before.

1/7

Chapter 156

Each visit seemed to strip away another layer of my dignity, another

piece of whatever self–respect I’d been trying to hold onto.

I stood in the middle of his living room, still wearing Marcus’s dress,

and felt something inside me crack.

“I need to go. I need to-”

“You’re not going anywhere.”

Julian’s voice was quiet but absolute, and when I finally looked at

him, I saw something in his expression that made my breath catch- not anger, exactly, but something darker.

“You can’t keep me here.”

Even I could hear how weak the protest sounded.

“Can’t I?” He took a step closer, and I found myself backing up until I hit the window, the cold glass pressing against my spine. “You came to me for help once, remember? Asked me for the award slot. And I was going to give it to you, Elara. I’d already made the arrangements, already called in the favors I needed to call in.”

I stared at him, trying to process what he was saying.

217

Chapter 157

breath. He pulled out almost completely and then slammed back in,

setting a punishing rhythm that had me clutching at his shoulders,

my nails digging into his skin.

“This is what you wanted, isn’t it?”

His voice was rough in my ear, his hips snapping against mine with

bruising force.

“Wanted me to lose control. Wanted to see what it would take to make

me snap.”

I couldn’t answer, could barely breathe as he pounded into me. My

body was responding despite myself, despite the part of my brain that

was screaming that this was wrong, that I was letting him use me

again. I could feel the pressure building low in my belly, could feel

myself getting closer to the edge with every thrust.

“Look at me.”

His hand gripped my jaw, forcing my head up. I opened my eyes, met

his gaze, and saw something raw and desperate there.

“I want you to remember this. Want you to remember who’s making

you feel this way. Who you belong to.”

1/7

Chapter 157

His hand moved between us, his fingers finding my clit and rubbing

in tight circles. The dual sensation was too much, and I felt myself

shatter, my body clenching around him as I came with a cry I couldn’t suppress. He followed moments later, his hips stuttering as he spilled

inside me, his face buried against my neck.

We lay there for a long moment, both of us breathing hard, our bodies

still joined. I could feel his heart hammering against my chest, could

feel the dampness of sweat on his skin. Slowly, he pulled out, and I

felt the wet slide of his cum leaking out of me, felt the ache between

my legs that told me I’d feel this tomorrow.

He rolled onto his side, pulling me against him, and I let him because

I was too exhausted to fight anymore. My body felt heavy, sated, but my mind was racing with all the implications of what we’d just done,

what it meant, where we went from here.

“I meant what I said.”

Julian’s voice cut through the darkness.

“About the award slot. It’s yours. I’ll have Atlas send you the

registration details tomorrow.”

I turned my head to look at him, found him watching me with an

expression I couldn’t quite read.

Chapter 156

against my back even through the fabric of my dress.

“You want to know what you are to me?”

He spoke against my mouth, his voice rough. His hands slid up my

sides, possessive and demanding.

“You’re the one thing I can’t control. The one thing I can’t rationalize or compartmentalize or fit into the neat little boxes I’ve built my life

around. You drive me fucking insane.”

I should have pushed him away. Should have demanded he let me go,

should have reminded him about Sloane and the baby and all the reasons this was wrong. But instead, I found my hands fisting in his hair, pulling him closer even as part of me screamed that this was a

mistake.

“I hate you.”

I whispered it against his lips, and felt him smile.

“I know.” His hands found the zipper of my dress, sliding it down. “But you’re still mine. You agreed to that, remember? You said you’d be my person, and I’m holding you to it.”

The dress pooled at my feet, leaving me in nothing but the lingerie. I

STAR

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify