\u00a0<\/p>\n
3\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bekn Be Pos\u00a0<\/p>\n
*25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
Relax, little fox\u00a0<\/p>\n
Violet\u00a0<\/p>\n
At this point, my common sense and my heart were at war with each other.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Do you like Hades?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maybe.\u00a0<\/p>\n
No. Absolutely not. You can\u2019t like him. I could name a thousand reasons why. He\u2019s dangerous, and unhinged. He sees people as toys. And for crying out loud, he literally just bent you over a restroom counter. If you let him, he\u2019ll wreck every plan you\u2019ve ever made for your future.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And I could name a thousand reasons why we should like him. He\u2019s kind to me. Who cares what he is to others? He\u2019s protected me when no one else did. He\u2019s saved me more than once. He\u2019s rich, powerful, and untouchable. He\u2019s basically every girl\u2019s dream. And that body, don\u2019t even start. We\u2019ve seen it, remember?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cUgh!\u201d I slapped my face lightly, muttering to myself, \u201cSnap out of it, Violet. Calm down.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My reflection in the mirror looked just as annoyed as I sounded. \u201cWhy am I even entertaining this thought? This is stupid. This shouldn\u2019t even cross my mind. Don\u2019t forget, this man is off limits. He\u2019s the definition of off limits.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I frowned, shaking my head harder. \u201cDamn it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Before I could spiral deeper, a light flick landed on my forehead.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOw.\u201d I yelped, rubbing my forehead. My eyes shot up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hades stood there, smirking, a towel in his hand. His sleeves were rolled up, his shirt half undone like he\u2019d just walked out of some magazine shoot. And of course, he looked completely composed. Why wouldn\u2019t he? He wasn\u2019t the one whose legs were still trembling like jelly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I glared. \u201cWhat was that for?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He tilted his head, that smug curve playing at his lips. \u201cWhat are you thinking about?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I coughed, trying to sound casual. \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hades leaned closer, closing the space until I could feel his breath against my skin. My heart stopped, my lungs forgot their purpose. His lips curled higher. It was almost cruel in how easily he could read me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His hand slid to my waist, possessively. \u201cDo you want another round? I only stopped earlier because I was afraid of breaking you into pieces.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My brain short\u2013circuited. My face burned, And worst of all, hiccupped loudly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I slapped a hand against his chest, trying to push him back. It seems you\u2019ve forgotten,\u201d I said quickly, \u201ceven though I doubt you\u2019re human, I am. And humans break easily, in case you didn\u2019t know. I\u2019d like to be able to walk out of here without limping like I have something stuck in my vagina.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a second, he didn\u2019t say anything, but his shoulders shook, and then Hades laughed, a low sound that vibrated against my hand still resting on his chest\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m being serious.\u201d I snapped.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, I know.\u201d He said. \u201cThat\u2019s why it\u2019s so entertaining.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I made the mistake of looking into his eyes. He wasn\u2019t just looking at me, he was reading me, peeling me apart layer by layer like it was the easiest thing in the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
His thumb brushed over my hip. \u201cRelax, little fox. I\u2019m not going to break you.\u201d His grin widened, \u201cunless, of course, you want me to.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My mouth opened, but nothing came out. My brain screamed, Run! Yet my heart insisted, Stay.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I shook my head again. \u201cW\u2013we have to go back,\u201d I muttered barely recognizing my own voice. I couldn\u2019t stay here with him any longer, it was already too much. The longer his eyes lingered on me, the more my thoughts strayed somewhere they shouldn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hades didn\u2019t argue. He just tilted his head, and leaned back Somehow, that made me even more nervous.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I glanced down at myself, cheeks burning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After everything we just did, I hadn\u2019t even said anything to him. He simply grabbed a fresh towel from somewhere, dampened it, and started wiping the mess from my skin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It should have been a simple act, but it wasn\u2019t, because he never played fair.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Every swipe of the towel came with his knuckles grazing the inside of my thigh, the place I still ached, and when I shot him a look, he only murmured, \u201cAccident.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Accident, my ass. Normal people don\u2019t smile while making mistakes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I had to press my lips together, fighting the trembling urge to just tell him to drop the damn towel and touch me properly again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Taking in a deep breath, I slid down from the counter, determined to regain at least an ounce of dignity. My feet wobbled, but before I could fall, his arm wrapped firmly around my waist.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I froze instantly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His expensive cologne made it impossible to think straight. My lips parted unconsciously, and I hated myself for it. I swallowed, my voice barely audible.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTh\u2013thank you\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He nodded, but the smile never left his face. If anything, it widened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Trying to sound normal, I straightened. \u201cI\u2013I have a lot of questions to ask you, but we should go back first.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
To my surprise, he didn\u2019t push. He nodded his head.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was about to walk with me, when I panicked. My hand flew out. \u201cNo, we can\u2019t leave together!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His eyebrow arched, and I couldn\u2019t tell if he was confused or amused. \u201cWhy not?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause it\u2019ll be obvious. If we walk out of here together, people will look at us weird. So\u2026\u201d I swallowed hard, my face heating again. \u201cSo I\u2019ll leave first. You can follow after a few minutes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I braced myself for him to refuse, but instead, his lips curled in a slow smile. \u201cOkay, princess.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
What?\u00a0<\/p>\n
I blinked at him, caught off guard by how easy that was. Hades, listening? Agreeing? He was not teasing me to death until I regretted opening my mouth? That was new.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was being obedient, and that terrified me more than if he\u2019d pinned me back against the counter. Because if Hades was being this cooperative, it could only mean one thing, he was planning something.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I wanted to ask what, but right now, what mattered was leaving this place without anyone noticing anything. So I swallowed, straightened my clothes, and focused on the door.\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Rekis, De fox\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
One step at a time, Violet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I kept the mask in place, refusing to meet his eyes even as felt his gaze burn into me. Instead, I smoothed a hand over my hair, tucking a loose strand behind my car before pushing the door open and walking out.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Thankfully, no one was upstairs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My heels clicked softly against the floor as I made my way to the staircase. One less pair of eyes to wonder why I had vanished upstairs with flushed cheeks and trembling legs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The sound of the party below grew louder with every step 1 look down. Nobody was paying attention to me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Step by step, I descended, ignoring the dull ache in my thighs. I could still feel him on me, but I forced myself to push it aside. I was about to disappear quietly when the heel of my shoe snagged on the edge of the carpet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I gasped, my stomach dropping, arms flailing uselessly. The world tilted, and in a horrifying flash, I saw myself crashing forward, face\u2013planting in front of everyone. But before I hit the ground, a strong hand wrapped around my waist, steadying me. My eyes flew wide.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hades? I thought, even though it couldn\u2019t be. He couldn\u2019t have made it here before me. It wasn\u2019t possible. And yet, why was his name the first thing that slipped past my lips?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHades\u2026\u201d I whispered, the word barely leaving my lips.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you okay, miss?\u201d A deep voice asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I froze, breath catching in my throat. That voice\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
EliJa\u00a0<\/p>\n
Author\u00a0<\/p>\n
Thank you for reading.\u00a0<\/p>\n
13\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Nights Burn With Regret \u2014 by Nathan Perez 59 \u00a0 3\/3\u00a0 Bekn Be Pos\u00a0 *25 Bonus\u00a0 Relax, little fox\u00a0 Violet\u00a0 […]<\/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":[83],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27975","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-craving-the-guardian-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27975","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=27975"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27975\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27975"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27975"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27975"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}