CHAPTER 130: CHAPTER 130 TRAPPED DESIRE 1

Caroline’s POV

After that passionate encounter with Draven in my office that Kyle had interrupted, I found myself constantly replaying the memory. His touch, his kiss, the way his body pressed against mine—it was all I could think about. The week passed in a blur of meetings and paperwork,but Draven kept his distance.We only exchanged professional words when necessary, though I caught his violet eyes lingering on me during meetings, filled with hunger and longing.

Another Monday arrived, bringing with it the now-familiar vase of tulips on my desk with a handwritten note. I placed it with the others in my drawer, a collection of his promises and regrets. The audit team was still occupying most of our floor, keeping everyone busy and stressed. Ryan had been working me late all week on financial projections that needed to be perfect.

"Just one more hour, Carrie," Ryan said, poking his head into my office. "I need those comparison charts for tomorrow’s presentation."

I nodded, my eyes burning from staring at spreadsheets all day. By the time I finished, the office was nearly empty. I gathered my things, my body aching from sitting too long. The hallways were dim, most of the lights already switched to night mode. I pressed the elevator button and waited, checking my phone for messages from Eleanor who was watching Liam tonight.

The elevator doors finally slid open, and I stepped inside, immediately hit by a familiar scent of cedarwood and musk. My heart jumped as Draven stepped in behind me, his tall frame filling the small space with his presence. We locked eyes as the doors closed, neither of us speaking. It had been over a month since we’d been truly alone together—too much time, too much yearning, too much pain.

Just as the elevator began to descend, Draven pulled his phone from his pocket and sent a message. Seconds later, the elevator jerked to a halt, the main lights flickered out, and only the soft glow of emergency lighting remained.

"What’s happening?" I asked, though I already suspected.

"Emergency maintenance," Draven replied, his voice low and husky in the dim light. "Could take a while to fix."

The emergency light cast shadows across his face, making his cheekbones more pronounced, his eyes darker and more intense. He looked dangerous, powerful.

"Carrie," he breathed my name like a prayer. "I can’t do this anymore."

I backed against the elevator wall as he moved toward me, my heart hammering so hard I was sure he could hear it. In the shadowy light, his violet eyes seemed to glow, fixed on me with such intensity that my knees weakened.

"Do you know what it’s doing to me?" he whispered, now close enough that I could feel his warm breath on my skin. "Seeing you every day, not being able to touch you, to hold you, to taste you..."

"Draven," I whispered, my voice breaking. "We can’t—"

"I don’t care anymore," he growled,"One month without you is torture. I’m going insane."

He placed his hands on either side of me, caging me against the wall without touching me. The minimal space between us crackled with electricity. I could see the pulse throbbing in his neck, smell the intoxicating scent of his skin, feel the heat radiating from his body.

"Tell me to stop," he challenged, his eyes burning into mine. "Tell me you don’t want this just as badly as I do."

I couldn’t lie—not to him, not to myself. Not when my body was already trembling with need, not when my core was already aching for him.

"I can’t," I admitted. "I need you, Draven. I’ve always needed you."

With a growl, he closed the distance between us. His mouth crashed against mine with desperate hunger, a month of restraint shattering in an instant. I moaned against his lips as his hands finally touched me, gripping my waist and pulling me against him so hard I felt every inch of his powerful body.

"Mine," he said against my mouth. "No matter what happens, you’re mine, Caroline."

I wrapped my arms around his neck, my fingers threading through his hair, pulling him closer still. His tongue explored my mouth with possessive strokes that left me gasping. Every touch was fire, every breath shared between us charged with desperation. His hands moved down to cup my ass, lifting me effortlessly so I could wrap my legs around his waist.

"I dream about you every night," he confessed between scorching kisses. "I wake up reaching for you, aching for you."

Draven pressed me harder against the elevator wall,I could feel him hard against me, his arousal straining against his pants. He rolled his hips, creating friction that made me moan his name.

"That dress," he growled, his eyes raking over the same navy blue sheath I’d worn the day we met. "I’ve wanted to tear it off you since the moment I saw you in it."

He spun me around, his movements urgent. I felt his hot breath on my neck as he unzipped my dress, trailing kisses down my back. My body shuddered under his touch. The dress pooled at my feet, leaving me in just my cream lace lingerie.

"So beautiful," he whispered, turning me to face him again.

His violet eyes darkened as they took in my body, his gaze like a physical caress.Draven pulled me back against him, his mouth finding mine in another bruising kiss as his hands explored my body.

His fingers trailed fire across my skin, from my neck down to my breasts. He unhooked my bra and tossed it aside. In the glow, I watched his face as he gazed at my naked breasts with need. He lowered his head, taking one nipple into his mouth while his thumb circled the other, drawing a cry from my lips.

"Draven, please," I begged.

His mouth was moving from one breast to the other, sucking and licking and grazing with his teeth until my legs trembled. His hand slid down my stomach, fingers dipping beneath the waistband of my panties to find me already wet and ready for him.

"Fuck," he groaned. "So wet for me already."

His fingers circled my sensitive bud, drawing strangled gasps. My hips bucked against his hand, seeking more pressure. When he slipped two fingers inside me, curving them to hit that spot, I cried out, my head falling back against the elevator wall.

"That’s it," he murmured, his lips against my ear. "Let me feel you come."

His fingers moved in rhythm, his thumb still circling my clit as his fingers pumped in and out. The pressure built inside me, coiling tighter and tighter until I shattered, my inner walls clenching around his fingers as waves of pleasure crashed through me.

"Oh god, Draven!" I cried out, my body convulsing against him.