Chapter 17\u00a0<\/p>\n
DYLAN\u00a0<\/p>\n
a\u00a0<\/p>\n
94\u00a0<\/p>\n
The clean scent of soap and the faint trace of a man\u2019s aftershave stirred me from my sleep. I feel like I\u2019m still in dreamland, and I don\u2019t want to wake up yet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned my head and buried my face into the pillow. That\u2019s when I noticed how soft it was, like resting on clouds. Nothing like the lumpy, dusty pillow I used to have in my parents\u2018 old apartment. This one felt expensive, clean, and fresh. Almost too good to be real.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That\u2019s when it hit me. I must be dreaming.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This kind of comfort doesn\u2019t happen in my world anymore. The last time I remember sleeping on something this soft was when I was still married to Beckett, before everything fell apart. It was strange how something as simple as a pillow could stir up old memories.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But there was something else, a scent I didn\u2019t recognize that was hidden in the sheets. A rich, masculine fragrance that smelled expensive and elegant, yet somehow wild and mysterious. It wrapped around me like a secret. The scent felt familiar, yet at the same time, a mystery.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My eyes fluttered as I opened it. I jolted in panic when I was greeted by an unfamiliar ceiling. Memories of what happened last night flash right before my eyes. Chills run down my spine when I remember how those disgusting men looked at me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But then\u2026 I remembered him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The man from the elevator.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I can still remember how his presence silenced even the loudest threats. The fear in those thugs\u2018 eyes when he appeared\u2013it was like they\u2019d seen a ghost.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Who the hell is this man? How did he know where I live?\u00a0<\/p>\n
I thought the surprise ended when I woke up in a stranger\u2019s bed. But my eyes almost bulge out when I notice I am wearing nothing but a white long\u2013sleeved shirt.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Where is my underwear? I screamed at my head.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I glanced around the room now, slowly taking in the details. He probably brought me here when I lost consciousness last night. But why does he need to take off my clothes?\u00a0<\/p>\n
D\u2013Did we sleep together?\u00a0<\/p>\n
I immediately wrapped my arms around my body in my faint attempt to protect myself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His place felt like a secret\u2013quiet and hidden. It was a bachelor pad, sure, but not the messy, party kind. This one was dark, calm, and strong\u2026 just like him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The walls were painted in dark colors\u2013deep gray and navy blue\u2013that made the space feel cozy, almost like a cave. Big windows lined one wall, but thick curtains covered them halfway, letting in just enough light to cast\u00a0<\/p>\n
10.26 Thu, Dec 25\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 17\u00a0<\/p>\n
shadows on the smooth floor. The furniture was modern and clean, but it didn\u2019t feel cold. A low leather couch sat in the center, dark brown like coffee, facing a glass coffee table. On it sat one fancy glass and an unopened\u00a0<\/p>\n
bottle of scotch\u00a0<\/p>\n
The air smelled warm and manly\u2013sandalwood with something deeper underneath. It filled the room like a quiet warning. There were no family pictures or anything personal, just a few black\u2013and\u2013white artworks on\u00a0<\/p>\n
the wall.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Still, something about the room pulled me in. The shadows felt like they were keeping me safe or maybe hiding something I wasn\u2019t sure.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My heart was racing, but not because I was scared. It was something else. Something I didn\u2019t understand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then I heard a door open. I turned quickly toward the sound.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And there he was.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He stepped out of the bathroom wearing only a white towel around his waist. Water still clung to his skin. sliding slowly down his toned abs as he dried his hair.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I forgot how to breathe. My throat went dry, and my eyes couldn\u2019t look away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDone ogling me?\u201d he asked, but when I saw the devilish smirk playing on his lips, I knew he was teasing me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cW\u2013Who are you? What have you done to me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI have done nothing to you. Dylan,\u201d he said, mentioning my name. I was surprised when I realized that he knows who I am. But what surprised me more is what he said <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Alchemist of Broken Dreams by Sienna Rose Blackwell 17 Chapter 17\u00a0 DYLAN\u00a0 a\u00a0 94\u00a0 The clean scent of soap […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24368","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-alphas-golden-cage-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24368","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24368"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24368\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24368"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24368"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24368"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}