Xanthea’s heart was beating faster than she’d expected, her fingers still lingering on the bottle as she gently rubbed the scar removal cream onto Orion’s neck. The subtle shift in his posture, the slight tilt of his head away from her touch, made her pulse race. She hadn’t anticipated that something as simple as applying cream would create this kind of atmosphere between them.
His skin was warm beneath her fingertips, a stark contrast to the icy exterior he always projected. The tension in his body was palpable, and Xanthea couldn’t help but notice the redness creeping up from his neck to his ears, almost as though he were burning from the inside out. She had teased him before, but this? This felt different.
As she massaged the ointment into his skin, her breath brushed against his ear, and the subtle shift in his gaze—dark and intense—was not lost on her. Oh, so this is what it’s like to have Orion Lockwood on the edge. She thought, a small thrill running through her as she took in the way he fought to maintain his composure.
“Such a good boy,” she murmured under her breath, almost teasing, but the words were softer, more intimate than she’d intended.
Orion’s grip on his restraint was visibly slipping, his chest rising and falling with shallow breaths. His eyes, usually so controlled, were now wild—flickering with something much more raw and primal. Xanthea’s touch, light and seemingly innocent, seemed to be unraveling him in ways she hadn’t imagined.
The contrast between their roles—his usual cold indifference and her playful, unpredictable behavior—felt like a tightrope, and Xanthea couldn’t help but revel in the sway of it all.
“Is this really the same man who exuded nothing but icy composure only moments ago?” she mused, her lips curling into a mischievous smile.
Orion, as though sensing the shift in her, forced himself to straighten, but his voice betrayed him when it came out a little rougher than usual. “Xan… That’s enough.”
For a moment, Xanthea froze, her fingers stilling on his neck as she met his gaze. The intensity in his eyes had only deepened, as though they were about to burn through her. She wasn’t sure what kind of power this moment held, but the electricity between them was undeniable.
And then, the sound of a voice—loud and cutting through the tension—pulled Xanthea’s attention away from Orion.
“Xan!” Ethan’s voice was edged with disbelief, though there was a note of warning in it. His sharp eyes darted between Xanthea and Orion, fully aware of the intimate scene unfolding in front of them. “What are you doing?”
Xanthea reluctantly pulled her hand back, breaking the contact with his skin. She felt a rush of heat spread across her face, a mix of embarrassment and exhilaration. Damn it, she thought. I didn’t think it would escalate like this.
The awkwardness didn’t last long, though, as the murmurs of the guests quickly filled the space again. “Did you see that? The heir is letting Ms. Nightshade do that to him?”
“Maybe there’s something more between them than we thought…” another voice whispered.
“Not even the women of the entertainment industry can get this close to Mr. Lockwood, yet Ms. Nightshade is practically running circles around him…”
Xanthea felt the weight of the gossip, but strangely, it didn’t bother her. It wasn’t the whispers that had her on edge—it was the moment she’d just shared with Orion. It had been a spark, a tiny flicker of something dangerous, and she wasn’t sure whether she wanted to extinguish it or fan the flames.
But she couldn’t ignore the fact that Orion had allowed her to do this. He’d let her cross that line, however small it seemed.
Orion’s jaw tightened, but there was still that spark in his eyes. He stood, straightening his suit, his hand briefly brushing against hers as he did. “I’ll take care of it later,” he muttered, his voice rough, but there was a quiet gratitude buried in it.
Xanthea nodded, almost too aware of the tension still hanging between them. “Of course,” she replied, her voice light, though her heart was racing with more than just playful teasing now.
As she stepped back, she caught the look of confusion and wariness in Cedric’s eyes. He was still pacing, his mind clearly trying to process what was happening. But he couldn’t interrupt this moment. No one could.
And, to her surprise, neither could she. For all the games they’d played, for all the walls between them, it felt like she was getting closer to something—something buried deep inside Orion that he didn’t let anyone see. Something that might just change everything between them.
But the moment was fleeting, as moments between them often were. The banquet, the stakes, the future of the Lockwood Group—all of it was still looming, waiting for them to face it. And yet, despite it all, Xanthea couldn’t shake the feeling that, somewhere in the tangled mess of business and personal games, she had just taken a step closer to unlocking the mystery of Orion Lockwood.
And for the first time, she couldn’t help but wonder if he was beginning to unravel her, too.
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