Alejandro swung his legs off the bed, his muscles taut as though already preparing for war.

    The sheet slid down his waist, revealing hard lines of strength carved from years of discipline. He reached for the discarded shirt on the chair but paused when Nivera’s soft voice broke the silence.

    “Where are you going?”

    He turned slightly, his dark hair falling over his brow. The question was quiet and hesitant but threaded with something that sounded all too much like fear.

    “To shower,” he said simply, dragging a hand over his jaw. “Why? Do you need something?”

    She bit her lip, her gaze dropping to the sheet she clutched against her chest. Alejandro noticed, his sharp eyes catching every twitch, every flicker of unease.

    “You don’t… want me to go?” He asked carefully, as he didn’t want to make her ufortable.

    Nivera’s lips pressed together. She wanted to deny it, to wave him off, but the truth burned in her throat. She hated the silence. Hated the thought of him leaving the room, even if only for a few minutes.

    Last night had hollowed her, filled her with shadows she wasn’t ready to face without him beside her.

    “I just…” She swallowed. “I don’t want to be alone.”

    Alejandro exhaled slowly, a sound caught between amusement and disbelief. “Do you want to join me then?” he teased, a sly smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth.

    He expected her to roll her eyes, to call him ridiculous. The goal was to rile her up so he’d see a glimpse of the feisty Nivera, but instead–she looked up. And he saw it in her eyes: she wasn’t joking.

    “Yes.”

    And before she could think better of it, before she could talk herself down from whatever cliff she was standing on, Nivera slid out of the sheets. Her bare feet touched the cool floor, her movements hesitant but deliberate.

    Her hair tumbled down her back, her bare feet whispering against the carpet as she moved toward him.

    Alejandro blinked, the smirk wiped clean off his face. “You’re serious.” He was beyond shocked, as he didn’t expect she’d actually agree.

    “I said I don’t want to be alone,” she murmured, avoiding his

    gaze.

    For a moment, Alejandro didn’t move. His mind warred between disbelief and something far more dangerous–desire.

    Not the crude kind he was so used to satisfying, but the kind that knotted deep inside, dragging his heart into the equation.

    1:0

    853

    55 vouche

    His pulse kicked, hard and fast, and he had to rein himself in as he nodded, masking the storm beneath his

    skin.

    “Wait, let me get the tub ready,” he said and quickly entered the bathroom before she changed her mind.

    He had intended to shower to cool off and reset his thoughts–not anymore.

    He turned, crossed to the wide marble bathroom, and twisted the tap. The tub roared to life, steaming water spilling in and curling into mist.

    He immediately grabbed some bubble bath, which he knew was the brand she used, and he mixed it into the

    water.

    “How do you know what kind I use?” He heard her ask from behind him.

    “I know everything about you, Cabezota. That’s how much you mean to me,” he responded, and he heard a small gasp.

    A lot of what he knew about her were things he unknowingly observed, things Martins report would never

    cover.

    He didn’t look at her when he stripped off his shirt, tossed it aside, and then stepped into the water. Only when he sank against the edge did his gaze lift–catching Nivera still standing at the doorway, biting her lip like she had no idea how she ended up here.

    “Well?” His voice was low, coaxing, and testing. “Are youing, Cabezota? Or do you n to stand there until the water gets cold?”

    Now was a good time for her to change her mind. He’d respect that, but he prayed she wouldn’t.

    Nivera’s cheeks med, and every rational thought screamed at her to turn back, to run, to lock herself in another room. But she didn’t.

    She slowly began to take off her nightwear. The room was getting hotter and hotter with every passing second, and it wasn’t because of the steam but because of Alejandro’s undivided gaze on her as she stood, dressed in nothing.

    Fuck, why did he look at her like she was a meal he wanted to devour? “Shit,” she cursed in her head as that thought did nothing but turn her on.

    “Cabezota,” he said quietly, holding a hand out. “Come here.”

    Her legs moved before her brain could argue. She took his hand and slid into the tub, the water warm against her skin, her nerves buzzing and her eyes darting everywhere except him.

    Alejandro’s heart fluttered as he watched Nivera intensely. He just couldn’t take his eyes off her.

    It was as though he wanted to cement every moment of this into his head.

    She was here. In the water with him.

    b12:36 /bbTue/bb, /bSep 16

    ??

    36 vouchere

    He watched the steam curl around her flushed face, wondering what it would take to make herugh right

    nowb. /b

    He couldn’t stop himself. His lips curved, unguarded, softer than he intended, as his mind echoed that bone /bword that only came when Nivera was with him.

    Mine.

    While Alejandro was on cloud nine, Nivera, on the other hand, was ready to drown herself in shame.

    What the hell am I doing? She scolded internally. Her chest tightened as she tucked her chin against her knees. She didn’t belong here. She wasn’t supposed to want this–his presence, his warmth. But God help her, the shadows in her chest eased with him so close.

    Alejandro studied her in silence, letting the moment stretch, his mind a battlefield. He should’ve been plotting vengeance, calcting the next move against whoever dared touch what was his.

    Oh, he was, but at that moment, all he could think about was the woman he was looking at.

    When he noticed the tension in her shoulders and the way she kept stealing nervous nces at him, he moved.

    Sliding forward in the water, he reached across the space, his hand finding her waist. He pulled, firm and unyielding, until she stumbled into him.

    Her gasp was soft, swallowed quickly by his chest as she collided with him, her palms sying against his skin before he turned her and made her rest against his chest. Heat red where their bodies touched, but it wasn’t just the water.

    The scent of him–clean, sharp, intoxicating–wrapped around her.

    “You’re nervous,” he whispered into her ear, his breath hot against her damp skin.

    “I’m not,” she lied, too quickly.

    His chuckle rumbled through his chest into hers. “Liar.” His hand tracedzy circles against her hip, not pushing further, just reminding her she was caught. Safe.

    His.

    Her heart thudded harder. Damn him. He was right. Her pulse was betraying her, her breath uneven, her muscles tense against him.

    But as the seconds passed, the tension began to bleed out of her. The steady beat of his heart against her back, the firm weight of his arms around her–it quieted the noise in her chest.

    She rested her head tentatively against his shoulder, her eyes fluttering shut.

    Alejandro inhaled sharply and his arms tightened around her.

    b12:36 /bTueb, /bbSep /b16